Bread Of Heaven

...o.k that maybe taking it a bit far but this bread was simply heavenly to make! I've tried baking bread before and it's always been a disaster but I found this very simple recipe for a white loaf in a Sunday magazine and it really couldn't be easier and, hurrah, it actually works! The only ingredients are 250g of strong white bread flour, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of easy bake yeast, 1 teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of sugar and 130ml of warm tap water. There is bit of elbow grease required for the kneading and some waiting around for the dough to prove involved but in my opinion the result is definitely worth it - even if it is a bit misshapen! :-)

"Bread of Heaven" (official title Guide Me O Thy Great Redeemer) is of course also the name of a famous song from Wales. The lyric is by the great 18th Century Welsh writer William Williams, also known as William Pantycelyn (there being so many "Williamses" in Wales that it is necessary to give them nicknames in order to make sure that everyone receives the appropriate royalties).
The song became what it is today, however, around 1904/05, when the English version of the lyric was wedded to a recently composed melody by yet another great Welshman John Hughes, the tune titled "Cwm Rhondda", named after the Welsh valley of the same name. This was during what is known as a Great Awakening or religious revival in Wales, and one that spread to many other quarters.
The marriage of William Pantycelyn's words and John Hughes' music was apparently one made in heaven, as after its emergence the song became very quickly and deeply beloved of the Welsh. It has ultimately come to be known as the unofficial national anthem of Wales and can be heard sung with huge gusto, emotion and feeling at important sporting events - particularly when Wales are playing rugby.