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I was doing something where I was asked to write on the theme of cooking/baking. I ended up writing the following (maybe not great, but fun - a recipe and meditation in one!)

Sermon in a Loaf of Bread

Flour white as winter snow,
White as purity, you know,
Take six cups measured well,
And keep some more at hand to go.

Yeast that makes soft bread to grow,
Mix with water warm, you know,
Two cups will do to start the brew,
And next, two spoons of sugar go.

Take some salt, a spoon or so,
Salt gives savour, I'm sure you know,
Preserves the good like holy life,
Into the flour it must go.

Oil, two spoons, will so
Add richness to the bread, you know,
Richness to remind us of God's loving touch,
Into the yeast water it must go.

Half the flour, watch it flow
Into the mixing bowl you know,
Remember how God rewards the giving,
As you watch it whitely go.

Now comes the yeast to make it grow,
Yeast lets the air in, you know,
Like God's grace to a sin-sick world,
Into half the flour it must go.

With spoon and then with hand also
Stir flour and yeast. You know
How hard hearts are made soft through strife
So push the dough where it must go.

Add more flour to make it grow,
Like children growing up you know,
Soon all the flour gets added in,
To your kneeding board the dough must go.

Now you get to beat the dough,
Kneed it long, for you must know
That bread, like hearts, needs lots of work.
To the rising bowl it must go.

Now the hard part - watch that dough
double in size with time, you know.
Taking it early will make it heavy.
Like the prodigal's Father, let it go.

Double it twice, then shape that dough,
Like God letting us live our lives, you know,
He gives us freedom to suffer and joy,
Then pushes us where he wants us to go.

In your pans let your bread loaves grow,
As God wants us shaped his way, you know.
As they rise one last time, heat the oven hot,
Then into bake they do go.

Lovely the smell of bread from dough
Like growth in holiness, you know.
You know they will be done when they thump true,
Then to their proper end they'll go!