INSPIRASUNS

So, as most of you know, if you’ve been following this little blog this week, I started a project a few days ago, making bread from scratch. I’ve made bread in the past, but have always used one of those bread machines where you put all the ingredients in, set the timer to the crust type you want, and presto, chango, finished loaf of bread 6 hours later. No, this time I wanted to do it myself, let it set, work with it, let it set, you get the idea.

Yesterday afternoon was the point where I removed the dough from the bowl and worked with it just a bit. To my surprise it looked just as the recipe said it would, bubbles all over the top, woot woot, I was on the right track! I floured my board and worked the dough into a ball and covered it for round two of rising. Two hours later I “tested” it, and could tell it needed just a bit longer. When I came back to it, I was satisfied that the time had come to put my little creation into the oven.

After 30 minutes, I took the lid off the pan, (by the way did I mention that you cook this particular bread in a dutch oven), and put it back into the oven for another 15 minutes. Well my friends, what came out of the oven was a beautiful loaf of bread. Right about that time, my husband came into the kitchen and confirmed it looked wonderful 🙂 . So far, it looked like bread, the smells of it baking said it smelled like bread, only one test left, the taste. I waited just a few minutes and then I grabbed some butter from the fridge and cut off an end piece. I gave a slathered piece to my other half and…drumroll…it was really, really good! The crust was crispy on the outside, the inside was moist, and it was just like you want this type of bread. I guess I should have said in the beginning, this is an Artesian crusty type of bread, kind of like sourdough.

I have to admit, I really had this moment of my gosh I did it. I overcame that love/hate relationship with yeast, I overcame the fear of it won’t rise correctly it never does, and I made myself push through those fears and doubts. I made myself focus and do something I typically don’t like to do, work with flour and dough. What I’ve realized is that it was actually a very calming process, it was a time to focus on working with my hands and I was making something from scratch. I get it, it’s just a simple loaf of bread, but it was the pushing through the doubts and hesitancy that matters.

Yes, my mind is already looking towards the next loaf, this time a more traditional process that actually involved kneading and rising and maybe even making my own starter, who knows. Heck, I’ve even thought about trying a few pastry things now that I’m not afraid of this yeast thing. Sorry, I’ll leave the cooking blogs to someone else 🙂 .

My friends, what this process showed me is that I truly can do anything that I put my mind to, we all can. If we believe in ourselves, have faith in the skills that Father gave us, and just put in the time and effort that it takes, we do have what it takes to overcome. I wonder what God was thinking last night when I had that surprised look on my face when taking the lid off that pot. Or even better what He was thinking when I took that first bite. My guess is, He was thinking, “why did you doubt”?

Don’t doubt my friends. God is always with us, he has gifted us in ways we still may not even realize. I know there will be times we fail, but that’s ok, it’s learning what we did wrong and overcoming that failure that matters.

Have a great day my friends, and thanks for the continued encouragement you provide every day!

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.