breaking of bread

I have to conclude my blog journey of food with religion and have to say that I have learnt a great deal more about the traditional recipes that are associated with Christianity. I really enjoyed incorporating those recipes with my own known recipes. Unfortunately, I have not been able to spend enough time to look at other religions and the food associated with them but I have gained a great understanding to how food is an important part in all religions.

As the title of my blog is ‘Nadine’s Daily Bread’ it was only right that conclude with a recipe of home-made. So, if you get a chance enjoy your own ‘Breaking of Bread’.

“Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.”

Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9, Verse 7

The only ingredients you need to make bread are about 700 grams of flour, one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of dried yeast. There is a large amount of kneading that has to be done but it is worth it as fresh tasting bread, is the best bread.

In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients and start mixing it altogether with roughly about 15 ounces of water. Now, mix it to form a dough and then once it is mixed together this is when you need to start your kneading. Find a large, dry space and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Once you have knead the dough it has to be replaced in a bowl, covered with a dry cloth and left at room temperature for about 2 hours. After 2 hours the dough needs to be kneaded again, as I said before that home-made bread requires a lot of kneading. Then start to form the dough into oblong or round shape depending on the shape of the bread-tin and cover with cling film and left for about an hour in a room temperature to allow the dough to rise again. Whilst the dough is rising, preheat the oven to about 230c ready for the bread to bake. Place the bread in the middle of the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Once they have baked allow it to cool before taking the bread out of the tin. 

The origins of Christmas Food

In the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke it narrates the account of the birth of Jesus Christ. We recognise this as the nativity which is celebrated within Christianity on the 25^th of December. The exact date of Jesus’s birth is not confirmed in the Bible instead it was not until the fourth century AD that a Pope set the date to commemorate the birth of Christ. The celebration of Christmas on the 25^th of December was later combined between Christianity and Paganism who developed the idea of decorating their homes in greenery.

It was not until the Victorian era when Christmas trees in family homes was introduced as a gift to Britain from Germany; which were perceived as a tradition in their country. The food served at Christmas then became to be a tradition and is still associated with the celebrations of Christmas day; Roast Turkey or Goose, Mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, Satsuma, Christmas cake with marzipan and icing. Christmas became such an important feast that many of the luxury items that are cooked and eaten on that day were paid by their yearly savings and continues to do so today.

The majority of the food that is eaten at Christmas is seasonal or has been prepared from autumn time and stored away until it is December. What I love most about Christmas is the food as it is the only time when you can enjoy cooking and indulge in rich ingredients; mulled wine, fruit cake and mince pies. Home-made mince pies are the best as you can add as much rich fruit as you want. I tend to make them on Christmas Eve as they taste best when they are still warm from the oven, with a bit of cream or brandy sauce on the side. Depending on how many pies you want to make then you need more mincemeat.

The Ingredients required for home-made mince pies are as followed; 8 ounces of plain flour, 5 ounces of unsalted butter, 50 grams of caster sugar, zest of 1 orange, 1 egg yolk and 1 beaten egg, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of cold water and about 10 ounces of good quality mincemeat.

Firstly, preheat the oven to about 200c so the mince pies will bake quicker in a heated oven. Start with placing the sieved flour, caster sugar, orange zest and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl with the butter. Mix all of the ingredients together until the ingredients begin to crumble. Next add the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water that will combine the mixture into a soft dough, then cover and leave to one side for thirty minutes. Then, using a rolling pin on a dry surface begin to roll out the dough and cut out about twenty 7cm circles with a pastry cutter and place them in a grease proof cake tin. Evenly spoon out the mincemeat and put in the centre of each pie and using the leftover pastry, cut out round lids to be place over the mincemeat. Lightly brush the top of the pies with the beaten egg and place in the preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes. Once they are cooked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack, dusted with icing sugar. Serve on their own or what I prefer, a big dollop of cream; delicious. 

Hop (2011) - Official Trailer [HD]

The Easter Bunny movie.....Could not resist posting this!!

Easter Sunday

In Christianity, Easter Sunday is preceded by the season of Lent and was perceived as the third day after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ when he was resurrected from his tomb. The resurrection of Jesus is told in the book of St. Matthew, Chapter 27,Verse 64.

"Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He has risen from the dead: so the last error hall be worse than the first."

Biblically, there is no connection between the resurrection of Jesus Christ and modern traditions of Easter Sunday celebrations. The name Easter was originated from a pagan figure that was named Eastre who was the goddess of spring and was celebrated by the Saxons of Northern Europe. The rabbit was a symbol given to her to represent the goddess of Spring which was recognised as fertility.  The goddess was offered bird eggs which was also perceived as a symbol of fertility which were decorated in bright colours.


Today, when it is Easter-time, eggs are still decorated in bright colourful designs and there are Easter-hunt games and Easter bonnet parades. I always enjoy decorating eggshells with my children in bright colours and hiding them in the garden when they are not looking with clues for them to follow. This time round it was my daughter that was the winner with finding the most eggs and was rewarded with a large chocolate Easter egg, yummy!!

Traditionally roast lamb is eaten on Easter Sunday which I tend to serve with new potatoes, green peas, leeks and carrots that are all seasonal vegetables. I prepare my leg of lamb with fresh rosemary sprigs, fresh thyme and garlic that are all finely chopped. I add the herbs to a mixing bowl with 30grams of unsalted butter and rub the herbs into the butter. The mixture is then rubbed all over the leg of lamb and place in a large baking tray. I cut up the leeks and add it to the bottom of the baking tray with about 200ml of water so the lamb does not stick to the bottom of the tray. The juices would then be added with the water to the gravy. The tray is then placed in the preheated oven of 180c and allowed to cook for approximately 2 hours to ensure it is thoroughly cooked. Whilst the lamb is cooking, prepare the new potatoes, carrots and green peas. Lastly, remove the lamb from the oven once it is cooked and drain the juice from the baking tray to a saucepan to make the gravy. This is enjoyed by the whole family.

Good Friday

There are special food associated with the celebration of Easter; fresh seasonal vegetables like lettuce, asparagus, spring onions, rhubarb, new potatoes and green peas fresh from the pods.  The new season of lamb, breads and cakes are a major category of food at Easter time. Good Friday commemorates the Last Supper and the beginning of the Easter celebrations; before Easter Sunday. It is the day that marks the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The traditional food that is consumed on Good Friday is fish and to abstain from eating any other meat of any form or poultry as the preparation of these involves the slaughtering of animals and shedding of blood. It is presumed that the activity of any blood shed should be prohibited on this day as it is the day when Jesus’s blood was shed.  In some Christian homes there are traditional breads that are baked and served which is decorated on top with a symbol of a cross. The name of this type of bread are traditionally known as hot cross buns and are usually eaten on Good Friday; as the bread symbolises the Last Supper when Jesus shared bread with his disciples.  Hot cross buns are sweeter than normal bread as they are infused with currents and dried fruit.

The recipe for home-made hot cross buns

Ingredients for the buns

450g of plain flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of mixed spice, 50grams of salted butter, 75grams of mixed currants, 50grams of mixed peeled orange finely chopped, 1 ½ teaspoon of dried yeast, 100ml of warm water, 100ml of warm milk, 1 egg.

Ingredients to decorate the top of the buns

100g of plain flour with 3 tablespoons of water, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Firstly you have to sift the flour, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the currants, mixed orange peel and yeast. Once it has all combined make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the water, milk and beaten egg. This has to be mixed all together to form sticky dough that now has to be kneaded on a clear and dry floured surface until it is smooth and elastic. Once the dough has been kneaded it has to be placed in a large bowl that is lightly greased with oil and then covered with a slightly damp tea towel. This would then be left in a warm place for approximately one hour to help the dough rise and double in value. After the dough has risen it has to be kneading out for a couple of minutes and divided into 12 equal-sized pieces and shaped into round buns. Place the buns onto a greased proof baking sheet, leaving equal space between each bun to rise. Place a clean tea-towel over the buns prior to oven baking for about 30 minutes to enable the buns to rise again.

