Although in the heat of midsummer it may be hard to believe, the festival of Lammas actually marks the beginning of the end of summer. The days get noticably shorter as we head toward fall, and the first grain has ripened and is ready for harvest.

August 1 is a cross-quarter, or "corner" day, halfway between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox. These days, of which there are four in the calendar year-Candlemas on February 2, Walpurgis Eve on April 30 (now celebrated as May Day) and All Hallows Eve on October 31-are the High Holidays or Great Sabbats of Witchcraft, or the Old Religion. The early Christians, who adopted many of the pagan festivals as their own, celebrated Lammas (known in medieval times as Loaf-mas) by baking loaves of bread from the first harvest and placing them on church altars.

Today Lammas is celebrated in some Unitarian Universalist churches with bread baking and breaking, rejoicing in life's goodness and the earth's abundance. Just about every culture in the world has developed some form of bread. It's a powerful symbol of common ground among peoples of the world. This summer, you and your family can celebrate Lammas and increase your global awareness at the same time.

Here are 4 bread recipes from different cultures: India, Norway, Hungary and Ireland. Before you begin baking, go to your local library and find a simple children's reference about these countries and cultures. By making a variety of different breads and learning a bit about the countries of origin, children will start to work with the concepts of same and different: we have the same basic needs but different cultures, different ways to meet the needs.

(The following recipes are from Discover the World, Empowering Children to Value Themselves, Others and the Earth, Edited by Susan Hopkins and Jeffrey Winters, available at the UUA Bookstore.)

From India-Chapatis

The bread that East Indians eat are very different from the plump, cristy loaves that are familiar to Westerners. Most East Indian bread has no leaveing agent like yeast, so it does not rise when it is cooked. Chapatis, the most popular kind of East Indian bread, are flat pancakes that look something like Mexican tortillas. Like tortillas, they are cooked on a very hot, ungreased griddle.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 tsp. salt
1 cup lukewarm water

1. Put 2 cups flour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Cut butter into small pieces. Make a hollow in the center of the flour and add butter. Rub butter into flour with your fingertips until mixture looks like large read crumbs.
3. Mix salt into water. Add enought water, a little at a time, to flour misture to make a firm (but not stiff) dough.
4. Knead dough in bowl for about 5 or 10 minutes. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
5. Divide dought into pieces about the size of walnuts, and roll each piece into a smooth ball with your hands.
5. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cupt flour onto a flat surface. With a rolling pin, roll out each ball until it resembles a thin pancake, about 1/8-inch thick.
7. Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, place one chapati in the center. When small brown spots appear on the bottom and the edges begin to curl up (in about 1 minute), turn the chapati over with a spatula. Cook chapati for about 2 minutes or until small brown spots appear on the bottom.
8. Continue cooking chapatis, one at a time. Wrap the cooked ones in a towel to keep them warm.
9. Brush cooked chapatis with butter and serve warm.
Makes 12 to 15 chapatis.

From Norway-Flatbread

For some tasy variations of this recipe, try making flatbread using only white flour or only rye flour. You can also substitute 2/3 cup cornmeal for 2/3 cup flour.

1 1/3 cups stone-ground whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk.

1. Combine first five ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.
2. Add only enough buttermilk to make a stiff dough.
3. Knead dough for 30 seconds on a well-floured surface (such as a board or tabletop).
4. Roll a medium-sized handful of dough (about 1/4 cup) into a ball and then pat it down into a flat circle. (Cover remaining dough so it doesn't become too dry.)
5. With a floured stockinet-covered rolling pin, and on a well-floured surface, roll dough into a very thin 10-inch circle. (If dough is sticking to the surface on which you are working, dust it with more flour.)
6. Place flatbread on an ungreased cookie sheet. (To make all of your flatbread pieces the same shape and size, score (mark with a deep line) dough circles with a knife, making triangles, squares or whatever shapes you prefer. After baking, break flatbread along scored lines.)
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. (Flatbread should be crisp and slighty brown around the edges.) Cool on wire rack and repeat with remaining dough.

From Hungary-Galuska

Noodles and dumplings are popular additions to the good, hearty Hungarian soups and stews. Galuska is also served with main dishes such as paprika chicken.

2 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
12 cups (3 quarts) water

1. In a medium bowl, cream 1 Tb. butter and stir in egg, milk, and 1 tsp. salt.
2. Add flour, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition, until mixture is the consistency of cookie dough. If dough is too stiff,, add 1 to 3 Tbs. milk or water.
3. In a kettle, bring water and 1 tsp. salt to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Dip a teaspoon in hot water, scoop up small pieces of dough (about 1/4 tsp. each), and drop carefully into boiling water. Dip spoon in hot water again if dough starts to stick.
5. Boil dumplings 2 to 3 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Drain in a colander.
6. Melt 1 Tb. butter in a medium saucepan. Add dumplings and stir gently until well coated. Serve immediately.

From Ireland-Irish Soda Bread

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 Tb. caraway seeds
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk

1. In a medium bowl stir together the dry ingredients.
2. Make a well in the center, pour the buttermilk into it and mix well.
3. Knead the dough about a dozen times in the bowl. If it is too dry to form into a ball, work in a little more buttermilk.
4. Spread the bottom of apie pan with cornmeal.
5. Flatten the ball into a circle 7" in diameter and place it in the pan.
6. Cut an "X" about 1/4" deep, dividing the dough into fourths.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees until browned, about 50 minutes.
Makes one loaf.

CLF Home
Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF), 25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108-2823
Phone: (617) 742-2100, ext. 166 · Fax: (617) 523-4123 · Email: clf@uua.org

Address of this page: http://www.uua.org/clf/connections/summer/Lammas.html
Last updated May 24, 2002 by clf@uua.org