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A Paschal Theology of Brioche

**sorry for any duplication--blogger hiccuped last week and deleted a few of my posts, so I'm re-posting them now**

When I reached for my Flour cookbook on Holy Saturday, I was a bit taken aback at the length of time the brioche recipe took. I wanted to make this egg- and butter-rich bread for our Pascha this year, but Saturday was the first time I'd looked at the recipe. "Still," I thought, "I can just break it up around our schedule."

And thinking about it after-the-fact, I think it fit perfectly with so much about Easter. Let me tell you about it.

Ingredients (for such a rich bread, it's surprisingly simple--life lessons, anyone?):

5 eggs, for the Pentateuch: the foundation of our faith, and the beginning of God's work in the world. Eggs for new life; eggs to remind us what we have given up for Lent.

Butter! So much butter: 18 tablespoons, to be precise. Nine in each loaf of brioche. Six sets of three. Oh, the richness of the Trinity :) 

Yeast, because we are Children of the Resurrection! 

Flour and water--can't make bread without these. 

Salt. We are the salt of the earth, after all.

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So, in making the brioche, first you mix the flour, yeast, salt, eggs, and water together in a mixer, making a stiff dough--hardly pliable at all and not soft or supple like bread dough is supposed to be. But kneading is key in this recipe. In order to entice the gluten to break down, forming lovely, long, elastic strands, you have to knead the heck out of this dough. And you also need butter. Lots of it.

The recipe says to add the butter incrementally, waiting to add more until each addition is fully incorporated. Have you made brioche? Do you know how difficult it is to get (slippery, gooey, room-temperature) butter to mix into a stiff dough? It... takes a while. And even then, when all the butter is mixed in, the dough just sits on the bottom of the bowl all gooey and sticky. "How will this ever be bread," I wondered. Joanne said "trust me," though, so I did.

Knead for 10 minutes. Or longer. On medium speed, until the dough comes together and gets satiny smooth and much more bread-dough-like. I was amazed at this transformation. By the end of the kneading, you turn the mixer up a notch or two so that the dough is audibly slapping the side of the bowl. I guess you have to really beat the dough to get a soft, springy loaf... who knew?

Then you put the now-soft-and-supple-and-tasty dough into a bowl, cover it, and let it rise in the fridge for 6 hours, but preferably overnight. I only had 6 hours before we returned from the vigil with a tight schedule Easter Sunday, so I put it in the fridge, hoping for the best.

All the while we waited the Resurrection of the Lord, the dough was resting. "This is the night.." the priest chanted the Exultet. This is the night that Christ rose from the dead, triumphant over death forever. Oh death, where is your sting? Oh grave, where is your victory? And our Easter Bread rested, waiting.

When we got home, late at night, I took the cold, clammy dough out of the fridge and shaped it into two loaves, reserving two little bits for shaping the cross for the top. And, after I placed the braided crosses on top, I covered the loaves in their pans and set them to rise over night. In a warm, cozy spot in my kitchen, the dough slowly expanded and grew to fill the pans, popping over the top, ebullient with the life of the yeast.

Early in the morning, before the sun was up, I woke to my alarm. Time to turn the oven on! Time to bake our Easter Bread. While the oven was warming, I brushed the tops of the loaves with beaten egg, creating the perfect recipe for a golden, shiny crust. Into the oven; set the timer; snooze on the couch.

The bread was done just as the sun was rising, just as the sky was brightening on our happy Easter morn.

And it was delicious.

So delicious, in fact, that I didn't take any pictures. Oops :(

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36

12 hours left. Sunday morning was bright and fine. We slept in a little bit and woke refreshed for the day--and for breakfast!  The Bass Cottage Inn is renowned for their gourmet breakfasts, and this day was no different.  Fresh, Maine blueberry waffles with vanilla whipped cream and chicken apple sausage or potato pancake with eggs and roasted tomatoes.  All served alongside fresh strawberry yogurt, banana bread, and rich, hot coffee.

We savored the sunshine together. We listened to the other guests enjoying themselves.  We didn't hurry or bustle.  Every breath was a delight.

