"Murphy-Gill gracefully weaves explorations of spiritual and physical sustenance, delivering some gems ('recipes are best when approached like written prayers... they offer insight into practice but never promise mastery') and concluding chapters with recipes for the likes of Finnish rye bread and pizza dough with black emmer. The result is an offering Christians will enjoy taking a bite out of." Publishers Weekly
"Who knew that bread could be its own Virgil, guiding Meghan Murphy-Gilland usto deeper places?" from the foreword by Peter Reinhart, multiple-time winner of the James Beard Award; author of The Bread Baker's Apprentice and Crust and Crumb
"The whole world is contained in a loaf of breadand Meghan Murphy-Gill has captured not just that, but our humanity in her lovely book." Alissa Wilkinson, author of Salty: Lessons on Eating, Drinking, and Living from Revolutionary Women
"A thoughtful reflection on the spirituality of breadmaking." Sandor Ellix Katz, fermentation revivalist and author of The Art of Fermentation
"This book will remind any baker that the process of making bread rekindles one's spiritual connection to and consciousness of the world around them." Ellen King, co-owner of Hewn Bakery in Evanston, Illinois, and author of Heritage Baking
"The perfect read for that quiet period while the dough is rising. Murphy-Gill manages to achieve what many do not, going beyond the autobiographical to illuminate universal truths of genuine depth. Experienced bakers and newbies alike will find something to savor on every page." Fr. Dominic Garramone, aka "The Bread Monk," host of Breaking Bread with Father Dominic
"I adored and devoured every page of The Sacred Life of Bread. Murphy-Gill's insights connecting the spiritual life to the transformative miracle that is bread-baking stoked my hunger for the simple and life-giving nourishments of both kitchen and eucharistic tables." Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis and former food magazine writer and blogger
★ 06/01/2023
Bread is central to the Christian tradition, as it represents the risen Christ. Episcopal priest and former journalist Murphy-Gill interweaves stories of baking breads with the cycles of life. The book demonstrates how breadmaking connects readers to the wider world in 12 chapters about community, companionship, faith, doubt, and prayer. For example, when describing how some breads require time to rise, the author tells readers that they operate on God's timetable, not their own. Or, in the section that describes what her sourdough loaf recipe might need as it bakes, the author shares lessons learned about letting go of worries and what if's. Throughout this work, the author discusses her struggle to live an authentic life, and she questions what that phrase actually means to her. At the end of every chapter is a recipe that holds some meaning to the writer. VERDICT A wonderful conflation of all that is theological and spiritual with the art of bread making. Best for ministers, parish leaders, and bread makers.—Jacqueline Parascandola