Preparing Leaven and Dough for Prosphora #
Pour one mug (400 ml) of warm, unboiled spring or well water into a glass jar (with a capacity of at least 1 liter) or an enamel container. Do not use chlorinated tap water, as chlorine kills the leaven and dough made with such water will not rise. Dissolve 1–2 teaspoons of salt in the water. Sift premium wheat flour (with a high gluten content). While stirring with a spoon, add the sifted flour into the water gradually, until you obtain a mixture with the consistency of sour cream. Cover the top of the container with a clean cloth and tie it tightly. Let it stand in a warm place for 2–3 days.
After this, add another half mug (200 ml) of warm salted water (with ½–1 teaspoon of salt), stir it into the dough, and mix in a bit more sifted flour. This is the first “feeding” for the leaven. Leave it in a warm place for another 1–2 days. Then repeat the same “feeding” once more.
On the following day, knead more sifted flour into the now-fermented dough until you achieve a rather firm dough, similar to that used for pirozhki (filled buns). Form the desired number of prosphora loaves from the dough. This is done differently in various communities. For example, for large prosphora, you can roll out the dough to a thickness of 3–4 cm and then cut out circles using a special cutter. For small prosphora, the dough should be rolled to about 2 cm thick.
After cutting out the prosphora, there will be many dough scraps left. Gather them into a single mass, add more sifted flour to the table, and knead it into the dough. The result should be a stiff dough, similar in consistency to that used for dumplings or homemade noodles. For convenience, divide this stiff dough into 3–4 parts and roll each part into flat rounds 2–3 mm thick. From this thin dough, cut out circles for the prosphora seals (matching the size of large and small prosphora), and then imprint canonical designs using dorniki (prosphora stamps).
After rolling out the dough sheet, it should be lifted from the table and allowed to slightly contract before being laid back down and stamped. Otherwise, the seals will be distorted. Similarly, each circle must be gently lifted from the table before stamping, to prevent sticking and deformation.
IMPORTANT! The prosvírnik (baker of prosphora) must know from experience how stiff the dough should be. Dough that is too soft will cause the seal impressions to blur. Dough that is too stiff is difficult to knead. Sometimes the dough consistency causes the imprinted seals to “shrink” during proofing, reducing in size by about one and a half times, which is also undesirable.
The leftover scraps of stiff dough from cutting out the seals should be placed in a clean glass jar, covered with a plastic lid, and stored in the refrigerator. This will become the new starter for the next baking.
Cover the shaped prosphora and sealed disks resting on the table or a special board with a clean cotton cloth, then with plastic wrap, and then with a towel (to prevent drying out). Let them rise in a warm place for 4–6 hours. It is very important to let the dough rise properly: if the prosphora does not have enough time to rise, the baked loaves will crack and deform, sometimes even taking on a mushroom-like shape.
NOTE: Some prosphora bakers allow only the lower parts of the loaves (“bottoms”) to rise, while the firm dough for the seals is left in an enamel pot, sprinkled with a small amount of flour (to prevent it from forming a crust due to drying), and covered with a clean cloth. Then, just before baking, the dough is rolled out and the seals are made as described above. This method has several advantages: first, the seals do not dry out, which can happen when they are left out for a long time in finished form; second, the image does not blur, which sometimes occurs during prolonged proofing; third, if the seals stand for too long, they can thicken considerably, which is also undesirable.
Once the prosphora has risen for 4 to 6 hours, you can proceed to attach the seals and begin baking. Take a small dish and pour a little water into the bottom (tap water may be used here). Preheat the oven (set the temperature to 200–210°C / 392–410°F) and place clean baking sheets inside to warm.
IMPORTANT! Baking sheets should be washed or at least rinsed with boiled water and dried thoroughly to prevent the prosphora from sticking during baking. If sticking persists, sprinkle the baking sheet with table salt and heat it on high. Then, rub the entire surface with a dry cloth, scrubbing the salt into it, and shake off the excess. This should resolve any sticking issues.
While the oven and trays are heating, begin attaching the seals to the prosphora in the following manner. Take the edge of a seal disk between two fingers, gently and quickly dip the underside of the seal into the water at the bottom of the dish (do not get the top wet!), then immediately place the seal on the prosphora. With dry fingers, gently tap the center and edges of the seal to press its entire bottom surface firmly against the loaf. This ensures a tight bond and removes any air trapped beneath the seal—air bubbles under the seals are absolutely unacceptable. When the priest removes the central portion during the Proskomedia, any trapped bubble beneath may cause the section to split into two, which must be avoided at all costs.
