Humbled By A Tiny Loaf Of Bread

12-11-06 update to this entry:  See my Prosphora baking tutorial in the wiki

When it comes to cooking and baking I’m pretty confident in my abilities. I’ll give just about anything a try except if its too fancy, requires a lot of detail or many steps to complete. You won’t find me making braided breads or complex sauces; I’m just not that patient or precise. A friend who is an accomplished baker once told me that cooking is an art but baking is science, understanding and controlling the chemical and physical properties of the ingredients is vital to a satisfactory result.

When I volunteered to make prosphora for our small mission parish I had anything but science in mind. What could be hard about making a small loaf of bread I thought. For the non-Orthodox reader,prophora is a loaf of leavened bread, ranging in size from 2-3 inches in diameter.  Prosphora means “offering” in Greek and is used as the Lamb (the bread which will become the Body of Christ) in the Divine Liturgy and will be used to commune the faithful. During the Proskomedia service prior to the beginning of Liturgy the priest uses several (in Russian practice) prosphora removing portions to commemorate the Mother of God, the Holy Angels, John the Baptist, and others according to the rubrics of the Church. Individual parishioners can also “offer"prosphora for the service along with prayers for family members and other Orthodox during the Proskomedia service.  The priest says a short prayer and removes two small wedges from the loaf and places it on the diskos to be later added to the consecrated Gifts.  After the service the prosphora is taken home and a small piece consumed every morning with a sip of Holy Water to “break the fast” ( you know the true origin of the word “breakfast”). My job was to make prosphora for this purpose.

As I said, I was pretty cocky about my ability to easily handle this. I’ve made lots of bread over the years, I regularly bake bagels and scones among other things, I’ll be cranking these out in no time was my attitude. Baking prosphora is not like baking muffins or any other type of bread; as with everything in the Orthodox world it is a serious matter requiring a prayerful attitude. After a short prayer and blessing of all ingredients the process begins. The ingredients are basic: unbleached white flour, yeast and water (in some recipes salt)... nothing else. This apparent simplicity is deceptive, the perfect loaf is dense, but not tough, springy but not airy. Comprised of two separate pieces of dough in layers, the top is impressed with a seal of the Cross, and in the four sections the Greek letters of “Jesus Christ,“IC XC, and the Greek word NIKA, which mean “Jesus Christ conquers.” 

I found a recipe at Prosphora.org called “the foolproof recipe”, now what could go wrong with that ... plenty! There are many variables in baking, even when only a few ingredients are involved. Every brand of flour is different, the same flour can vary seasonally and can change in moisture content from day to day, all effect the process.
The HolyProsphora BakersThe flour I use is a wonderful high gluten product out of a mill in Portland, Oregon, I use it for everything. The so called “foolproof recipe” is not so foolproof for this fool, it required tweaking and considerable trial and error to work with this flour.

With the recipe’s suggested amount of yeast, the loaves were too airy and light.  Airy and light doesn’t hold the impressed letters, they disappear as the dough rises. It also makes it hard for the priest to cut out wedges because the bread tends to form a light domed crust that collapses when cut. For casual eating this is fine but not for prosphora.  With no sugar to feed the yeast the dough rises slowly and can not be rushed, nor should it be allowed to rise too much before baking or put in prematurely to rise too much in the oven.  Humm ..what was that I said about details? Where breads with many ingredients like sugar, salt, and oils are more forgiving, with a greater margin for error, prosphora has to be done just right relying on exact measurements and timings to achieve the proper result. Unfortunately I’ve discovered this all the hard way! After making prosphora that ranged from hockey pucks to flying saucer look-a-likes I’m finally closing in on the right balance of ingredients and timings. 

The primary unlisted ingredient for the real “foolproof ” prosphora recipe ... HUMILITY!  Anyone need a hockey puck for breakfast?

Dreaming of Athos

Almost from the moment I returned from MtAthos I have been trying to figure out a way to get back. Spending an extended period of time on the Holy Mountain measured in months rather than days is my dream. Make no mistake, I’m not interested in the monastic life, I’m not cut out for that, besides I’m happily married to a wonderful woman and have three terrific kids but, I long to immerse myself in the rhythm of the monastic life for a period. The taste I got on my trip left me wanting more. While I’m sure this is somewhat of a romantic fantasy I do have a fairly good idea of the demands it entails. Many impediments lie in the way to say nothing of getting the permission to stay that long on the Holy Mountain. Of course, one could argue that the spiritual life is not subject to the notions of time and place. One need not journey all the way toAthos in a quest for spiritual growth, all that work can and should be done right here at home, the Church provides everything that is required. Yet, there is something powerful and unique in those surroundings that nurtures the spirit, that focuses one’s energies on the mission at hand… I long for that focus, if just for awhile.

Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you willhonour your patience.
   
  St. John of the Ladder

Danger: Slow Moving Seniors

An opera audience is a unique group.  At 51 I feel like the kid in the crowd with much of the audience made up of seniors.  Moving around the opera house can be a real challenge, it’s a senior minefield!  Dodging slow moving seniors is a little known skill required of the “young” opera goer that you won’t read about in the promotional literature or opera magazines. Getting to your seat, heading to the bathroom at intermission, leaving the building to catch a late night ferry home is frought with danger.  Being tall and usually quick to move from place to place, I’m not one to be looking down at what lies ahead… I just go.  At the opera such behavior can result in disaster. Slow and steady, scanning the carpeted terrain below is a must.  How horrible the thought of trampling someone’s grandmother or grandfather! 

All joking aside, how nice it is to see older couples all dressed up for the evening,
Original production 1881
L’Opéra-Comique many I’m sure having spent many an evening over the years at the opera.  For me a rookie after two full seasons, every opera is a new experience.  For these veterans a lifetime of opera must bring a different focus to the evening.  I can only use my opera mentor, Gregory as a model.  After 30 or so years of serious opera going he has seen many operas multiple times.  His understanding and grasp of opera is astounding making our intermission debriefings and discussions very meaningful.  This past week’s performance of “Tales of Hoffman” (Les contes d’Hoffmann) by Offenbach is a case in point, I believe he has seen it three times.  A little background I learned: Offenbach died before the opera was finished in 1880.  Consequently it has been the subject of many variations over the years.  Apparently no two stagings are ever alike; music is added, acts omitted or rearranged, dialog added and so on. There are four women (subject to variation as well) in the opera who are the object of Hoffman’s obsession.  Historically some productions have one woman singing all four roles, a major undertaking since they are all very different in range and style.  The great Joan Sutherland was one of the few in recent history capable of handling such a daunting task and performed the opera in Seattle in 1970 (read a review of her Met performance 1973). Beverly Sills was another known for brilliantly handling these parts.

One of the marvelous things about opera is its rich history and the role that every new production and performance has in shaping that history.  As our experience grows as opera lovers ( I guess I can say that about myself now) we too shape the history of this unique art form.  If not for the patronage (and generous financial support I might add) of the many loyal and aged fans of opera there would be no opera for us youngsters to attend!  I just hope the next generation of young opera goers (ya know the 40 years olds) will keep any eye out for me when I’m shuffling around the opera house!

 

Glenn Cornick-Bass Player

Photo Claude Delorme Ever since high school I’ve been a fan of the band Jethro Tull. While not acquainted with the group’s music in the last few decades I still love their old stuff from the late60s and 70s.  Great music does indeed stand the test of time and in my opinion Jethro Tull was one of the best.  Those not familar with the band, Tull emerged in the late 60s as a blues/rock band with a very unique and unmistakable sound. Ian Anderson, flutist, vocalist, acoustic guitar player and leader of the band pioneered the flute as a rock instrument with a breathy style and stage presence that rivals the better knownfrontmen of that era (Jagger, Morrison, Plant). His trademark playing of the flute while standing on one leg added to his command of the stage.

A few weeks back I had the idea of Googling original Tull bass player Glenn Cornick’s name just to see what ever happened to him. Glenn always dressed in flashy pants and shirts with long straight hair and a colorful headband. After poking around at a number of fan sites I ran across a site that was Glenn’s. The site is very simple but had a great collection of old Tull photos obviously from Glenn’s personal collection. In addition it has photos of his family over the years. On the site was an email link for Glenn so I dropped him a note. To my surprise I heard back from him the next day. It was a short note but answered a number of questions I had and pointed me to a new release of a film from the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival (Jimi Hendrix’s last show) showing Tull’s performance. I promptly ordered the Tull DVD fromNetflix and had it a few days later. 

Photo Andreas Buttman
What a stroll down memory lane!  I had seen the band probably five times in the 70s and once about 4 years ago and had forgotten how fabulous they are live. At the Isle of Wight Festival Ian Anderson pulled out all the stops, he was just incredible. Also notable is Clive Barker’s drumming. Again, he rivals many of the better known drummers of that era (and he is still alive!). And of course Glenn’s playing was as steady as ever.

Glenn told me that he still plays a few times a year. On his site there are a number of pictures of him playing at “Tull conventions” and at several reunion events. Glenn reports that many of the Tull cover bands he has played with are better than the current incarnation of the band!