I’ve been focusing more on art-making than bread-baking lately. Mostly because I can paint one-handed with a 4-month-old up on my shoulder easier than I can teach a hands-on baking class one-handed. He is getting better about being held by people other than Mommy, lately. Someday he won’t want to be held at all, so for now, I’m soaking up all the baby cuddles I can get.
So, until I get to the point where I can teach again, I’m thinking about formulating some amazingly decadent recipes to offer on Etsy. I’m also price shopping baking supplies nearby so I can figure out my food cost for each item and researching shipping and packaging options. There’s a lot out there! I thought I’d share some of my favorite finds, though.
One of my all-time favorite sources of natural and organic foods is Azure Standard. I’ve been a customer of theirs for about 13 years and I’ve never been disappointed with the quality of their food products. They deliver to local co-op groups along the West Coast, Idaho and Montana. I believe they ship via UPS, as well.
And of course, I LOVE Bob’s Red Mill. I’m fortunate enough to live within driving distance of Bob’s, so I have easy access to a wide range of freshly milled wheat and gluten-free flours and specialty baking ingredients. If you’re ever in the Wilwaukie, OR area, it’s definitely worth your time to drop by for a tour of the mill and breakfast or lunch at the store.
The other interesting find on my list is the Ice Pack Store. They make reusable UNhydrated ice packs that you soak in water for 2 minutes and then freeze. You can also heat them in the microwave for a few seconds and use them as heat packs! They’re cheap, they absorb condensation, you cut them to fit your container (ice chest, packing box, aching back or whatever) and you can use them over and over! Wow!!! Even if I don’t get any Etsy orders, I can imagine that these will get used around the house. Camping, sailing, picnicking – sometimes life requires an ice pack! So, I have some ordered. I’ll have to let y’all know if they live up to their claims.
Do you have any favorite sources for baking supplies? I’d love to hear about them!
I have to confess, I have a fascination bordering on addiction with cookbooks, especially really old ones. A friend of mine who knows this about me just loaned one to me. Before putting it into my hands she wisely stated, “I have to get this back!” It’s a really good thing she said that because otherwise I would have happily made a space on my cookbook shelves for it to reside forever!
The book is titled A World of Breads by Dolores Casella, copyright 1966. I haven’t even had a chance to get through the entire book yet, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s one I think I’ll add to my most wanted list.
“Certainly home-baked bread provides a pleasure that has been enjoyed by man since primitive times, and there is no reason for this pleasure to disappear. Home-baked bread lifts the simplest of meals to epicurean heights, and I can guarantee a very real, personal sense of satisfaction every time you bake with yeast. There is just something earthy about the feel of leavened dough.
A woman who bakes bread is feeding both herself and her family with something that is at once physical and spiritual – even holy, for there is something holy about ‘breaking bread.’” (Dolores Casella, A World of Breads)
Before I was born, Mrs. Casella was teaching the same ideas that I share with my students, my family and friends – or anyone else who is willing to listen. Bread baking gives us strength, in both ourselves personally as home bakers and within the wider circles of family and friends. Bread is a gift to be shared, an offering that says, “I love you,” to those we share it with. It is a measure of time spent, creativity expressed and it is a mark of commitment to making the best of every meal shared. Home-baked bread does lift the simplest of meals to epicurean heights!
And with that, I think it’s time for me to make some bread to compliment the simple chicken soup we’re having for dinner tonight. Maybe a fluffy cornbread with sage and rosemary? Or a baked polenta with lots of garlic!
And fall is just around the corner, which means that it’s time to start planning for our Fall 2010 Bread Baking Basics series. Class will run every Monday evening from 6:30 p.m. to around 8:00 p.m. September 13 through October 18. Please register as early as you can. I’d love to see this class fill up! If we run out of room, I’ll gladly schedule a second series.
I’m also offering some new classes this year, although I am hesitating to put them on my schedule until I know how many people are interested in them, so please comment or shoot me an email if you’d like to attend a Saturday Gluten-Free Baking Workshop, a 3-week Sourdough Workshop or a Stonebaked Artisan Breads class.
There are so many exciting possibilities! Our baking classes are so fun and informative. I stress creativity in making your bread truly your own. I hope that each of my students carries home an understanding of how and why bread dough works the way it does so that each student can really bake whatever kind of bread they can imagine.
Baking your own bread is so satisfying and uplifting that, once you get started, you’ll never want to buy another loaf again. See you at bread class!
I’ll be at the Colton Farmer’s and Crafter’s Market tomorrow with loaves of my homemade bread on display. I wish I had the oven space to bake enough bread to give out free samples all day. Maybe someday I’ll be able to do that. In the meantime, I’ll be giving out information about bread classes to anyone interested in learning how to make these breads and more in their own kitchens.
