Back when I was working on the Transfiguration, I had no trouble in finding plenty of tradition and inspiration for cooking, enough to create a little booklet called Seven Recipes for Celebrating the Transfiguration.

To my surprise, I didn’t find anywhere near as much to work with for Ascension. Evidently some places had a “blessing of the beans” on Ascension. Another popular menu item was poultry, because Jesus “flew” to heaven like a bird. Umm…

Those who grasped that Christ’s “flight” should not be taken quite so flat-footedly opted for bread rolls in the shape of birds instead of, say, roast partridge. Now that’s a food tradition I can get behind.

Ascension Breadbirds

17½ oz (500 g) bread flour
2¼ tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 c (250 mL) milk
3½ Tbsp (50 mL) olive oil

1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp milk
½ tsp turmeric
8 raisins, cut in half crosswise
flaky salt

Stir together flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Combine the milk and olive oil, then pour into the dough. Stir till too stiff to manage with a spoon, then using your hands work the dough together. Turn onto the counter and knead about five minutes. It will still be pretty stiff (which will help your pretty little birds hold their shape in baking). You probably won’t need extra flour because of the oil in the dough, but if you do, add only the tiniest bit at a time to keep it from sticking.

Divide the kneaded dough into 8 equal portions, about 3½ oz (100 g) each. Roll each one into a cylinder about 4 inches (10 cm) long, nestle together back in the bowl you made the dough in, cover with plastic or a damp dish towel, and let rise for an hour or two.

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Take one of the dough cylinders and roll with your hands, like making a rope out of clay, to about to about 12 inches (30 cm) long, except keep the last quarter of one end about twice as thick as the other three-quarters, like this:

Tie a knot in the rope so the narrow sticks through the loop you’ve made. Pinch it into the shape of a little head with a beak. Poke two holes with a sharp knife on either side of the tiny head, then use the blade to scoot a half-raisin into each hole. Flatten out the thicker end of the dough with your hand, then score lines with a knife to make a feathered tail. Set on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and repeat with the other seven dough cylinders.

Mix together the egg yolk, milk, and turmeric. Carefully paint each bird all over with the mixture. Sprinkle a little flaky salt on the tail. Place in the oven and bake 20–25 minutes until the birds are plumped, shiny, and golden. Lift up your heart and exult in the wonderfulness of fresh baked bread.