 |
We are an enclosed Community of
Carmelites and our main work is to pray. Producing altar breads enables us
to earn our living. We work separately, as far as is possible, and in
silence, in order to be alone with God. We pray especially for priests and
theologians so sending out altar breads puts us in contact with them to ask
our prayers for their special needs and the needs of the people they look
after. |
|
Altar breads are made from just two
ingredients: flour and water. These are mixed together until they form a
smooth runny paste. The paste is then put into bowls and taken to the
cooking
irons. The cooking irons are two metal plates which are connected by a hinge
so that the top one can be lowered onto the bottom one and locked shut with
just a thin space between them.
Some paste is ladled onto the bottom
plate and the top plate is quickly brought down, squashing the paste so that
it fills the whole space between the irons. The irons are very hot so there
is a lot of steam and a hissing noise. The iron has to be locked or it would
burst open because of the pressure. |
|
| After a couple of minutes the stodge
around the iron is scraped away and then it is opened revealing a large
rectangular wafer. The top plate of the cooking iron has a pattern of
crosses on it so these show up on the top side of the wafer. |
 |
|
 |
The wafers are very brittle and crack
easily so they need to be dampened before they can be cut. The big wafers
are spread out on special shelves in a room with a humidifier until they are
a little bit softer, then they are taken to the cutting machines. |
| The cutting machines have circular
blades which are pressed down onto the wafers. The round altar bread that
has been cut falls down through a hole onto a tray. The cutting machine for
the small altar breads can cut 59 altar breads at a time but the large
concelebration altar breads are cut one at a time. |
 |
 Having
been cut the altar breads must now be dried thoroughly so that they become
crisp again. The larger breads need to be kept flat when they are dried or
they will bend or warp. |
We cut breads of roughly 3 cm., 7cm.,
10cm and 13 cm diameter. |
| Once dry the altar breads are sorted
to remove any that have cracks or crumbly edges then they can be counted and
weighed and put into bags. |
|
| Some parishes have a regular supply of
altar breads every month but some priests prefer to write to us or telephone
when they need an order. Some like the white breads but others prefer the
brown breads that we make with wholemeal flour. |
|
|
 |
The bags of altar breads are packed
into boxes according to the number and type that each Church wants. The
boxes are wrapped and labelled, then stamped for the post. The Post Office
send a van to collect them each morning. |
| As well as supplying Churches with
altar breads some are sent to schools, to prisons, to foreign countries and
to missionaries. |
 |