Communion 2020

I’ve got two recipes for you in this post.

Communion will be very different this year for me, probably you too. It’s been tough for a lot of people. We won’t all be together but we’ll be alone or in small family groups. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing, though. It will be you and God and that means you can talk without distraction.

We plan on having communion here at home with our Church family – online.

When I asked my Grandmother to write down her communion bread recipe, she told me that while you make it, you should pray. So as I make the bread I’ve always prayed. Communion is a time for reflection, repentance, thankfulness and determination to serve God better with His help.

I’ll be making communion bread and we have some red wine that we’ll use. Papaw made elderberry wine that they used for communion. I won’t be making Grandma’s communion bread recipe this year because I don’t have any whole wheat on hand but I’ll make matzah. Here are my recipes for both.

Matzah

In kosher households this process must be done in 18 minutes or less. I’m not kosher so I take my time.

1 cups plain flour
1/3 cup water (or more as needed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil (you can substitute other cooking oil)
Heat the oven to 475*F
Place a baking sheet in the oven to heat.
Mix all ingredients and knead until the dough comes together in a ball.
Divide the ball in two pieces.
Roll out each piece on a heavily flour dusted surface until the dough is very thin.
Using a fork, pierce the dough all over, turn the dough over and pierce that side all over as well.
Place the dough on the hot baking sheet and bake 2 minutes, turn the dough over bake until it is lightly browned, it won’t take much time.

After it has cooled I break it up and store it in a plastic freezer bag in the freezer. It will last a long time if it doesn’t get freezer burned.

Grandma’s Whole Wheat Communion Bread

2 c whole wheat flour 1 c white flour 1 & 1/4 tsp salt
Stir in 4 tsp oil. Set aside.

 Mix wet ingredients together until dissolved:
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp very hot water 
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp molasses

Dough will be a little sticky which is what you want. Divide the dough into 4 parts and roll out each part, poke holes all over the dough then bake at 350*F for 10 minutes.
Brush with oil and bake another 5-8 minutes.

While its hot is the best time to cut it into little pieces for communion.

This too, can be cooled and stored in the freezer. A little tip about this recipe: If you add some leavening in the form of 1 1/4 tsp baking powder, it puffs up a little and is a very tasty flatbread.

May God’s face shine upon you!