Sharing Bread for St. Martin’s Day: Bake It, Then Give It Away
The old story goes like this. On a freezing night, a soldier named Martin rode past a man shivering by the side of the road. Martin had no money to give him and no food. So he took his sword, cut his own warm cloak in two, and handed half of it over.
That’s the heart of Martinmas, which falls on November 11. You don’t need much to share. Half a cloak. A lantern in the dark. A little loaf of bread. This bread is made to give away. Kids shape it however they like, and then comes the best part: deciding who gets one.
Last weekend, Lisabeth and a friend tried it out in the Sparkle HQ kitchen. Fair warning: the smell of baking dough makes it very hard to wrap the breads up and hand them over. They managed. Mostly.
Before you start
This makes about eight small breads. Plan on about 2 ½ hours from start to finish, but only about 40 minutes of that is hands-on. The dough needs an hour to rise, which is a good time for a story.
Grown-ups handle the warm milk and the oven. Kids can measure, knead, roll, shape, press in raisins, and brush on the egg.
A note on swaps: Lisabeth used unsweetened soy milk in place of regular milk, and it worked just fine. Any plain milk will do.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk (warm to the touch, not hot)
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 egg, plus 1 more egg for brushing
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 1½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- A small handful of raisins
Let’s Bake!
- Stir the yeast and a spoonful of the sugar into the warm milk. Wait about 5 minutes, until it looks foamy.
- Add the rest of the sugar, the melted butter, one egg, and the salt. Stir in the flour a cup at a time until you have a soft dough that isn’t too sticky.
- Knead for about 5 minutes. This is a great job for kids. Push, fold, turn, repeat. Kneading is a good two-person job, because someone has to hold the bowl and someone has to say, “Is it ready yet?”
4. Put the dough in a buttered bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise somewhere warm for about an hour, until it’s roughly doubled. A tea towel over a glass bowl is all you need. (Peeking is allowed.)
- Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces and let everyone shape their own. Dust your board with flour first, because the dough will want to stick. A bench scraper or a butter knife makes quick work of the cutting. (Ideas below.)
- Press in raisins for eyes and buttons. Beat the second egg and brush it over the tops so they bake up golden.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Let them cool a little before wrapping.
Shaping ideas
There’s no wrong shape here. Little people with raisin buttons are traditional in some places, but crescent moons, stars, snails, suns, and lumpy mystery creatures all taste exactly the same. Roll a rope and coil it. Roll three and braid them. Pinch out arms and legs.
Who will you share with?
Before the breads cool, sit down together and decide. A neighbor. The person who delivers your mail. A grandparent (maybe the one who answered your ten questions). A friend who’s had a hard week. Wrap each bread in a cloth or a paper bag and tuck in a note: “Happy Martinmas. This one’s for you.”
Listen along
While the dough rises, listen to “A Little Bit of Light” from Martin & Sylvia, or put on our Lanterns & Lights playlist. And if you’re walking with lanterns this Martinmas, bring a sharing bread along for the walk home.
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About the authors
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Lisabeth Sewell
Doer of Many Wonderful and Odd Things (including CEO)Lisabeth Sewell has worn many hats at Sparkle over the years, from Sparkle Kitchen Blogger to Editorial Director to Doer of All Odd Jobs. Her primary role is as CEO.
