The Amish Cook: Amish Whole Wheat Bread

THE AMISH COOK

BY GLORIA YODER

Patience. Perseverance. We all want it, but don't necessarily want to take the path that it may take to get there. As a little girl I really didn't have an exceptional amount of patience. I remember when I was 12 or 13 years old, writing in my journal how much I had a hard time being patient with my brothers. At other times I felt tried with my little sisters whom I loved so dearly. I wondered what it would be like if I would perhaps be a mother someday. "Would I then be a patient sweet mother or would I be tempted to snap at them," I asked myself time and again.

 

Well, somehow the clock of time has ticked much faster than I thought it would. Here I am a mother of two, another one on the way, and a foster mom to two more. Do I get tired? Yes I do. I am not a super mom that always hits every note in a musical manner as she wishes she would. I do have times I feel frustration
rise within me. That reminds of what our deacon shared a week ago, "It's the fruit of the Spirit that allows us to
have a better response to a negative situation than what we'd have of ourselves." That's it. Of myself I simply don't have what it takes to be a good mom, it takes someone bigger than I.

Take for instance, with three children who need their daily naps, I'm just learning how to try to arrange everything so that this mama can also take a little break. As you can imagine, it doesn't always fall into place like how I would like for it to. And of course when trying to keep one or two of them awake until the others are ready to sleep, we end up with more grouchiness and not so good  behaviors, resulting in a greater need for bigger doses of patience for Mom especially if she already has a lack of sleep from caring for baby during the night!
Or how about the times I get back to my weekly writing project after the twentieth interruption? As I tell Daniel, I end up with my patience becoming drained or having it strengthened. I love writing, some days just require digging deeper into the patience bank than others.
But you know, moms really aren't the only ones faced with situations that tend to drain patience reservoirs. Julia may be an example of this. Her kindergarten is starting in three long weeks from now. Her backpack has been packed for days or even weeks, yet there is no option but to simply wait until the big day arrives! Interestingly enough, her first day of kindergarten is on my due date, so we both have to wait until February 20th! (In our parochial school we have a couple weeks of kindergarten the year before first grade, more about that in an upcoming column.) Julia has been doing preschool work at home for the last few years now so I am excited to see her go to school with her friends. We will also miss her here at home, she is my sunshine in so many ways. I'm sure she'll do well at school and it will undoubtedly help her mature in new ways.
All of you undoubtedly have things that you've had to accept for the thousandth time, testing your patience level to the max. Isn't it amazing though, how we all have a place where we're called to serve and at times self- pity wants to settle in, making us feel all alone in our world of problems as we forget that we really aren't the only ones facing a dilemma?
Whatever your trials may be, may you be blessed as you continue taking one step at a time, trusting God to somehow see you through!
Thanks to all of you for your loyal support, especially during the busy seasons of our lives.
For a recipe  this week you might want to join us in the highlight of our day; our shipment of 60 gallons honey arrived. Don't worry, we won't be using all of this ourselves, we'll be sharing with other people in the community. We've eagerly been waiting for it, especially for eating it with fresh bread. We had placed our honey order with Amish people in Mount Vernon MO. now it finally arrived. I couldn't resist stirring up a batch of homemade bread to eat with it. It's our favorite recipe used by many Amish mothers. What beats a slice of homemade bread, straight from the oven slathered with homemade butter, then honey drizzled on top of everything?!
AMISH WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

4 ½ cups lukewarm water
¾ cup olive oil
½ cup honey
3 tablespoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons lecithen granules*
2 heaping tablespoons wheat gluten*
1 tablespoon salt
11- 13 cups whole wheat flour
Mix first three ingredients, then add next four ingredients. Mix together then add half of flour. Mix very well and add remaing flour until desired consistency is reached. Knead for ten minutes. Let set five minutes. Knead, shaping into five loaves, place into greased pans, then prick with a fork to remove air bubbles. Set in oven on pilot to rise for 30 minutes. Turn oven to 300 and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans let set on cooling racks for 20 minutes before putting into bags.
*These items are available in bulk food stores. I prefer using Prairie Gold whole wheat flour which is also available in bulkfood stores.