Bread of Life: Savoring the All-Satisfying Goodness of Jesus through the Art of Bread Making

by Abigail Dodds

What the Art of Breadmaking Teaches us About the All-Satisfying Bread of Life

Millions of people have rediscovered the joy of homemade bread making. A quick search on Pinterest or Instagram brings up step-by-step instructions and captivating photos for everything from sourdough to naan. Bread satisfies our bodies, but our spirits cry out for even greater sustenance.

In Bread of Life, Abigail Dodds--an avid baker and mother of 5--invites readers to ponder and celebrate God's spiritual and physical provision in Christ through the hands-on art of bread making. Offering readers easy-to-follow directions for everything from focaccia to chocolate babka along with full-color photographs throughout, this unique book is an enriching blend of devotional meditations and recipes that invites readers to ponder the true bread of life as they bake for their families and friends.

Genres: Cookbooks, Christian Living, Food, Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Cooking

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2021

About the author

Abigail Dodds (BA, Bethel University) is a wife and mother of five children. She writes and teaches Bible studies for the women at Bethlehem Baptist Church, where her husband, Tom, serves as an elder. She contributes to desiringGod.org and blogs at her personal site, hopeandstay.com.

Reviews

[Becky Pliego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. From beginning to end and invitation to savor Christ, make bread, and love those whom God has brought to your table.

Note: I still need to try more of her bread recipes! I have only made one and it was delicious.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abigail Dodds writes in the acknowledgments that this is "a day and age in which most people prefer bite-sized thoughts and bumper-sticker platitudes." I thought I was getting a beautiful book with just those features but I should have paid closer attention to the first few sentences of the introduction, which explain, "This is an unusual book. It's a book, written to women, that is primarily spiritual yet has recipes in it." It was as described and then some. This a book of beautifully written essays on themes that dive deep into the cares and joys of a Christian women— wives, mothers, bakers, strugglers, revelers, worshipers. In addition to the beautiful essays, gorgeous pictures allow the reader glimpses into the everyday life in the home from which the bread and the book come. And yes, there are recipes. I've baked the Weeknight Naan p. 64 and the Sourdough Country Loaf p. 94 and I've plans to bake my way through the rest of the selections during the year. The Better Biscuits p. 162 are up shortly! My soul and bread basket will continue to reap the goodness gained from reading this lovely work.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bread of Life: Savoring the All-Satisfying Goodness of Jesus through the Art of Bread Making by Abigail Dodds (Releases November 9).

In this unique book that is part recipe collection and part devotional, the author invites her readers to consider whether our lives are really being satisfied by Jesus, the Bread of Life, or whether we’re just pretending.

This book is very direct in tone, and there were parts of it that took me aback a little. But it was written with love, first for the Savior, then for his word, and then for the author’s sisters in Christ.

It’s also very pretty 🤩 (I’m sure the hard copy puts the ecopy to shame). The bread recipes range in difficulty, but I’m very much a beginner and could manage a few of them.

“Whenever we take a rule from our Father and begin examining it apart from him—apart from his character, his fatherly affection, his authoritative goodness—we fall into sin. We become susceptible to lies. Why? Because the rules were never meant to exist apart from the God who gave them to us.”

Thank you Netgalley and Crossway for the advanced review copy.

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I’d like this book. I like sourdough baking. I like books on theology. I like Abigail Dodds writing. I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did though. The content is no fluffy snack like the bread recipes within. This is meat, solid food, occasionally difficult to chew, but nourishing to the soul once digested with a dash of humility. It was a spur I needed, and a book I will often recommend and plan on revisiting. Don’t let this unique genre combination steer you away. Get yourself a copy, and eat up.

[Hannah Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

perhaps it’s because we read this in a slow once monthly group that i never really felt fully immersed in the reading. the recipes are nice. i think i will use at least a few of them every year, maybe even more than once.

i did feel encouraged by some of the chapters. BUT, the absolute joy of knowing Jesus Christ and being a part of His Kingdom and being saved from your wretched self is…. what i expected. THE BREAD OF LIFE! it was more just mildly thought-provoking. (for me?)

the previous mentioned once monthly group gathering is really what shined here; was it actually the book, was it the breadmaking work shared, or is it lovely saved souls who know Christ gathered together? it makes a good time.

