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Bible Food - The Book of Galatians

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For some strange reason, occasionally I get a whim to find out what people in the "Biblelands" would have eaten at the time of the writing of a particular piece.  Apart from the references to meat and dairy, much of what the people ate in those days, in that place, sounds like a good fit for a touring vegan.  Today we did a little dip into the Book of Galatians,  a letter (epistle) written by the apostle Paul to the Christian communities in Galatia.   Scholars date Galatians to around AD 48–55. If it was written earlier, it would be one of Paul's first letters, possibly before the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15, AD 49), which addressed the issue of Gentile converts following Jewish customs.   The main theme of the letter is justification by faith rather than adherence to the Mosaic Law. Paul strongly argues against the teaching that Gentile Christians must follow Jewish laws (like circumcision) to be saved. He defends his apostleship, emphasizes the role of grace, ...
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Bread-Making Tips




  1. Try a simple bread recipe first.
  2. Salt and fat both slow the growth of the yeast and should not be added to the yeast mixture until it has grown strong and lively by feeding on sugar and starch. (Too much sugar can also slow the growth)
  3. Develop the gluten of the wheat flour in the batter by beating thoroughly before adding other kinds of flour.
  4. It is important to do a thorough job of kneading before the first rising.
  5. Never fill pans too full.  Give the bread enough room to expand without having to billow out over the sides, causing cracked, over-browned crusts.
  6. It is important each loaf is thoroughly baked. (It is better that the loaf is smaller than unbaked)
  7. Careful not to "over raise" the bread when in loaf pans.  Bake bread when loaf is approximately double in bulk.
  8. Bread should slip easily out of the pan if thoroughly baked.
*Bread just out of the oven is difficult to digest.  Bread should be at least 12 hours old before  it is eaten.
*Bread freezes well.
*Use your imagination to make a wide variety of breads using different ingredients or combinations.
*Add 1 Tablespoon of pure lemon juice for every 4 cups of flour in the recipe to achieve lighter, high-raising bread.
*Add 1 Tablespoon of gluten flour for every 4 cups of flour to make bread "less crumbly" and raise nicer.
*Add 1 Tablespoon of lecithin liquid or granules to make bread less crumbly.

Common Defects of Bread and Possible Causes:
Dry and Crumbly: Too much flour in dough.
                               : Over-baking
Heaviness:               Insufficient kneading  
Cracks in Crust-Dry: Oven too slow
                               :  Baking before sufficently light
                               :  Oven too hot at first
                               :  Yeast water too hot
Too Thick a Crust-Dry: Oven too slow
                               :   Baked too long
                               :   Excess of salt
Sogginess:                 Too much liquid
                               :   Insufficient Baking
Ill-shaped Loaf     :   Not moulded well originally
                               :   Too large a loaf for pan

By Darlene Blaney, Healthy Choices Wellness Weekend, March 27-29, 2015.
Check out Darlene's recipe for Cranberry Orange Bread.

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