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Autumn Orchard Crumble

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Apples and pears are the quintessential fruits of autumn. They mingle beautifully in this Autumn Orchard Crumble. Warming spices such as cinnamon and ginger reflect the fire-colored leaves of autumn and counteracts its cold wewather. 

Prep Time:  45 minutes
Cooking time:  40-50 minutes
Serves:  8
  • Butter
  • Flour
  • 2 firm cooking apples (like Granny Smith or Fuji)
  • 1 soft cooking apple (like Jonathan or McIntosh)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 firm cooking pears (like Bosc or Anjou)
  • 1 soft cooking pear (like Bartlett)
  • 2 Tbsp ginger chips or minced candied ginger
  • 1stp ground ginger
  • 2 Tbsp white sugar
  • 1 Tbsp tapioca starch
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, siced (1 stick)
  • (For a gluten-free version, replaced the all-purpose wheat flour with a gluten-free flour. For a nut-free version, replace the sliced almonds with sunflower seeds or pepitas.)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a pie plate or large baking dish. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour into the pie plate. Tilt and tap the pie plate to move the flour around until it coats the whole inside.

Wash and pat dry the apples. Remove the stems and cores. (If you like your apple pie apples peeled, do that now, but it’s okay to leave the skin on.) Slice the apples thinly, but not so thin that the slices break easily. Put them in a large bowl. Sprinkle 1 tsp lemon juice over them and toss gently to coat the slices.

Wash and pat dry the pears. Remove the stems and cores. (If you like your pie pears peeled, do that now, but it’s okay to leave the skin on.) Slice the pears thinly, but not so thin that the slices break easily. Add them to the bowl of apple slices. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon lemon juice over them and toss gently to coat the slices.

Add 2 tablespoons ginger chips or minced candied ginger, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 2 tablespoons white sugar, and 1 tablepsoon tapioca starch. Toss gently to gcoat the slices. POur theh fruit slices into the prepared pie plate and spread them out. Mound them slightly in the center and make sure that the outer edges stay below the rim of the pie plate, leaving room to add the crumble topping later.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.

To the flour mixture add 1 cup quick oats, 1 cup sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal. Stir to combine.

To the flour mixture, add 1/2 cup of hte firmly packed brown sugar. Slice 1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup) into the bowl. Use a butter cutter to combine the ingredients in the bowl. It helps to have a table knife to run between the tines of the butter cutter and knock loose the packed butter. Keep going until the mixture is loose, dry, and crumbly. The butter should be down to pea-sized bits.

Use a soup spoon to put the topping over the fruit, starting in the center and spiraling outward. Keep an eye on the amount so you don’t run out of topping before covering the whole surface. When you get to the outside edge, put the spoon on the rim of the pie plate and tilt it inward to avoid spilling. If there is topping left over after covering the surface, look for any empty or thin spots and in the topping and depost the extra there. Otherwise, just distribute it evenly over the top.

Bake at 350ºF for 40-50 minutes until done. The crumble topping should be toasty brown and crisp, not wet. The fruit should be bubbling around hte edges of the pie plate, and it should feel soft when a toothpick is inserted itno the middle of the mound. If the topping seems to be browning faster than the fruit is softening, you can make a tent of aluminum foil to minimize further browning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe makes about 8 servings. Because a crumble dessert has no bottom crust, you will need to serve it with a spoon, bot a pie server. Popular additions include vanilla or ginger ice cream or frozen yogurt, caramel sauce, ginger syrup, cinnamon syrup, or gingersnaps.

Pumpkins

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Samhain: Pumpkins & Jack-o’-Lanterns by Jason Mankey

Despite our society’s obsession with pumpkins, most people know very little about them. Scientists will tell you that a “pumpkin” isn’t even really a thing; what we call pumpkins today are just several different varieties of winter squash. And despite often being thoguht of as vegetables, squashes are fruit. Technically a pumpkin is just a very large berry! Most of the “pumpkin pie” filling we consume each year comes from winter squashes that bear very little resemblacne to the orange pumpkins that sit on our porches in October.

Pumpkins are native to North America, more specifically the American South and Northeastern Mexico, and can now be found all over the world. People in Mexico began eating pumpkins nearly 7,000 years ago! Nearly every part of a pumpkin is edible, too; in addition to eating the lesh and seeds of a pumpkin, you can also eat the leaves.

