Foreword

Brother Juniper’s Bread Book could be written by no one but Brother Peter, and it is strange that it is not oppressively pious, as it would surely sound if he had not written it. I would say nothing about this book at all if I did not truly enjoy it. Yet, it is an odd book and, of course, Brother Peter is odd. One has only to read a sentence or two in any of his chapters to feel this strangeness, the peculiar sureness, and yet the almost shy part of him.

Of course, the best of Brother Peter’s many good breads is the Struan, the legendary harvest bread of Scotland. Thanks to his and Sister Susan’s never-flagging generosity, I’ve often eaten it, and I agree with every good word that has ever been said or written about it. I think I like it especially when it is a few days old and ready to be toasted. It also has a wonderful smell and makes exactly the right kind of “thunk,” when it is . . . well, thunked. (Anyone who knows anything about real bread will understand this, just as he will agree that Struan is the best bread in the present world.)