Once all the seals are attached to the prosphora, make 2–3 small piercings in each with a fine needle and then gently press the seals down again by tapping with your fingers (to release any remaining air and ensure the seal is well-adhered). A convenient method is to make one piercing above the cross and two to either side of Golgotha (this is the area depicting Adam’s skull, which will be removed during the service—so it is particularly important that no air bubbles form there).
Now the prosphora are ready for baking. Remove the preheated tray from the oven and, while it’s still hot, carefully place the prosphora on it (gently lifting them from the table or board to avoid deforming them). Then remove the second tray and place more loaves in the same manner—and so on.
Place the trays with the prosphora into the oven. Baking times will vary depending on the oven, so you will need to determine the best method through experience. Most often, the following method works well: bake for 10–20 minutes at high or medium heat (200–210°C), then the same amount of time at low heat (about 140°C / 284°F). Large prosphora may need to bake a little longer.
Another practical tip: begin lowering the temperature when you notice a distinct aroma of baked bread in the room. If the prosphora are well baked, they will feel light. Well-risen dough bakes quickly, while poorly risen dough takes longer. Be careful not to overdry the prosphora, as dry, hardened seals make it very difficult for the priest to perform the Proskomedia properly.
After baking, the finished prosphora should be placed in a basket (or pot) that has been lined inside with cotton wool, covered with plastic and a layer of cotton fabric. On top of this lining, place a dry towel, then a damp towel (well wrung out—not waffle or terry cloth, but plain linen), and over that, a dry white cotton cloth (smooth, without any pattern or texture).
The hot prosphora are then placed into the prepared basket (or pot), preferably with the seals facing down against the towels (so that the moisture from the cloth softens them). Cover the top with a dry cloth, then a damp and wrung-out towel (again, not waffle-textured but smooth), and a layer of plastic on top. Cover the basket with another towel and something warm over it (like a clean special blanket or a cushion). It is best to leave the prosphora to soften for 1–2 hours, after which they can be brought to the altar.
Some prosphora bakers first lay out the loaves on a table, cover them with a dry cloth, then a damp cloth, then plastic, and place a cushion on top (so they firm up slightly and don’t deform in the basket), and only afterward transfer them to the basket using the same layering method.
When it comes time to bake again, remove the jar with the leftover dough from the fridge and begin the leavening process. For 2 mugs (800 ml) of warm spring water, dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt, add the saved dough, and stir in sifted flour until the mixture reaches the consistency of a thin batter (similar to pancake batter). Cover with cloth, secure the top, and leave in a warm place for 3–5 hours. Then once again knead the dough and shape the prosphora as described above. Place the leftover dough back into the jar, cover with a lid, and refrigerate. Repeat the same process for the next baking.
IMPORTANT! The leaven reaches its full strength only after 2–3 months of regular use.
Do not forget to add salt to the water! Prosphora may not be baked without salt, according to Church canons, for salt symbolizes reason, just as leaven symbolizes the soul (life). Moreover, salt protects the leaven from spoilage—preventing harmful microbes and decay.
If Matins is served in the evening, it is convenient to begin preparing the starter either before Vespers or during the reading of the Kathismata at Matins. Then, by the end of the service, the dough can be kneaded and shaped, and baking can begin around 4 a.m. Once baked, the prosphora should be wrapped warmly as described above, and by 7 a.m. they will be ready to bring to the service.
IMPORTANT! Prosphora that have not rested long enough after baking are difficult to use during the service, because the crusts have not yet softened (they crumble excessively and are very difficult to cut).
The Sluzhebnik commands that prosphora be baked during the night immediately before the Divine Liturgy and strictly forbids the use of stale loaves. The History of the Vetka Church states that prosphora brought for the service must be fresh and still warm to the touch, as this symbolizes the living sacrifice of Christ (for a cold body is a corpse, but a warm one is alive).
It is also convenient to shape and bake loaves for upcoming Vigil services at the same time as the prosphora. These loaves, unlike prosphora, are not forbidden to be stored for several days. They may be wrapped in a dry cloth, placed in a tightly sealed plastic bag, and stored in the refrigerator, where they will stay fresh for a week or more.