Pumpkinsa nd other winter squashes are also part of the legendary “three sisters,” which have been a staple of Native American cooking for thousands of years. Beans, corn (maize), and pumpkins or squash were all grown together in garden plots. The maize acted as poles for the beans, while the broad leaves of the pumpkin plants kept the soil moist and helped to keep out unwanted bugs and other pests (pumpkin leaves are rather prickly!). When eaten together, beans, pumpkin and maize make for a very nutritionally complete meal.

Pumpkins are 90% water, maing them a low-fat and healthy food (though I’m not so sure about those pumpkin spice lattes!). Pumpkins are also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and vitamins B, C, A, and E. Pumpkin oil can also help lower cholesterol. In Mexico, among certain Native American tribes, it was believed that pumpkin seeds bestowed energy and endurance upon those who ate them.

While plain old pumpkins are justifiably popular in the autumn, the pumpkin as the jack-o’-lantern symbolizes the season of Samhain for many Witches. But the exact origins fo the jack-o’-lantern are difficult to pin down, and among historians there is a lot of disagreenent about just how the pumpkin jack-o’-lantern came into being. Many have pointed Ireland as hte most logical place for the jack-o’-lantern origins. According to that theory, the Irish originally carved out beets, turnips, and later potatoes and placed a small candle inside of them. The candle was to symbolize souls stuck in Catholic purgatory and perhaps offer those stuck there a way back home to their relatives.

On the surface, this theory has always made a lot of sense. In Ireland, first Samhain, and then later All Souls’ Night (the evening of November 1), have traditionally been associated with teh dead, and a acandle for souls stuc in purgatory has always felt appropriate. But for years there was very little evidence for hte turnip-o’-lantern. Surprisingly, descriptions of lanterns made from turnips or beets are mostly absent from folklore. (They are also quite difficult to carve!) However, a turnip lantern dating from the 19th century was recently found in Ireland, givine more credence to this particular interpretation.

The term jack-o’-lantern probably comes from the trickster figure “Jack” who shows up in a variety of British and Irish folktales. Jack was said to be such a naughty fellow that upon his death he was denied entrance into both heaven and hell. However, the devil took pity on Jack and threw an ember from the fires of hell toward Jack, which the trickster caught in a hllowed-out turnip. From then on Jack was cursed to wander the earth until the Christian Judgment Day. This version of Jack became known as Jack-o’-lantern (Jack of the Lantern) and sometimes Stingy Jack.

The frist recorded use of the term Jack-with the-Lantern is in the Oxford English Dictionary from 1663, and it next shows u pin 1704 in a reference “Jack of lanthorns” (Skal 2002, 31). Both early uses of Jack-with-Lanterns were in reference to a night watchman, though our modern pumpkin-derived jack-o’-lanterns are certainly similar to watchpersons. Jack with the Lantern was often blamed for a variety of strange lights in both the British Isles and North America. Generally, these lights were the result of swamp or bog gas that looked like ghosts of lantern light in the dead of night.

Many holidays over the centuries have been associated with petty vandalism and the playing of tricks or pranks, most notably All Hallows’ Eve and hte Yuletide season. By the early 1800s, the term jack-o’-lantern began to tbe associated with pranks, though not necessaarily pranks at Halloween, or any involving pumpkins. It’s possible that pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns came together in the 19th century as a result of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which was first published in 1819.

Halloween is never mentioned in Irving’s novella, but the public imagination has generally imagined the story as happening at the end of October. Jack-o’-lanterns aren’t mentioned either, but the Headless Horseman does throw his head at porr old Ichabod Crane. At the end of the tale, it’s revealed the Headless Horseman’s missile was most likely a pumpkin. When the scene plays out in the mind’s eye, it’s easy to imagine the Horseman’s head as a glowing pumpkin with human features, something very close to Jack’s old lantern. From there, it’s a quick jump to carved and lit up pumpkins being named jack-o’-lanterns.

No matter its origins, the jack-o’-lantern serves as hte nearly official symbol of the Samhain season. Glowing pumpkins gaze outward from porches in late October, scanning for trick-or-treaters, and pumpkin decorations haunt street corners and grocery stores. And for Witches, jack-o’-lanterns serve as a guidepost for the returning souls of our belived dead, inviting those we’ve lost to be with us once more. Whether we carve them, eat them, decorate them, or use them in ritual, the pumpkin is one of autumn’s most delightful gifts.

