Wiccan Recipes - Lammas loaves

Lammas Loaves

1 1/2 cups warm water
1oz yeast
3 tsps honey
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 ozs butter

Melt extra butter for the topping

Method:

Mix honey, butter and salt into a bowl, pour in the warm water then stir well. Stir the 2 1/1 cups of flour gradually into the mix. While the mixture cools, dissolve the yeast in water then pour it into the mixture. Mix well, then add the 2 cups of whole-wheat flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured board with floured hands, to prevent sticking. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then place in a greased bowl with a damp cloth over it.

Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. This time knead the dough for 5 minutes, shape the dough into a loaf shape, or separate the dough into two then shape. Place the dough into a greased loaf tin, then let it rise again for an hour.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375-degrees for 45 minutes, once done and cooled. Eat the loaves with your family during a Lammas picnic or make the loaf part of your offering to the Divine!

Love, light and blessings to you all!

Lughnasadh - 1st August 2011

Merry Meet everyone, Lughnasadh (Lammas) has come around again. Right here in England the weather is changeable, but the best of the Sun does shine through occasionally, warming the ground and improving the harvest for this Summer. Personally, I am eagerly awaiting the Autumn months when nature changes into the most gorgeous colours.

I thought I might post some background information on the festival of Lughnasdh. This festival is also known as Lammas and it celebrates the first harvest of the year. The days are waning and Autumn is coming, so we begin to see the plants of Spring withering now, their fruits are dropping and getting ready to seed for the coming year.

Bread can be baked from the first grains of the harvest, a feast can be lain from the Summer fruits and vegetables of the harvest. From the old celtic religion, the feast would honour the foster Mother of Lugh, who died from exhaustion after planting the crops.

This is also the time to give thanks to the Sun God and the harvest, as he is now ageing and it was his loving rays of light that brought life to our harvest.

With the colder months approaching, don't forget to store your Summer harvest for the Winter. You can do this by preserving fruits and vegetables in cans or freezing.

To celebrate Lughnasadh, here are some tips to enjoy the festival:

• Have a family picnic with Summer food
• Purify and ready your home for the Winter months by cleaning, wash the curtains, clean the fireplace or clean out your cupboards.
• Bake fresh Lammas loaves with your family
• Work on your Book of Shadows
• Do some work in your garden
• Have a day to yourself, take a long bath with some essential oils and meditate on what you have achieved since last Winter. But also think about what you want to achieve in the future months.

I will be posting a new section on Wiccan recipes soon, so look out for the recipe for Lammas bread. Blessings to you all and have a lovely Lughnasadh!

Blessing Moon - 15/07/2011

Happy full moon everyone, Blessing Moon tonight. The full moon of July is known to represent work, tolerance and learning. The spells to do during this time, may relate to your work life, personal relationships or concentration.

There are many activities to do, to fully appreciate Blessing Moon. For each Wiccan it is different, I have listed some possible activities below.

• Set up a Summer altar, you can simply decorate it with Summer colours/fruits or pictures.
• Perform a ritual, thanking your chosen Divine for the fortune that has recently come your way, whether it be a new job, a good harvest or a successful cooking experiment.
• Be creative, choose now to create your own potions, spells or add to your Book of Shadows. As now is the perfect time for any magic!

Blessings to you all!