Cooking the buns

Place the tray of buns in a preheated oven of about 200C and prepare to watch the buns start to rise. Whilst the buns are rising start preparing the ingredients for the decorations on top of the bun by rolling out the pastry and cutting into thin strips. Remove the buns from the oven and place the strips in the form of a cross on top of the buns, gently brush the top of the buns with the egg yolk and place back into the oven. Cook the buns for another 15 minutes until the top goes golden brown. Whilst the buns are still cooking, put the orange juice and sugar in a small heated saucepan and gently heat until the sugar has dissolved. Once the buns are removed from the oven, place them on a cooling rack and brush them with the glaze. The buns can been eaten warm or cooled with a spread of butter.

Mothering Sunday

Mothering Sunday is usually celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent. The biblical story of feeding of the five thousand, Jesus broke five bread loaves and two small fishes which multiplied. This narrative is usually read at church to understand that the rules of fasting for Lent are relaxed but only for this day.  Mother’s day was once recognised as being a day given to domestic servants to relive them from their chores and to spend time with their mothers. The girls traditionally brought a Simnel cake with them when they visited home on mothering Sunday. Today we celebrate Mothering Sunday by giving cards, flowers or presents to our mothers or grandmothers.

Simnel cake is traditionally associated with mothering Sunday and Easter-time.The cake is made up of dried fruit with two layers of almond paste.  It is then decorated on top with marzipan and eleven marzipan icing balls to represent the 11 disciples that was faithful to Jesus.  The recipe for the Simnel Cake is a basic cake recipe but with quite a bit of marzipan for the decoration. However, I am not a big fan of too much marzipan but I will have an attempt to baking the cake for my mum. She absolutely loves marzipan and of course it is meant to be Mothering Sunday

Before making the cake you would need a large round cake tin and some grease lining as it makes the baking easier. The oven also needs to be preheated to around 150c or gas mark 2. The ingredients for Simnel Cake is a selection of dried fruit (sultanas, currants, cherries), 2oz of candied peel, 4 Large eggs, 8oz of soft butter, 8oz of self-raising flour, 8oz of light muscovado sugar, Zest grated from 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of mixed spice.  The ingredients for the cake decoration and filling are 1lb of marzipan and 2 tablespoons of apricot jam.

First you need to cut the cherries into quarters and then rinse them in a sieve and drain well. Once that is done, place the cherries in a large mixing bowl with the other dried fruit. Add the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, lemon zest and mixed spice to the bowl and mix together thoroughly to form a cake mixture. Once it has all been beaten together pour all the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Using one-third of the marzipan, roll it out into a circle of the size of the tine and then place it on the top of the cake mixture. The remaining of the cake mixture can be spooned on top of the marzipan and even out the mixture on the surface. It can now be place ready to bake in the prepared oven for about 2 hours and thirty minutes whilst checking that the cake has risen and turned brown. Once it has baked it has to be decorated but it first needs to cool down. Once, it has cooled brush the top with warm apricot jam and roll out the rest of the marzipan. Place it on top of the cake and crimp the edges to decorate. Mark a criss-cross pattern on the marzipan with a sharp knife. Form the remaining marzipan into 11 balls. Brush the marzipan with beaten egg and arrange the marzipan balls around the edge of the cake.

This is a thoughtful gift to share with your mother and enjoyed with the whole family for  tea-time.  

St Davids Day

Spring-time is a start of many religious and national celebrations. St David’s day or Dewi Sant as pronounced in the Welsh language is celebrated on the 1^st of March who was a Celtic Priest in the sixth Century who spread the word of Christianity to his Celtic followers. He later became the Archbishop of Wales before he died to become celebrated as the Patron Saint of Wales. In Wales today we celebrate this day with cooking traditional welsh food.

A traditional welsh breakfast would consist of having fresh cockles and laverbread along with your bacon and eggs. Whenever I visit the Swansea Gower I always have to indulge in fresh cockles with lots of malt vinegar and white pepper. Cawl is the welsh name given to soup that is made up of lamb, potatoes and vegetables. My Grand-mother was notorious for cooking the best home-made cawl ever, and it was always comforting to eat on a cold evening for supper or when feeling a bit under -the-weather.

Recipe for Cawl:

600g of Lamb pieces, 600g of diced potatoes, 200g of Carrots, 200g Swede, 200g Parsnips, 1 Cabbage, 2 Leeks, 1 Onion, Fresh Parsley, Salt and Pepper.