References

Morton, Ell. “Trunip Jack-o’-Lanterns Are the Rootf of All Evil.” Atlas Obscura. October 28, 2015. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/turnip-jack-o-lanterns-are-the-root-of-all-evil.

Skal, David, J. Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween. New York: Bloomsbury Books, 2002.

Resources

[1] Llewellyn’s 2022 Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2021 to Mabon 2022

Ritual for Acceptance of Your Wounds by Mickie Mueller

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This ritual is layered and meant to be repeated many times; accepting our heartbreak, loss, grief, and trauma isn’t easy, but it’s always worth it. If you work this practice and feel that it’s overwhelming, look for a licensed therapist who can assist you on your healing journey, like I have.

Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. You may play some soothing music and light a candle and some healing incense. You’ll also need a jar with a lid (it can be plain or you may decorate it), a sheet of paper, and a fireproof dish. Write down a wound from you past and how it made you feel. It’s okay to cry, scream, punch a pilllow, and just let it all out. Now look at the wound and see it with new eyes. See the person you were at the time the injury took place. Send that person love and healing. Treat them with teh same kindness you would treat a friend and let them know that you support them. Write a loving note of support to them on on the other side of the paper, telling them how brave and strong they are because htey made it through a hard time. Light the paper and let it burn in a fireproof dish, sending the message of love to your former self. Put the ashes into the jar. Mix in a pinch of chamomile, ground ginger, and sage from your kitchen. You may also add lemon balm, skullcap, and passionflower if you have it. Repeat this no more than once a week with as many wounds as you need or the same wound multiple times as needed using the same jar.

Spiritual Family Tree

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You might celebrate Yule with a tree. I do. I’m inviting you to embrace tree energy in your home as a way to get comfortable and in touch with your family tree from a magickal point of view. You’ll begin with a meditation, stop by a garden center to purchase the tree, and then perform a tree dressing for a plant you’ll keep in your home, decorating it as you might a Yule tree around the holidays. There are many fine varied choices for your tree:

  • Norfolk island pine
  • Yucca
  • Palm species
  • Money tree
  • Ficus
  • Meyer lemon or other fruit you can grow indoors

You will need:

  • Purple cloth
  • Matches or lighter
  • White colum candle, vanilla or unscented
  • Fireproof candle plate
  • cauldron, dutch oven, or stock pot (optional)
  • Salt water (optional)
  • Van Van oil (optional)
  • Spring water or other type of water (optional)
  • 5 to 7 meaningful small objects that speak to a handful or so of your heritages or places (cities, town, villages) you or your ancestors come from
  • Permanent marker
  • Brown paper or parchment
  • Twine, fishing line, or thread

If at all possible, go to a natural body of water to reflect. After all, long before we had mirrors, we went to see ourselves in moving bodies of natural water. Think of Narcissus.

Near the natural water place a purple cloth to sit on. Purple is a highly spiritual color on many paths.

Use pranayama to breathe more and more slowly, more and more fully, until you feel completely relaxed. Pranayama is a meditative technique that focuses on the connection between breath and clarity. You may begin with eight breaths inhaled through your nose, letting your jaw relax. Keep the mouth soft but closed. Breathe out, dispelling all the air from your chest in an eight count. You may continue until you feel clear and light or after doing three counts of eight.

Next, light a white columnar cnadle near you on a fire-safe plate. A tempered glass or earthenware plate would be perfect.

If you can’t go to a local river, pong, or lake, you cn use a cauldron. Cleanse your cauldron thoroughly with salt water. Dry it and smudge it out with a smudge stick, using twelve counterclockwise circular sweeps. Drop in seven to nine drops of Van Van oil. In Hoodoo, this oil is known to open the way. Then fill the cauldron with spring water.

In your heightened state, select a tree to represent your family tree. This may be a miniature Norfolk pine tree, a ficus, or another plant that you find available or that calls out to you. snuff out hte candle, quickly, using wet fingers, after hte meditation is completed.

Go to a plant nurseyr or home and garden center to purchase a potted tree to keep indoors.

Return home and look over your DNA results again. Now, gather the objects to put on your tree. Hold each object in your hand for at least fiv eminutes and reflect on its connection to your ancestry. What ashe does it hold? Write a single word on the back of it with a permanent marker if possible, or hang a torn piece of brown paper bag or parchment next to it with the word written on it with a pencil or marker.

Use twine, fishing line, or other threadlike material (I like synthetic waxed sinew from a craft store) to creatively string these objects on your tree. You will continue to fill it as you see fit over time.