[Joshua Ye · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fun, niche read. Dodds writes a half-devotional half-bread recipe book for Christian mothers. I've definitely never read anything like it before. As a weekly ritual with my sister this term, I had a blast! Being able to do devotions then bake some bread with her was a wholesome bonding experience I have no regrets pushing. The book is physically really nice. There are lots of high quality photos, easy-to-read text, and even a bookmark! I found the content to be sometimes confusing, maybe because I'm very far from the target audience. Some devos I found more engaging than others, but they generally stuck to the Word and the theme of break-making. The recipes were very diverse with super weird difficulty curves. One day you'll be making one hour naan, the next day you're making 10 day sourdough. As a result, we did not get to a couple of recipes. Overall, an enjoyable experience I will remember fondly.

[Caroline arrow_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love! This is one of those books that came at just the right time. I have been longing to grow in bread baking and planned to make it a goal/hobby this winter. Reading through this book inspired me to start trying new breads and methods of baking. I even faced something I have also felt so daunting, and started my own sourdough starter and have began making sourdough loaves. This book is much more than a cookbook, Abigail Dobbs invites you to look at and celebrate the provision of the Bread of Life. I still have more recipes to try and chapters to read, but I highly recommend this book to Christians who love to bake and study about Christ. ⁣
⁣

[Brittany Schwind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book exceeded my expectations. I was so excited when I first got a copy of it, and it was so much more than I hoped it would be! There are several well-written and delicious bread recipes, but even more than that, the book points the reader to the true Bread of Life over and over again through several theologically rich devotions. Oh, and the beautiful pictures throughout added even more to an already delightful book!

[Katie Isaia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly beautiful book! Abigail wonderfully weaves her love of baking, recipes, and nostalgic pictures into a devotional book pointing the reader to the Bread of life, Jesus. So many convicting, encouraging, God-honoring thoughts and biblical concepts that make me want to reread this year after year!

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being served by the Lord humbles the proud, which is why so many refuse it. For his children, for those their need, it is life. It is a banquet of blessing, a house of bread, that you've been invited to.

The implications of bread making and Jesus the bread of life was something I could not pass up in this study. I am not a bread maker but I appreciated the author's love for bread making and bringing that to light in the text. With each chapter ending a recipe for a type of bread. The illustrations are lovely and you could imagine easily the smell of fresh baked bread. Learning about bread making and tasting the word of God went well together. Each chapter was of course started with the word. A simple word of many implications of the goodness of God. Taste and see that the Lord is good is all thru out. The first chapter is not about diet but eating the bread. Just like that, it gets to the root of why we lose satisfaction with Christ. That he is not enough.

The text is reflective and by being so it gives peace. A hunger for more! Highly recommend.

A Special thank you to Crossway Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bread of Life" is a devotional with a bread theme and bread recipes. There were 11 devotionals with a recipe at the end of each. The author included recipes for a round wheat loaf, focaccia, zucchini bread, naan, cheese bread, sour dough country loaf, popovers, cottage bread, croissants, biscuits, and chocolate babka. Some of the recipes were more complex to make while others were simple. The pictures were primarily decorative (like a picture of people eating bread or the finished bread) rather than illustrations or step-by-step demos. Each devotional started with a couple verse quotes and then her commentary. She talked about something in her life that God pointed out to her, what Scripture says about that problem and why it is a problem, and how she's changed. She ended with three discussion questions and a bread recipe. Overall, I'd recommend this devotional.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet friend gifted me this book for Christmas and I so thoroughly enjoyed it! While I personally fail at making bread, the content was a delight and so refreshing & I will definitely read it again!

Abigail Dodds invites us into her cozy book and provides lovely recipes for bread bakes while simultaneously reminding us that our spiritual bread comes from Jesus Himself - may we remember that through no merit of our own, our spiritual hunger has been fulfilled and we will savor the Savior for eternity.

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” - Psalm 34:8

“So we share in this bread of life
and we drink of His sacrifice
as a sign of our bonds of grace
Around the table of the King.”
The Communion Hymn; Keith & Kristyn Getty

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this by my sister in law for Christmas. I’m so thankful!! What a sweet and uplifting book incorporating bread and yummy sounding recipes (I haven’t tried one yet, but I plan to!).

Fave quote:
“Jesus saw beyond the wilderness and the cross to the joy set before him at God’s right hand so that we can look to Jesus in the midst of our own wilderness.”