11 hours. When we had finished eating, we got a pot of tea and planned out the rest of our day.  We wanted to spend as much time as we could in Acadia national park, since we had yet to see it in springtime.  Last time, Taylor did a 20 mile run around the park, but I only saw a small bit.

We brought our bicycles, so we planned a ride around Jordan Pond, and we definitely wanted to hike too (it's hard to take pictures while riding a bike). We picked Beehive Mountain--a relatively short but steep climb (iron rungs for portions of the trail!), but with fabulous views of Sand Beach.

10.  We packed up our things and checked out of the Inn.  I hope we get to go back, maybe just once, before we leave the east coast. Such fond memories deserve lots of remembering..

Loading everything into our trusty car (which has served us so well for so many mountain climbs and road trips and adventures!), we headed out of Bar Harbor toward Acadia.  The drive was lovely, the weather perfect.  We could not have asked for a better day!  We (very) briefly stopped at the "Wild Gardens of Acadia" and decided we should come back later--perhaps in 50 years.  The gardens are lovely, but they might be more fun if we had small toddling children, or when we are nearly toddling again ourselves :)

On to Sand Beach to our hike!  What fun it was--up and up and up the path until we got to the rocks, then climbing rung ladders and steep slopes of huge boulders.  I have never been rock climbing before (and this wasn't really rock climbing either), but honestly--it's amazing what your fingers can hold on to :) We had a great time and made it to the top in just 20  minutes (or so).

We followed the well-marked path down the other side of the mountain (I was glad we didn't have to climb down that steeper side with the rungs), to the car, and around the park to Jordan Pond.

8.  Off with the bikes!  Helmeted, watered, snacked, we rode off onto the carriage roads through the park.  This whole "riding in the woods" thing was new to me, too.  I've ridden on desert roads before, and I've ridden a fair amount in the city, but never with trees flanking either side of my path.  The air was so fresh and the light was all golden-green and lively.  Except for avoiding the occasional horse plop (it's a shared path, after all), our 9 mile loop ride was perfect.  I even (mostly) kept up with Taylor on the hills, too--than goodness for low gears!

6.  So--it's a 5 1/2 hour drive from Bar Harbor to Boston.  It was after 2 o'clock when we finished our ride and got back in the car, and we had dinner reservations at 8 pm at OM in Cambridge...

0.  Can you believe it? Not only did we get to the restaurant 5 minutes early, but we got a (free!) parking spot 50 feet from the front door.  We even had a chance to freshen up at a rest stop (t-shirts to wipe the grime off our arms and faces, I did my hair in the sink, we changed clothes and were on our way again!).  Incredible?  We thought so :)

So, that's our 36-hour getaway.  Dinner at OM was delicious and relaxing, the wine was flowing, and the popcorn (they had popcorn instead of bread for starters) was tasty! We even splurged a bit and each got dessert (which we shared, so it was like we both got two).  We drove home (got rockstar parking right in front of our building!) and locked up the bikes, took in the essentials, and were in bed before 11.

Marvelous?

Yes, oh yes.

Forecast..

Happiness

a weekend retreat with my Wonderful Love, in all the sunshiney goodness of Acadia National Park.

Bringing back sweet memories of our first visit to Bar Harbor. Making lovely new ones.

Can you feel how excited I am?!  Does the breathless anticipation come through on the interblag? I don't know what it is, precisely, that makes me so excited.  Perhaps it's the wonderful time we had two years ago when we went to Bar Harbor.  Maybe I'm excited because I will have a school- and work- and homework-free Husband for two whole days :)  It could be I'm ready for fresh air and hiking and cozy fireside reading and great food and no cleaning.  Maybe it's just that Taylor takes the time to be with me, just me, when it seems I need it most (even if I don't realize it).  He's pretty smart like that :) I'm infinitely lucky to be married to him!

I also can't wait to take lots of pictures with my new camera all over Maine!  My pictures from last time were, I think, pretty good (especially considering it was a point and shoot)--the scenery is so picturesque there, it's hard not to get good shots.  It's a perfect place to become more familiar with my new toy!

The rest of today, then T's LAST FINAL on Friday, quiet evening with friends, then we go. Saturday morning can't come soon enough. So. Excited.

:)

Hey Saturday!!