The tree is not static but alive, changing, growing. The ritual is ongoing, as are your discoveries and intuitive developments; this is not a Christmas tree that has been cut down, decorated and discarded.

Be mindful about how you feed your tree. Listen for its messages. Does it prefer clean spring water, rainwater, lightning water? Be careful about its light conditions and ohter necessities too. Does it require a grow light? Misting? Research the plant’s needs, but also listen well. Let the spirits in your bones guide you. nurture your evolving DNA family tree. Enjoy your journey into DNA ancestry magick!

Healing Spell Bottle

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This is a spell to help someone who is ill or suffering in some manner. In this case, the hair will be surrounded by objects bearing healing energy, thus causing hte owner of the hair to be enveloped by healing influences as well.

You will need:

  • Piece of hair from the person in need of healing
  • Bottle or jar with a tight lid
  • 3 cotton balls
  • Tea tree oil
  • Quartz crystal
  • Dried lavender, chamomile and jasmine to fill the entire bottle or jar

Find a quit spot to cast your spell. Hold the piece of hair in your hand and visualize the person it belongs to. Imagine them fully cured, happy, and healthy. Place the hair into the bottle.

The next step uses the tree oil and the cotton balls. Tea tree oil is known for ots purifying properties and, in this case, signifies the cleansing of illness or unwanted forces. The cotton balls represent a soft and gentle energy that will surround the person while they heal. Put a drop of tea tree oil on each cotton ball, and put them in the jar. Imagine the person in question surrounded by softness, comfort, and nurturance while recovering.

Take the dried jasmine and inhale its scent. Imagine it glowing with a restful light blue aura. Place it in the jar. Repeat this with the other herbs, filling the jar or bottle. Place the quartz crystal on the top of the herbs to amplify the power of hte other ingredients, and hten put the lid on tightly.

Now the hair is surrounded by softness, cleansing energy, and herbs with healing vibrations. Because this is sympathetic or imitative magick, the person you are doing the spell for is also surrounded by thse benevolent forces.

Keep the healing bottle in a warm, sunny spot. Each day, hold hte bottle and spend osme time visualizing the person in perfect health. Continue to do this until they improve.

Remember to combine this spell with appropriate medical care.

Modern Ritual to Honor Dionysus by Charlynn Walls

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Gather all the tools you need prior to beginning your ritual. Items for the altar could include candles for the quarters, grapes, grapevines, pinecones, and a container of water. Also include some grape juice or wine and crackers or cake as an offering later in the ritual. You may want a small notebook or your Book of Shadows to write your experiences in after your ritual. You may also want a drum or a recording of some drumming that could be turned on during ritual.

The ritual should begin near dusk and run into the evening, as Dionysus enjoys merriment and a festival atmosphere. Adding some fairy lights around the ritual area would also add to the atmosphere.

This ritual can be done on your own or with others. It can be done inside or outside as weather permits. You should make sure that you have plenty of room to move within the circle, as you will be moving to the durmming or movusic that you chose for this ritual.

Prepare your ritual space and cleanse the area. There are a variety of ways to clease the area, and you can use any that works best for you. One suggestion that works well and is appropriate is the use of a bundled grapevine to asperge blessed or charged water. It is also a suitable alternative if you are unable to use something like sage because of an allergy, and it is what we will sue in this ritual.

To begin, you will want to set up your altar area. Place the quarter candles in their corresponding directions. Put your notebook or Book of Shadows on the altar as well. Set your water near the bundle of graepvines for easy retrieval. You can include deocrative items like grapes, grapevines, or a small wreath. You can include pinecomes as well,a s they are reminiscent of a thyrsus wand, which is made with a fennel stalk and a pinecone.

Bless the water before beginning. Hold your hands over hte water and close your eyes. Feel the energy build up through your core, and as you feel it peak, say, 

Water is life.  From it comes all things.  May the energy within sustain and cleanse.  Blessed be!

Cast your circle by calling each quarter. As you move to each quarter, take the grapevine bundle, dip it into the blessed water, and sprinkle the water to create the circle.

Calling the Quarters

NORTH. I call to the powers of the north, the guardians of the earth. Bless us with yor grounding inluences as we reach toward communion with the god. We welcome you to our circle!

EAST. I call to the powers of the east, the guardians of air. Bless us with the wind in our hair as we dance ecstatically. We welcome you to our circle!

