Prosphora Baking
Prosphora is a Greek word meaning “offering.” In one sense, all that we offer for the use of the Church is prosphora: wine, incense, charcoal, oil (for oil lamps), candles, flowers, and bread. Our offerings are never raw materials. In all these cases we take something and make it into something else. Grapes to wine, olives to olive oil, wheat to bread, etc. Generally speaking, prosphora refers to the bread offering. The baking of prosphora is a beautiful and humbling work of mercy that members of our parish community undertake as part of a prophora baking group. If you would like to join a regular rotation of baking prosphora please reach out to Mena Kamel or Katya Wlasenko
Baking Prosphora (A Visual Guide)
Preparing Prosphora is not a difficult process. It should not be accompanied by anxiety of worry as this is not the spirit in which we offer it. Like any other offering it is an act of joy.
In the tradition which we have learned and was handed down to us we begin the preparation process once our ingredients are assembled with the Trisagion Prayer. Preparation time, especially kneading is used for prayerful contemplation. At the end we pray the Trisagion over the completed Prosphora. If there are young children in your family please encourage them to participate, we have found that baking Prosphora as a family or as a group has also been a beautiful bonding and prayerful experience for all involved.
May God bless your work of mercy.
In the tradition which we have learned and was handed down to us we begin the preparation process once our ingredients are assembled with the Trisagion Prayer. Preparation time, especially kneading is used for prayerful contemplation. At the end we pray the Trisagion over the completed Prosphora. If there are young children in your family please encourage them to participate, we have found that baking Prosphora as a family or as a group has also been a beautiful bonding and prayerful experience for all involved.
May God bless your work of mercy.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 11/2 cups warm water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus flour for kneading
- 8" or #20 round pan (metal, not glass or silicone) however a 9" or even using a baking sheet on its own will also work.
- 1 tbsp. dry or fresh yeast, the size of a small walnut
Process
1. Place ½ cup (~118ml) of the warm water in a small bowl. Make sure that the water is lukewarm and not too hot, if you have a thermometer the ideal temperature range is 100F (37C) - 110F (43C). Stir in the yeast until it is dissolved. Set aside for 10 minutes. It should bubble.
2. Dissolve salt in the remaining warm water (1 cup or 250ml) at 100F (37C) - 110F (43C).
3. Place flour in a mixing bowl, make a well in the center and add the bubbly yeast mixture and the rest of the water.
4. Stir. The mixture will come together in a rough ball. Add a little flour if needed, if the dough is very sticky so that it does not become crusty.
5. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead for 15 to 20 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. You are aiming for a very smooth, elastic dough almost like putty in texture.
6. Flour your pan (only flour, no oil). Split the dough in half, form each dough piece into a flat disc and place one on top of the other in the pan. Sprinkle with a little more flour, dusting over the surface of the dough and then brushing most of it gently off.
7. Imprint the stamp with great force as evenly as possible then gently and gradually remove it.
8. Take a wooden kebab stick or a toothpick and poke holes in the corners of the stamp design and around the edge of the Prosphora outside the stamped impression.
9. Cover with a clean towel and set aside to rise 15 mins (no more). [Optional, if you are having issues where the the seal disappears for you when you do this step, you may skip it the next time you follow this recipe]
10. Bake in a preheated 400F (200C) oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F (170C) and bake another 15 to 25 minutes. Your aim is a light, golden crust and bread which when turned out and the bottom tapped will have a hollow sound.
10. Bake in a preheated 400F (200C) oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F (170C) and bake another 15 to 25 minutes. Your aim is a light, golden crust and bread which when turned out and the bottom tapped will have a hollow sound.
11. Wrap the baked loaf in a clean towel to cool.
12. Once the prosphora is cooled it can be put in a large ziplock bag and brought to Church or frozen to bring to Church at a future date.