Actually, it would be better to say "Hey Weekend!!" because it was an awesome weekend all around. Saturday morning we slept in and had a leisurely breakfast of tasty spelt pancakes, eggs (not for me), fruit, and bacon! After heming and hawing a bit about what to do that day, we decided to go see Alice in Wonderland.  We headed out into the remarkably fresh (and almost warm) afternoon toward the theater.  It was a glorious day, in so many ways!

And I will be honest with you, I really liked the movie.  Admittedly, I did not go in with high hopes for a life-changing cinematic experience, nor did I expect the soft fluffy cartoon version Disney did years ago.  I knew it would be a little spooky (what Tim Burton movie isn't, really?), and relatively dark.  But I also had hopes for a fun, enjoyable movie.  And that's what I got.  There were some parts that were a little silly, but the story is a little silly anyway.  I like the actors and the variation the writers came up with, and I would definitely see it again.  

In fact, we all liked it so much, we walked by a bookstore in search of Carroll's original stories.  Happily, we found them! both stories in one volume (annotated, actually.  The layout is such that one doesn't have to pay attention to the side notes, but they are there if one wants them).  When Viv and I have finished Lord of the Rings, she and T and I will read through all of Alice's adventures.  It should be enlightening :)

See, I haven't read the books before, and that could be one reason why I didn't find the movie offensive at all.  On that same theme, though, I love (love love) Tolkien's Lord of the Rings--could be my favorite story ever.  And I also really like the movies.  But they're not the same. I don't consider the three Lord of the Rings movies to be "just movie versions of the book."  That's ridiculous (and it would be a horrible mash-up of the written story, too).  Instead, I find it's easiest for me to appreciate the movies apart from the book.  The characters happen to have the same names, and the plots are somewhat similar, but really, they're different stories :)

After visiting with Alice, we walked home in the crisp clean afternoon air, and made some soup, ate it with bread, and generally had a quiet evening together (quite welcome after a long week).

Sunday was another easy day. Mass in the morning. Lunch at home with a few friends. Lazy, lounging afternoon.  The one "productive" thing we did (relaxing is productive, no matter what other people say!) was getting my inherited silk embroidered print to the framing shop.  It will be composed to go well with this one, which my Grammy gave me in middle school:

The second print is a bit more golden, and there's more brown in it.  Viv came to the shop with me (oh sweet, tolerant seester!) and was a good sounding board for all the (manymany) options the helpful framing-guy showed me.  I'm excited to see what they look like together when it's done.  Maybe I can finally get rid of the college-esque posters on our entry wall :S

After we left the shop, print delivered safely, Viv thought it was time for a treat :) we we crossed the street to Athan's and picked out a few sweets and chocolates.  I know it's Lent, but it was a Sunday, after all :)

Day 9 - It Snowed

Back at home with my sweet Taylor! A little tired, but got two naps today and now--off to bed! 

Here is my picture for today--the only one I took, actually, so the decision of which to post was quite easy.  Must have been quite a snow storm to get snow up underneath the frames here. 

And so, just another sleepy day recovering from jet-lag and getting "back in the groove."  It's cold and windy here.  And very sunny (doubly so when the sun shines on the snow!).  I think I'm beginning to feel the need for spring--not desperately yet, but it's coming. I hope. 

Happy May!

It looks like spring has finally (and lastingly) sprung in Boston! Today is a sunny 65 degrees; I'm even wearing a sundress and sandals! I am happy this month. It's not quite explicable, but it's undeniable. I feel more hopeful and optimistic about life in general and everything in particular. I don't think I had been pessimistic or depressed or anything, but I'm feeling a renewed freshness about my outlook... Maybe it's because we are going to visit T's family in just a few days! Maybe it's the wedding of our dear friends K and M we're going to see while in WA. Maybe it's that T's siblings are all so excited to see us they've been planning a "welcome" ceremony for weeks. Maybe it's because the sun is shining. Maybe it's because we spent a lovely evening last night with two good friends here (who are expecting!). Maybe it's because they're so happy together (and happiness rubs off on me). Maybe it's because hope springs eternal. Maybe it's because of all the babies we're expecting in the next year. Maybe it's because I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world! Maybe it's simply because God is good. All the time. Could be this May may be the best May yet. :) Here's hopin'!