Now on her fifth bread machine, after wearing out the first four, Gail Lavigne makes bread almost daily, not only for her family but also to share with others and for her church communion services.

Gail’s introduction to making special breads and other types of special foods came about when she discovered that her three sons, John, 13, and twins Mark and David, 10, had food allergies. "Cow’s milk was the first and then peanuts. I had to find alternatives. I did not like the store-bought bread, so I bought myself a bread machine and found a recipe I liked and over the years have tweaked it and now make two to three loaves a week. This recipe has no preservatives and the bread will hold for two to three days and then it’s good for toasting."

Gail says she and the family have found Bellamy United Methodist Church, where she has served as a Sunday school teacher, to be like their family, "as I do not have any relations nearby." Each time she and the children participated in communion, she would take a few bites of her homemade bread to church and pass them on to the minister just so her sons could participate in the service. Then Gail asked about making the bread for both the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services. Today she is supplying four loaves of bread the first Sunday of each month, and also for some special services such as the Shore Break service held every Sunday evening, outside during the summer. "I feel blessed to share this with the community," Gail explained. "I give a loaf of bread as a gift as it is a gift of love from the heart."

POTATO BREAD

1½ lb. loaf
Gail Lavigne

"This is our favorite bread. Very tasty bread that everyone will love. When I make bread for communion, a special friend or event, this is the bread I make. Recipients find it hard to believe that there isn’t any dairy in this bread. You gotta try it!"

1½ Tbs. margarine, softened (as of this writing, Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine)

¼ c. warm water

1½ tsp. salt

¾ c. warm milk of your choice (rice/soy/almond/etc.)

¼ c. instant potato flakes (as of this writing, Idaho Potato Buds)

3 c. flour

1½ Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan in order listed. Set bread machine at 1½-pound loaf (may be used for quick or regular bread cycles). Periodically check the bread pan during the first eight minutes. Add a bit more flour (½ spoon at a time) if dough ball is too wet. Add a teaspoon of warm water at a time if dough ball is too hard. When done, cool on a rack for about an hour before slicing and bagging.

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