Lúnasa is almost upon us and now is the time to start thinking about the bread you’re going to bake for the wonderful celebration of the first harvest! Baking bread is a traditional and popular way to give thanks to the Gods and incorporate the beautiful goodness that is baked bread.
I am what I consider a beginner baker. Growing up, I never really made anything unless it came out of a box. As I get older, though, I realize that baking - and cooking from scratch for that matter - are important to me. Now I’ve come to love baking and cooking from scratch!
I wanted to share this easy bread recipe you can make at home with just a few ingredients.
You’ll Need…
- 1 package of active dry yeast
- 2 1/4 cups warm water
- 3 tablespoons of sugar (for the dough)
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar (for the yeast)
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil
- 6 3/4 cups of flour
In the warm water, mix together the packet of active dry yeast and 1/2 tsp of sugar.
Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together remaining sugar, salt, herbal mixture, and 3 cups of flour. Mix until it is combined well.
Once your yeast has proofed (bubbles will begin to form on top), slowly stir in canola oil.
Add your yeast/oil mixture to your dry ingredients, slowly stirring to combine. At this point, your bread dough will look like batter.
Stir in more flour 1/2 cup at a time until a smooth dough has formed. You might not use the entire 6 3/4 cups of flour. That’s okay.
Turn your smooth dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough with a towel in a lightly greased bowl and place it in a warm, dry place for 2 hours to rise.
Punch down the dough to get the air out and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. At this point, you may split your dough in half to make two loaves if you want.
Shape and cover again to rise for another 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 375F
Bake for about 35 minutes until the bread sounds hollow when tapped and is golden brown on top.
Let cool before cutting and enjoy!
And perfectly timed for 
I’d like to improve my baking skills- perhaps I’ll give a loaf of homemade bread a try! 
I baked bread for the first time this year during quarantine, and this Lúnasa is my second time!!
Quilting is a beautiful craft- my mother has made a few quilts, and wow! Watching how much effort goes into one quilt, it really made me appreciate the work of art that they are! 
