This book is about bread †why we make it, how to make it, what it has to teach us, the memories it gives us. Bread offers connection †as Jesus connected with his friends; as we connect with our children; as Demeter, the goddess of grain, bound herself to her daughter. People of every culture are tied together by the breads they bake. Bread helps us remember who we are and whom we love. Bread gives us calm. It is the opposite of fast food. You cannot make bread in ten minutes and the slow work of kneading and shaping and meditating heals our over-scheduled lives. Bread demands peace; you cannot grow grain in a battlefield. And justice: cheap bread that depends on the loss of the family farm is too bitter to eat. Bread, in fact, rises up out of the past into our fractured postmodern age. When we question all our assumptions and struggle to find a reason for existence, the making of bread gives meaning. There is no rational explanation for this †the healing power of making bread has nothing to do with the mind and everything to do with the wisdom of the hands. In this beautifully and lavishly illustrated book †you can almost smell the aroma of fresh baked bread †Donna Sinclair shares recipes and memories, stories and ideas about precious loaves that stir memory and bring pleasure. You can make your own bread (and memories) with this book; or simply contemplate the wisdom of stories found within as you visit your local bakery or make your morning toast.