Greetings from St. Francis and Mildrith

It’s morning, birdsong, and St. Francis blesses the bake.

Early mornings in front of Mildrith, as I sweep out the ashes and load the hearth with bread, I feel the presence of St. Francis, the saint statue resting on the wall of the oven shelter.

It’s little more than a block of concrete cast into the likeness of St.… Continue reading

A Golden Loaf of Gorsefield Rye

This could be the best 100% Rye Bread ever made on Pender Island.

There can’t have been too many over the years. I made it last weekend with rye grain grown in Pender Island soil, specifically that of the large Gorsefield off Craddock and Southlands Drive, South Pender.

The Rye was planted by Vince and Katie, the new owners of the Gorsefield.… Continue reading

Blessed

Most days, making bread happens by rote, with a tight schedule of measuring, mixing, shaping, and baking. My mind can be tranquil while my hands are a blur, punching and kneading the dough. Or slicing off chunks with the bench knife, balancing them on the weigh scale, and turning them into sensuous rounds.

Not much distracts me from this sort of reverie.… Continue reading

Filling the Belly

Brother Francis surveys the daily bread fresh from the ovens. What’s the story, here?

It’s easy to make bread!

You know the drill: flour, water, salt, yeast. Mix it into a nice dough, let it proof, and throw it in the oven. You don’t really need a recipe if you’ve made it a few times.

You can be sure that that amorphous mass in the bowl or dough trough will undergo a divine transformation.… Continue reading

Living in Place: An Appreciation of Pender Island

Just over 10 years ago, Jennifer and I moved to Pender Island from Vancouver.

It was a cold, windy November day. The power went off for a few hours. A neighbour came down the driveway while we waited for the moving truck to arrive. “Welcome to Pender Island,” he said. “You better get used to this weather!”… Continue reading