I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post that as I was grinding flour and making bread this week, I was listening to an online sermon over the passage of the Feeding of the 5,000 (from Matthew 14:13-36).
(and as I shared yesterday, if you are interested the link is: TOV Church – Leading People To Jesus & Loving People Like Jesus – Messages The sermon title is: “Put it in the Hands of Jesus.”)
I intentionally decided to make dinner rolls with the Honey-Wheat Bread recipe I had mixed up.
#1 – for the reason that I personally think dinner rolls taste better than a denser loaf of bread baked in a bread pan. And #2 – for the reason that I wanted to have “five small loaves.”
After all … I was listening to a sermon about the Feeding of the 5,000. It naturally followed that I must make my bread into “small loaves.”
And here you can see our “five small loaves and two small fish”! I was beyond delighted!
I had hubby hold our “five small loaves and two small fish” for the photo, because in the account (in the Gospels) it was a boy who had the “five small loaves and two fish.”
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’
“Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’
“’We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered.
“’Bring them here to me,’ he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”
– Matthew 14:13-21
John’s account specifies: “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” – John 6:9
Here you can see mine and hubby’s “basketful of leftovers.”
I was delighted to go down in the grass to get the photo of the “basketful of leftovers” … since everyone in the account was sitting down on the grass.
Also, I was delighted that it was evening (almost dusk) when I took these photos … and when hubby and I enjoyed our dinner of “small loaves and fish” … because it was also evening (almost dusk) when all the people in the account enjoyed their miraculous loaves and fish as well!
The sermon I was listening to as I prepared the bread recipe and made the dinner rolls made the point: Put it in the hands of Jesus.
* Hubby and I didn’t know what we were doing when it came to growing wheat. But we were willing to try. We were willing to sow seed. We were willing to learn.
So also, in life, you might be in a situation where you don’t really know what you are doing. Put it in the hands of Jesus. Pray over it! Pray over all those things you don’t know … and put it in the hands of Jesus.
* Hubby and I had doubts and questions about whether or not our wheat would even grow.
So also, in life, perhaps you are in a situation or a season of life where you have lots of doubts and questions. Put it in the hands of Jesus. Pray over it! Pray over all those doubts and questions … and put them in the hands of Jesus.
* Hubby and I worried that the sudden surprise thunderstorm, and the following week-long of rain had ruined our wheat crop.
So also, in life, perhaps there are things which you are worried about. Perhaps there are unexpected things which have suddenly “dumped rain” all over life! Put those things in the hands of Jesus. Pray over it! Pray over all those worries and unexpected trials … and put them in the hands of Jesus.
* Hubby and I didn’t feel like, for all our effort, that there would be much yield. We wondered “if it was really worth it.”
So also in life, perhaps you might be wondering: “Is all this effort really worth it??” “Is there going to be any yield at all??” Put it in the hands of Jesus. Pray over it! Pray over the “harvest” and the “yield” … and put it in the hands of Jesus.
To wrap up our adventure of growing wheat and making our own bread from our own wheat, I thought it would be fun to share the Honey-Wheat recipe I used.
Honey-Wheat Bread
4 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. yeast
In a large mixing bowl, measure out the 4 ½ cups whole wheat flour. Set aside.
In a 4-cup glass measuring cup, combine warm water, olive oil, and honey.
Heat to a temperature between 100*-110* F.
Whisk in the yeast.
Let sit for 5 minutes (it will start to become foamy).
Whisk in the salt.
Bit by bit, add whole wheat flour … until no longer possible to whisk.
At this point, pour the liquid mixture into the large mixing bowl with the remaining flour. Stir until all the flour is combined. The mixture will be very “sticky” and be more like muffin batter than bread dough.
Place mixture in an oiled bowl.
Cover and let stand in draft-free place for 1 hr.
Punch dough down.
Turn out onto lightly floured surface. (important: Do not knead in more flour)
Form into dinner rolls.
Let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425*.
Bake rolls for 4 minutes at 425* … then, without opening the oven door, turn the temperature down to 375* and continue baking for 13-14 more minutes, or until golden. (for a total bake time of 17-18 minutes)
Generously spread butter over the fresh hot rolls out of the oven … and enjoy!
