Bread Making

One of our most important goals at Explorations in Antiquity is to allow people to experience the ancient world in a personal way. Therefore, we offer several hands-on opportunities. Making bread like the shepherds in the desert have for thousands of years is one of those opportunities.

We begin by entering the shepherd’s goat hair tent and learning about life in the desert. Each participant learns to put on a kafiyah, the common head covering used by desert shepherds. We teach the customary greeting offered to guests in the tent. Then we begin the bread-making. Each person is given dough (made of flour, water, eggs) to flatten and shape for cooking. Once ready, the bread is placed over a wood fire on a special oven used by shepherds. While the bread is cooking, we make butter for the bread. Since it takes a lot of shaking to make butter, each person helps with this job, too.

Once the bread is ready, it is shared among the participants. A traditional Hebrew blessing is offered; then everyone eats the bread and butter they have made.

Though this is a favorite activity of younger kids, those who are young at heart or who want a better understanding of a shepherd's desert life are welcome to participate.

Cost for the Shepherd’s Bread experience is $7.00 per person, or $10 each with a kid-friendly garden walk.