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful, engaging, compelling, and satisfying. Abigail Dodds has all the gold that I am drawn to in women like Rebekah Merkle and Rachel Jancovick, but without so much punch. 😆 My sleep-deprived mind was able to draw so much wisdom and grace from this book. I'm sad it's finished!

[Aria Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book, both in appearance and in content! First of all, the print quality of this book is just amazing: a cloth-covered spine, ribbon bookmark, and gorgeous photographs throughout. It is just a joy to hold and look at. But more important than that, of course, the devotions within are extremely thoughtful, encouraging, and convicting. I haven't had a chance to try any of the bread recipes yet, but I'm sure they are just as delicious as they look. Highly recommended!

[Gabrielle Houweling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely, unique book!! Each chapter was thought provoking and I looked forward to reading it every time. I loved that each chapter correlated with a bread recipe- I learned a lot about bread making and we found a few new family favourite recipes

[Allyson Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never had so many different "shelves" or genres that a book fits under! A very unique type of book with devotionals and recipes all surrounding bread and the theme of bread in Scripture, with beautiful pictures to accompany beautiful words! Abigail Dodds is one of my favorite Christian thinkers of our day. She speaks with clarity, boldness, and grace. This book is chocked full of biblical and practical wisdom, encouraging women to dig deeper into their love and pursuit of Christ and letting that love flow out of them into service of their people, specifically by feeding them yummy things! It was really fun for me to read a chapter each time I picked up the book to try out one of the recipes. It gave me a chance to really digest the material (and the baked goods ;)).
My favorite recipes included the artisan bread, focaccia, cottage bread, and chocolate babka.

[ᴀᴍʙ🔅 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've read this year! Even though I am not crazy on bread-making, the content alone was worth every ounce of my attention. It was a sweet gift from a sweeter friend that reminded me of the sweetest gift, found in Jesus. Every Christian, whether bread-maker or not, would do well to own a copy of this gem.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didnt think I would like this type of book, but I was so blown away by how blessed I was by it and my family benefited from the recipes which so far have been so yummy. The spiritual content was convicting and God centered and I highly recommend!!

[Pat Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the opportunity to learn some knowledge of bread making but especially the opportunity to share the study with lovely friends. The study itself was maybe only 4 stars with some lessons not as cohesive as others. But overall many good reminders of Who the Bread of Life truly is.

[Linda Galella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conservative Bible study meets rustic bread baking recipes in a lovely, well bound volume.

“Bread of Life”, by Abigail Dodds, is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read & reviewed. There are 11 chapters that feature different baked goods, (breads, focaccia, naan, popovers, croissants, biscuits, babka), and accompanying Bible studies.

Scripture is quoted from the ESV version and the individual studies are a combination of the author’s personal life experiences and her expounding upon passages of scripture, leaning towards interests of wives and mothers but not in an exclusive manner. Each look into the “Bread of Life” is meant to enrich the way we feed our souls, not just our bodies. The studies are on the medium to lengthy side but are easy to break into small bites as Dodds has provided titled breaks in the prose. You can easily adjust from 5 minute increments to an entire chapter.

There’s plenty of room for notes, if that’s important to you, and the paper is heavy enough to accommodate pen, pencil or a light marker. The book has an hand sewn binding which should last for a lifetime, with reasonable care. It will lie flat when opened and a satin ribbon marker has been provided to assist. There’s no photography included, instead there are color copies. Some are of the recipes and others are ethereal images to complement the meditations.

A few of these recipes take more than 24 hours to implement so make sure to read thru your choice prior to starting so as to avoid a potential timeline disappointment. The measurements require both US & UK standards so you will need a kitchen scale that can measure in grams, in addition to your bowls, spoons, scrapers, yeast, etc.

