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Tuesday, 21 July 2009

Communion (feat. Communion Bread Recipe!)

It's interesting how the way communion is carried out differs from country to country.

In Singapore, I grew up taking grape juice in little communion cups, with the communion bread being small pieces of Jacobs crackers, broken beforehand by faithful Aunties who prepared the communion every month.

I read that in China, they use 'man tous' as the bread.

Here in Sweden, at least in my church Ad Fontes, it is, as my Mum calls it, 'Anglican style', ie there's an actual sharing of the cup and the bread. The bread (never store bought, always freshly baked by the person/s leading the communion) is broken by each person as it is passed around, and the cup (just 1 cup) is similarly passed from hand to hand, with some sipping directly from the cup, while others dip the bread into the juice (normally grape juice, or any other berry juice that's suitably dark in colour) before partaking it.

Different practices, but the same meaning behind it all.

1 Cor 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

So, it was Emil and my turn to lead the summer service at Ad Fontes last Sunday, and hence, the communion. And so, for the first time, I had to figure out how to bake suitable communion bread.

Surfing online threw up hundreds of different recipes for communion bread. I was close to panicking (what are molasses??) till my ever wise hubby told me to just make scones.

Scones? For communion bread?

A huge flat scone for communion bread actually works really well - not overly crumbly so that pieces can be torn off the bread, and yet sufficiently soft and unleavened.

And thus it was time for me to desperately recall my scone-baking skills from HomeEc some 13 years ago, and go for it.

Recipe for Basic Scones / Communion Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
50g butter
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk (approx.)

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in the egg. (If you wish, this is a good point to add nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, cheese, etc. Not for communion bread, only for scones :))
   
   
2. Gradually add the milk until a thick dough is formed. (It may take more or less than 3/4 cup.)
   
   
3. Turn out the mixture onto a floured board and knead lightly. Roll out the dough to 3/4" thickness and divide into rounds of about 2" in diameter (for the scones; for the communion bread, you decide how big/small you wish it to be, noting that the bread will expand after baking). Gather the trimmings and lightly knead, roll, and cut them as well.
   
   
4. Place the rounds about 1" apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little beaten egg or milk. Bake in a preheated 225°C oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.
   

Makes 12 to 16 scones, depending on the recipe version used.

(It came up to 2 communion breads, and 6 scones, which my Mum, Emil and I devoured at teatime.)


Variations of the Basic Scone Recipe:

• Spiced Scones: Add enough cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice to the dry ingredients to total 1/2 teaspoon.
• Raisin Wheat Scones: Our favorite. Substitute white flour with whole wheat pastry flour or half and half white and wheat. Use brown sugar instead of white and plain yogurt instead of whole milk.
• Buttermilk Scones: Substitute buttermilk for whole milk and add 1 tablespoon sugar to the basic recipe.
• Walnut Scones: Add 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts.
• Cheddar Scones: Add 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese and 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard.
• Dried Fruit Scones: Add 1/2 cup raisins, currants, cranberries, or chopped dried apricots.
• Chocolate Chip Scones: Add 1/2 cup white or dark chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon vanilla to the basic recipe.
• Lemon Scones: Add the juice and zest of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon sugar to the basic scone recipe.

Now, off to pluck blackcurrants from our friend's garden for pie tonight! :)

Labels: baking, church, God, recipe