SOUTH. I call to the powers of the south, the guardians of fire. Bless us with warmth as we move and dance with divinity. We welcome you to our circle!

WEST. I call to the powers of the west, the guardians of water. Bless us with cool waters to temper our emotions. We welcome you to our circle!

Invocation

Start your ritual music at this time whether that is from you drumming to get into the right frame of mind or if you play a recording of drumming or some other music that speaks to you. Now will be the time to reach out directly to Dionysus and ask him to enlighten you with an ecstatic spiritual experience. You will be trying to get into a trancelike state so that you can be receptive to what Dionysus wants to share with you.

Pick up your glass of wine or juice and take a drink. Dionysus is the god of wine, and you are taking him into you so that he can provide you “madness,” or a unique way of seeing. Say,

As I drink of you, Dionysus, grant me your presence so that I can be moved. Let my mind and body be free to receive your messages this day.

Set aside your cup. Get yp and move. Feel the rhythm inside of you. Lose yourself in the music and feel the weight of the day slip off you as you open yourself up. Continue to move and know that the elements and Dionysus are there dancing with you. Open yourself up to the messages as you dance in joy. Continue to do so unitl you need to rest, and then lie on the ground to help restore yourself before continuing. Be aware of what you are seeing and feeling. You may want to note these things after coming out of the trance, as not all messages given by deity are immediately clear.

Cakes and Ale

This is a time to renew your strength from the ecstatic, trancelike dancing and to acknowledge your honored guest. You should take a bit of the crackers or cake and drop it onto the ground near the altar or, if inside, drop it on a dish to be later take outside, saying,

Dionysus, thank you for your presence. Your insight has been a blessing.

Next, take some of the wine or juice and pour the drink onto the ground or into the dish, saying,

This elixir has given me insight and visions that will sustain me. Thank you, Dionysus.

Once you have presented the cakes and ale to your guests, you can take some for yourself. Take the time you need to restore yourself and absorb what you learned during your trance before closing out the circle. This is an excellent time to make any notes on your observances during the ritual.

Releasing the Quarters

WEST. Powers of the west, I thank you for your time and tempering my emotions, keeping them in check. Hail and farewell!

SOUTH. Powers of the south, I thank you for your time and your subtle warmth while we communedd. Hail and farewell!

EAST. Powers of the east, I thank you for your time and your gentle winds that danced with us. Hail and farewell!

NORTH. Powers of the north, I thank you for your time and your strength to keep me grounded. Hail and farewell!

Closing the Circle

Take a moment to contemplate the rite and the visions that Dionysus gifted you with. Take time to again thank him and all who gathered with you. End by saying,

The circle is open. Hail and farewell to you all!

Simple Midsummer Protection Spell

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Ancient people all over Europe are known to have celebrated Midsummer. According to scholar Ronald Hutton, Midsummer (as well as Midwinter) celebrations were common throughout ancient Britain and almost certainly employed fire. There is evidence of “the making of sacred fires at the opening of summer at at its solstice, to bless and protect people and their livestock fro the dangers of the season” (Hutton 2013, loc 7698). Fire was used to purify with smok, and to provide protection. Use a red votive candle and carve it with protective symbols such as pentagrams. Imagine ancient tribes of people at Midsummer creating protective fires for their livestock and villages. You are connecting with your ancestors and all those who came before by utilizing the power of fire, even if you’re merely lighting a candle. The fire is symbolic. It is pure power. As you light thecandle, visulize the element of fire forming a protective shield around you that deflects all negative energy and harm of any kind. You can imagine a circle of fire, a series of fires in a ring around you, or a sphere of fire that encompasses you like a ball. Even though fire can destroy, in this case it’s warding all harm away from you. Say these words three times:

Fire is power, and it’s mine to wield; fire is power, and it is my shield.

Allow the candle to burn out. Anytime you need to evoke the protective shield, repeat the phrase and visualization.

Reference

Hutton, Ronald. Pagan Britain. Yale University Press: New Haven adn London. Kindle edition, 2013.

Radiance Spell

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Summer represents the full bloom of life, a flourishing, vigorous time. No matter what your age, this spell is intended to help you channel the full splendor of a beautiful summer – the magic of warm evenings, fireflies, lsuh trees, and cool water. If seasons are life, then summer is the height – be your summer self, you most strong and beautiful inside and out. Embrace the fullness of life wherever you are. You are radiant.

