From Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, New York as adapted from the Trappist Monastery of the Holy Ghost, Conyers, Georgia

For a double batch:

• 4 cups white flour
• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 8 teaspoons double-acting baking powder (or a little less -- if the bread puckers, use less next time)
• 4 teaspoons salt

Honeyed water:

• 1 cup honey
• 2 1/2 cups warm tap water
• 2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup pure vegetable oil (Canola oil works well.)
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup of molasses

Mix the water and the honey until thoroughly blended, add milk and oil. Stir well.

Sift the dry ingredients together into a bowl, then pour only enough honeyed water to make a smooth, soft dough (usually requires only about 2/3 of the honeyed water).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed gently. Flour dough lightly and roll it to about 1/4 inch thickness (or a little thinner!)

Then cut to desired size and shape. (A 3 1/2" loaf will communicate about 25 persons easily. A 6" loaf will handle 40-50. A 8.5" loaf can be used to communicate about 80.)

Cut a cross with a knife in the top of the loaf; this will enable easier breaking of the loaf at the Fraction in the liturgy.

Bake on a parchment or a lightly floured baking sheet in a 400 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes (or a few minutes longer) until golden brown -- do not overbake.

Let the bread cool for about 20-30 minutes, then wrap in plastic wrap or zip lock bags for freezing.

Allow about 1 1/2 hours for thawing the large loaves. (If you leave them out for several hours they will become dry and stale.) A number of loaves can be made at one time and frozen for future use.

NOTES:

1. Please bake 8.5 in loaves unless another size is specifically requested. (Leftover dough, however, can be used to make a few smaller loaves for weekday celebrations.)
2. Thinner is better. You are trying to produce a round, relatively flat loaf, not a dome-shaped loaf. A height on 1/4 inch or less may seem too small, but it really will work! Bread that is too thick or is dome-shaped is more likely to crumb and more likely to be harder to swallow. Larger (8 1/2 inch) loaves can be slightly (1/8 inch) thicker.
3. You will need to roll the dough as if it were cookie or pastry dough.. After rolling, use a bowl or luncheon plate in the manner of a cookie cutter to cut out each loaf. Do not just push down, but down and out towards the circumference. Make sure the surface on which you roll the dough is well floured. If the dough becomes to dry, add a small amount of flour or of honey water and roll again.
4. Make the cross boldly (somewhat deeply, but not all the way through) on the dough before baking. Each branch of the cross should extend through the entire diameter of the loaf.
5. Do not overbake bread. This makes it crumb more easily.
6. When thoroughly cooled, wrap each loaf in plastic wrap, place loaves in plastic container or sealed zip lock bags, and freeze. Bring to St. Mary's and place in freezer in closet to the left of the stage in the parish house.