Firstly you need to brown the lamb in a frying pan with a little bit of oil making sure you drain out the fat, you can add a bit of salt and pepper when browning. Then whilst that is cooking boil some fresh cold water in a large stock pot and then once the meat is done add it to the boiling water. This has to boil further for another half an hour. Then chop up all your vegetables and add to the pot with a bit more seasoning. This has to be covered and left to cook for a good hour before it is ready to start serving. Serve this with a nice handful of fresh parsley on top and a bit of extra pepper if you want.

Welsh Cakes or ‘Pice ar y mean’ was a tea-time favourite in our house when I was a young. Whenever I eat them now brings back nostalgia to a time arriving home from school being greeted by my mum and the smell of the fresh cakes being cooked on the hot stove. I sometimes would add a nice spread of butter and my favourite jam. I enjoy cooking this with my children as this recipe is so simple and most cost effective as it is made from the cheapest ingredients so you will not break your bank balance!

Recipe for Welsh Cakes:

For the ingredients you would need; 200g of Plain Flour,  85g Caster Sugar, ½ teaspoon of Mixed Spice, ½ teaspoon of Baking Powder, 50g of Butter, 50g of lard, 50g of Currants, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of Milk.  


Firstly, sieve the flour and using your hands rub the lard and butter into the flour, then add the currants, mixed spice and the egg. Now get a wooden spoon to mix the rest and add a splash of milk. Once it is all mixed into a dough and start rolling it out. Start cutting out into circles about 10 cm using a cutter. Grease the flat pan and then start heating up to add the cakes. Once they start cooking keep checking to turn the cakes over to the other side then remove and serve!!         

It's Pancake day!!

It's Pancake Day, which means to it is time to start cracking the eggs and mixing up the batter. I love pancakes although I usually tend to eat them for breakfast on the weekends, when I am having a fat-day, than on a Tuesday afternoon for tea - but I prefer to eat them sweet rather than savory by adding some strawberries and raspberries.

Pancake day is another name for Shrove Tuesday, which is the last day before the start of Lent, that means the last day to indulge in the food that will be forbidden for next several weeks leading up to the start of Easter. Pancakes are traditionally made in regard to celebrating Shrove Tuesday with egg, flour and milk which are the ingredients that are forbidden to eat during the fasting of Lent. This festival is celebrated within the Christian faith and how it is now time to reflect on making a small sacrifice and being more self-giving to others.

Ingrediants: Egg, Flour, Milk, Cocoa Powder

Firstly you would need a large mixing bowl where you will add your flour, egg and milk. The batter needs to be smooth, no lumps, so get your arms ready for some fast whisking. I then add some bournville cocoa to the batter for the chocolate taste. I have learnt in creating the perfect pancake is to make the pan hot with a bit oil and covering the pan with a thin layer of the batter mix. The pancake will start to form then get ready to flip it over to brown the other side.  Pancakes are at its best when they are wafer thin so less batter is always more, although practice makes perfect. It is also nice to finish it off with some fresh fruit. So get ready to flip some pancakes.

My very own chocolate pancake reciepe is a favourite with my young children.



Home-made Pancake with my favourite fruit.



Food and Religion

Food is a significant part to many religions and celebrating national festivals. Some recipes are traditional that have been passed down through generations. There are many religions where food is a very sacred way to practising and worshipping that religion. In some faiths certain foods are abstained to be consumed on a particular day or time, however, there are food that are not permitted to be consumed altogether. In the Islamic faith for instance, Ramadan is considered to be a holy month where Muslims abstain from eating during day and feast at sunset.  Catholics also have several feasts and fasting days during the year which includes Christmas, Easter, Palm Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. The most acknowledged feast days that are traditionally celebrated by many are Easter and Christmas.

In Christianity, the biblical book of Genesis represents food since the beginning of God’s creation. When God created Adam and Eve the presence of food in the Garden of Eden acts as metaphors as being good or evil. God informs Adam not to eat the fruit from one particular tree, however temptation overcomes man and he deceives God’s wishes. Food continues to be symbolic within biblical narratives and is a major part of the last supper and the crucifixion of Jesus.

So in this blog I will explore some of the true traditional and modern food that are served and eaten to celebrate and acknowledge religious events. I will look at recipes that have been used in past traditional Christian occasions and will be incorporating my own recipes.