Bake & Pray (Liturgies and Recipes for Baking Bread as a Spiritual Practice)

From God’s provision of manna in the wilderness to Jesus’ miraculous multiplication of loaves, bread functions throughout Scripture as a sign of God’s presence and provision.

Professional baker and practical theologian Kendall Vanderslice has spent a lot of time reflecting on the connection between the dough that clung to her hands at work and the bread blessed and pressed into her palm at church, ultimately seeing that they both were tangible reminders that God was with her and that God cared.

Weaving baking science and technique together with theological reflections drawn from a wide range of Christian traditions, Kendall will:

• teach you how to incorporate bread making into the rhythms of your busy life
• reveal the ins-and-outs of bread baking while unlocking the spiritual parallels woven into each loaf
• provide breadmaking liturgies and historical recipes to bake through a variety of liturgical holidays and seasons
• show how to incorporate baking as a form of prayer in our lives.

As you follow the steps to bake bread—whether you are a lifelong baker or intimidated by the thought of yeast—you will learn something about the character of God and the life of faith. In Bake & Pray, you will get not only a practical understanding of how to bake bread, but also receive a deeper appreciation for the ways God can shape you in the process.