For this spell, you will need a large mirror, such as the one you may have in your bathroom or bedroom – one that lets you see as much of yourself as possible.

You will need three candles of any size or color, butmake sure that you can hold one of them comfortably in your hands without burning yourself. (Use a container if necessary.) You will hold one candle as you stand in front of the mirror and place the ohter two on each side of you on a counter, table, or dresser. Try to catch the light of the candles in the mirror with you, if possible.

Light the candles and, as you view your reflection, say these words: 

Let the flames of candles three
show the traits that flatter me; 
inner beauty brought to light - 
Im radiant and shining bright.

Stan or sit that way as long as yo ucan. Meditate on you – your inner and outer beauty. Feel it. See it. Shine with the radiance of self-love. Reflect on who you are and who you want to be. Are you your best self? If not, why? What changes would you like to make? Take time to reflect on more than what you see, but how you feel. Know that you have the power to be your best self.

When you’re finished with your self-reflection, extinguish the candles or keep them burning as long as you wish. Keep using them for this purpose over time until they burn out.

The Threefold Bread by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

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  • 1 1/4 cups warm water
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp active dried yeast (or 1 small packet)

Place the flour in a large heavy mixing bowl (I preferic ceramic or glass to plastic). Measure the water in a jug and dissolve the guar and the yeast into it, letting it rest for 10 minutes or so. Add the salt to the flour and blend it well, then add the water with teh sugar and yeast init and start to mix. When it gets too heavy for the spoon, use your hands, turning it out onto a floured board and kneading it for a good 12 to 15 minutes. The action of kneading the bread is hwat strengthens the gluten so it will rise well.

Place the kneaded dough in an oiled bowl and cover. I use parchment paper for this, but a piece of plastic wrap or even a clean sackcloth towel will work. Put the covered bowl in a warm place to rise until doubled in size – the oven with the interior light on works well for me. When it has risen, turn it out onto the work surface again, and shape into a loaf. Put this into your oiled loaf pan if you are using one or onto your baking tray if not or if making a braid, and let it rise again, this time for about 50 minutes – you’ll get to know the look of it once you’ve done it a few times.

Preheat the oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit and bake the bread toward hte middle for 50 to 60 minutes. The loaf is dnoe when it is golden brown on the top and sounds follow when you tap the bottom. Remove it from the oven and place hte pan (if one is used) on its side. Let the bread cool for 20 minutesbefore removing it. Let the bread rest at least another hour before eating it – if you can stand the wait!

Rye Bread

Substitute 2 cups of rye for 2 cups of flour, remembering to add 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten.

Whole Wheat Bread

Substitute 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Add extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to get the right consistency.

The Braid

The key to a successful plait lies in having all the dough proved adequately and to have all the strands the same size. Roll the dough until it is an even width and approximately 24 to 30 inches in length. Start the braid by laying hte three strips of different dough side by side. Weave one over the other in the usual way until the end is reached. Pinch the ends together, then tuck them under the loaf; now go back and do the same to the start. This way the ends are hidden and the plait seems to be neverending from start to finish. To make this really stand out, brush a bit of milk or a mixture of beaten egg and water over the top; this gives the baked loaf a glossy finish, as well as helping the plaits stick together.

Bake the bread on a bread stone or cookie sheet as described in the basic bread recipe. I judge doneness by the all-purpose strand; if that looks golden brown and done, then I do the tap test (seeing if it sounds hollow). It is often hard to tell when the darker strands have been adequately baked just by looking at them.

Additions

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of mixing three doughs and making a giant loaf, a threefold braid can still be made by dividing th ebread dough after the first proving, and rolling the different strands in herbs before braiding. Some of my favorite herbs are the traditional sage, rosemary and thyme, but others will add flavor and magical properties to the loaf, making it stand out for ceremony just as nicely as if the three different flours had been used.

  • ROSEMARY. Depending on who you ask, rosemary is either masculine or feminine and associated with the Sun or Moon! I liken it to the Moon and believe it to be feminine. It brings the magic of remembrance and purification to the loaf.
  • SAGE. Sage has long been used as a healing and protection herb. It’s one we regularly have in the garden here at the Keep. It is masculine, is associated with Jupiter, and brings the magic of abundance and wishes granted to the loaf.
  • THYME. Thyme is another feminine herb, associated with water and the planet Venus. It’s believed that thyme enabled communication with the fae and other earth spirits. It brings the magic of strength and courage to the loaf.