Communion Bread

Ingredients

1-3/4 cups warm water (about 90 degrees)
6 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
2 packages dry yeast
5-1/3 cups whole wheat flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Stir in the honey, oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour. Mix well. Add 2 more cups of flour and mix well. Turn onto a floured board adn knead in the remaining flour as required to keep the dough from sticking to the board. (The kneading will take approximately 5 to 7 minutes.) Coat the dough lightly with a solid shortening like Crisco, put it into a large bowl, cover, and let it rise about 1-1/2 hours in a warm place.

Turn onto the floured board and knead a few times. Divide the dough in half. Each half will roll to 1/4-inch thickness and the size of a cookie sheet. From one of the roll-outs cut two rounds of the dough, each 4-1/2 inches in diameter. Score each round once across the center. The pastor will break these during the liturgy at the 8:30 and 11:00 services. Put the rest of the dough onto two lightly greased cookie sheets and score it into 5/8-inch squares.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. The bread will not brown noticeably, so don't bake it any longer.

After the bread has cooled, break the squares (not the rounds) along the scores. This should make about 500 pieces, plus the small rounds. Place the bread (including the rounds) in plastic bags, take it to church, and put it on the counter in the sacristy (the small room on the west side of the altar). Because the bread is needed by 8:00am on Sunday, please bring it in on Saturday.