No Shortcut

It took me a long time, but I finally had it all figured out…or so I thought.  

I’ve never been much for baking, but our family’s love affair with fresh French bread was sufficiently motivating.  

I learned a lot in the process – the measure and the timing, the order and the key ingredients. Of course, there is always the magic and the mystery of turning something bland and tasteless into delicious goodness that fills the entire house with its mouth-watering aroma.

I got to a place where I didn't need the recipe because I had it memorized.  I always kept it handy, though, mainly to confirm I am doing it right.

Then, last week, after a long string of successes, a fiasco. We stood around the distorted loaves, puzzled over their shape and texture.

What in the world happened?!!!

I have no clue.  It must be a fluke. I dismissed the failure, certain it won’t happen again.

Then, few days later, it happened again.

The same fluke repeated itself!

Maybe it’s the yeast.

I just bought it.  It’s fresh.

Too much flour…?  Troubleshooting is our family’s middle name.

No…

 

The oven temperature, the humidity, the outside temperature… We went through all the factors that could have affected the dough. I kept shaking my head, No.  We simply couldn't figure out, after a long string of successes, what caused the most recent string of fiascoes.

Then, I remembered. Just a tiny change I thought I should implement… Something small, to speed up the process… To shorten the time the yeast naturally takes to leaven the dough… I was getting a bit impatient and a little shortcut wasn't going to make a big difference...

Well, it did. It practically ruined the dough. And I realized that for some things in life, there is no shortcut. No shortcut to making bread, just as there is no shortcut to godliness or love or maturity.

Love is patient. I Corinthians 13:4

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. Hebrews 10:36