So we pause a moment to celebrate the harvest, to count our blessings, to be thankful for the good things we have in our lives. Our health and our family -- such as they may be. Our continued employment -- such that we have. The peace and security in our lives -- such that exists.
It isn't pretty out there for a whole bunch of people. Yet this holiday does a nice job of reminding us all that it's good to keep a sense of balance about things. The circuses certainly can be distracting.
And so it comes to pass that young Madeline bakes three really good loaves of bread for Thanksgiving dinner.
She made a bread called Finnish pulla. A sweet, "dessert" type of bread. The dough was braided and brushed with egg whites to create a glossy golden brown crust. When they emerged from the oven, they looked like a commercial for your hometown bakery and smelled even better. Success!
If a bread could reflect a personality, this recipe fits Madeline quite nicely. Sweet. Wholesome. Hearty. A bread with substance.
There is great optimism kneaded and baked into those loaves. They were something simple and true created from, or perhaps despite of, a world swirling with greed, pain, fear and mediocrity.
They were robust hope and thick-crust life captured as food. And they were quite tasty.
Thank you Madeline! We are refreshed, stomach and soul.