Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all happy and healthy during this pandemic.  Here is my bonus project for this week:

Prosphora is that loaf of bread that is offered during the Divine Liturgy.  Did you know that normally it is the people in the parish that bring it to church so that the priest can offer it to God.  Yup.  This means that you can bake these little loaves and participate in the prayers in a fuller way.  Below is a video of Fr. Bo’s new 1 episode of his (soon to be viral?) COOKING SHOW!  I hope you enjoy it.

The recipe is below the video.

 

Recipe:

3 cups flour
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Traditional Yeast
1 pinch of salt

Start with a prayer and keep praying through the whole process.

Put the yeast with a little WARM water in a small bowl and let it do it’s thing.  Set aside for a bit.

Boil the 3 cups of water.  Pour them into a bowl with the flower and pinch of salt.  Mix with wooden spoon until it cools enough for you to mix with your hands.  It might seem too dry and too thick, but keep kneading anyway.  It will work.

After it is thoroughly mixed, add in the yeast, and kneed more.

Then…. knead more… and more… and more.  Then more.

Roll out with a rolling pin till it is about 3/4 to 1 inch thick.

Use a “Prosphora Stamp” and press down quite firmly for at least 15-20 seconds (I normally say an “Our Father”).  You can find them at many Eastern Church Good Stores online.  Just search for “Prosphora Stamp”.
(This part is fun to do with kids if you have a family.  It is a great opportunity to teach them what you are doing.)

Cut out the Prosphora with a cookie cutter, glass, or even a knife.  If you plan to do a double layered one, cut out two portions (only the top one is stamped) and stick them together with a tiny bit of water.

Sprinkle a cookie sheet with a bit of flour, and put the Prosphora on it.  Then cover it with a clean but moist kitchen towel (I soak it, then wring it out very well).

Let it rise for about an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Bake for about half and hour.  (Keep watch.)  It will start to turn golden brown.

Let cool on a rack, then wrap them in plastic or foil so that they do not dry out.  If they are not to be used immediately, you can freeze them.

Bring them to your priest as an offering from your family.