All things considered, a good gift idea for some📚

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely WONDERFUL book. I tend to stay away from devotional style books. Most, in my opinion, are watered down and have so little to offer it’s not worth reading the whole thing for a bite of something maybe 3 times throughout the study. However, I happened to see this on Prime days and liked the title and the description of it. And since it was low enough in cost I decided it was worth checking out and I was not disappointed, in fact I was very pleasantly surprised with how much “bread” this holds within its covers! My favorite chapter by far is the last chapter. But chapter 2 hit me hard in a building up kinda way. And I loved chapter 4 as well, because I just really enjoy learning and hearing different thoughts on the exodus and how it connects with the New Testament.
I highly recommend. You could probably read this in one sitting but I chose to read it when I was “hungry” for it. Usually about once a week, a couple weeks I read two chapters.
And, after reading the first chapter when I got it months ago, I immediately bought a few more copies for Christmas gifts because the fact that it also holds recipes inside makes it a delightful gift for those who may have a love of baking yet maybe not so strong in their faith and need help eating the Word. Or else it’s someone who loves both, baking and eating of the Word - or maybe it’s someone who loves to eat the Word and has expressed a desire for baking or maybe doesn’t care about baking at all but will enjoy the beautiful pictures.
All in all, best devotional style book I’ve read in as long as I can remember and I will definitely read again, recommend and gift.

[Andrew Micah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven’t tried the recipes, but the devotional parts are great lay theology, and the whole thing is a feast for the eyes. Wish there was more stuff written for dudes of this kind of practicality and quality, bringing the gospel to bear on the day-to-day landscape of our lives.

I would bet that part of the reason we have so many maturity issues among men in the church today is because men aren’t taught like this—they’re encouraged to get stirred up about abstract debates. Or about concrete issues that are far removed from what makes up 95% of the lives of responsible people. Or occasionally tended to with an inarticulate man-up talk that is really about doubling down on the law and fails to resource long-term faithfulness with the gospel. We’re really whiffing it on the end of 2nd Timothy chapter 2. I read stuff like this because there isn’t much of the sort for men & I can import/translate/contextualize it to my life. It helps me not whiff it on the stuff that matters.

Also men can make bread too if they want. :-) I haven’t. But I could. Will someone write an aesthetic bread-making lay theology book geared toward a male (or at least mixed) audience? Probably not. Should they? Well, why not? But that’s not a knock on the author or the publisher. They’ve done a very good thing here. I enjoyed it as much as I was convicted and encouraged, even if I lay outside the primarily intended audience.

[Abigail Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful, aesthetic, encouraging, and convicting book. I really enjoy Dodds as an author. The two books of hers that I’ve read both give the feeling that you’re sitting at her kitchen counter; having a conversation with coffee while she diligently is at work in her kitchen. She says truth boldly and bluntly without looking up to make eye contact to see if it landed alright with you. She is confident in the Word as she submits to her Lords authority.

This book is very niche and I love it. Dodds traces the theme of bread throughout Scripture and she helped me to see things I haven’t seen before. She helps her readers to see and savor Jesus as the Bread of Life. It also has some pretty incredible looking bread recipes (including very aesthetic pictures of said bread) that I am eager to try my hand at one of these days. It’s the kind of book that inspires you to go into the kitchen and make some bread that others will delight in and feast on all for the glory of God.

[Nicole Sturm · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young mom with two littles and a curiosity about bread making while also seeking to prioritize thinking on things above, this book was a wonderful read. When I was able to read in the margins of my day I was edified. It was thought-provoking and grounded in Scripture. It made me laugh and made me pause and savor ordinary beauties. There were a good number of confidence boosting recipes as well as ones held my hand through uncharted territory in my baking endeavors. It taught me new skills and gave me refreshed eyes to see the “all-satisfying goodness of Jesus.” Definitely one of my favorite gifts that my husband has surprised me with to date. Highly recommend!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read. I loved the mix between devotional material, beautiful photos, and mouth watering recipes. This book would make a wonderful gift (that happens to be how I got my copy), and I look forward to enjoying the contents of this book and all the recipes. I feel spiritually fed after reading this book, and yet
I feel that it increased my hunger for the Word of God in a way that seems so natural for Abigail to do. You will be blessed and encouraged by this book!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book. The binding, graphic design, photography, and recipes are all clearly chosen with care and love. Best of all, the encouragement within each chapter is concise and excellently spoken; the questions at the end are insightful and thought-provoking instead of simply asking you to regurgitate what you read like a high school test.

I'm very thankful to my sweet church for giving me this book this Christmas! I would definitely recommend it.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful! I took this one slow and baked a lot of bread while reading it over the last few months. I still need to try about half of the recipes. Already gave one copy as a gift!

[Lauren Fee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a delightfully unique book. Really delicious recipes and contemplative meditations on bread in the Bible.

[Kristina Cordova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I hope she writes many more. It was delenans challenging and beautiful. It was satisfying for so many reasons.