The market is open from 10 am to 3 pm every Saturday. I hope to see you there!
The scent of apples baking with cinnamon – aah, it’s a wonderful thing! This cake reminds me of the old-fashioned snack cakes my mom used to make as after-school treats for me and my sister. It’s not really flashy, but it’s comforting and will definitely tide you over until dinner’s ready.
(I recently posted a wheat- and dairy-free version of this, sweetened with brown rice syrup. It’s available on my gluten-free recipes page.)
In a small saucepan, warm and stir together:
- 1/4 c. butter
- 1/3 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
Pour into 9×13″ baking pan, spread evenly and set aside.
Core and slice crosswise (making rings):
- 2 – 3 medium-sized baking apples (granny smith or gravenstein are best, braeburns are good, too)
Arrange apple slices on top of syrup mixture in baking pan side by side without overlapping. Place raisins in centers of apple rings. Sprinkle:
- 1/4 c. chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
over apple slices; set aside.
In a medium size bowl, mix together gently but thoroughly:
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 4 t. baking powder
- 1 1/2 c. milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 c. vegetable oil
Pour batter carefully over apple rings, spreading evenly. Bake at 350 degrees f. for 25-30 minutes. Slice and serve warm, upside -down.
This is the sugar-free, dairy-free, spelt flour version. I’m still working on the regular wheat-flour, brown sugar and butter version. It will be posted soon. Who would have guessed that I’d have the “alternate” recipe figured out quickly and have to work on refining the more “traditional” version? Usually, it’s the other way around. I’ve been baking with wheat, fat and sugar all of my life with only a recent interest in what I fondly term “freak-safe” baking, so you’d think I’d need more time to get the spelt version perfected.
Spelt, being a relative of wheat, isn’t completely gluten-free. However, some people who are allergic to wheat can tolerate the gluten in spelt. If you are a celiac or have a wheat allergy, please exercise good judgement and test your sensitivity to spelt before trying this recipe.
I am very close to having the more traditional recipe ready to post. Check back on the website soon! Until then, here is the “freak-safe” version.
In a small saucepan, warm and stir together:
- 2 T. coconut oil
- 1/4 c. brown rice syrup.
- 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
Pour into 9×13″ baking pan, spread evenly and set aside.
Core and slice crosswise (making rings):
- 2 – 3 medium-sized baking apples (granny smith or gravenstein are best, braeburns are good, too)
Arrange apple slices on top of syrup mixture in baking pan side by side without overlapping. Place raisins in centers of apple rings. Sprinkle:
- 1/4 c. chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
over apple slices. Sprinkle with sea salt; set aside.
In a medium size bowl, mix together gently but thoroughly:
- 2 c. spelt flour
- 2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 c. almond milk (or rice milk, if allergic to nuts)
- 2 eggs
- 2 T. melted coconut oil
- 3/4 c. brown rice syrup
Pour batter carefully over apple rings, spreading evenly. Bake at 350 degrees f. for 30 minutes. Slice and serve warm, upside -down.
I really had a hard time deciding which category this recipe belongs in. It uses spelt flour, which isn’t technically gluten-free, although it has much less gluten than standard wheat flour. It’s also dairy-free. If you’d like to add the dairy back into it, just use regular milk instead of almond milk and butter instead of Earth Balance margarine. I specify Earth Balance because it’s non-hydrogenated, which is much better for you, and it’s made with olive oil, which is definitely good for you. I hope you enjoy these yummy treats. They’re becoming a definite favorite in my house!
To read the full recipe, go to the Recipes page.
I threw together this bread recipe one day as a last minute, “Oh my goodness, I need something to take to this dinner tonight!” Hoping and praying that it would be done on time and not need a few extra minutes in the oven. It was a rather important dinner invitation and I really didn’t want to show up late. Thankfully, the bread was done on time, we made it to the dinner on time and this recipe has made it into my treasured blue notebook – the one that lives on a shelf in my kitchen with all of my favorite recipes in sheet protectors so I don’t have to remember which cookbook they came from.
Makes two large round loaves, plenty for a dinner party! It’s on the recipes page, take a look.
I will be holding the Bread Baking Basics series again beginning May 17 and running through June 28, with a break for Memorial Day. Classes will be held Mondays at 6:30 p.m. at Colton Community Church, 21128 Hwy 211, Colton, Oregon 97017. Please feel free to contact me about the class. You may register here on this site or at the door. As always, you may register for individual classes, rather than the entire series if this fits your interests and/or schedule better. Registration for individual classes is $10/class. I hope to see you in May!
Gluten-free breads require a completely different technique than regular yeasted breads made with wheat. If you are used to using a stand mixer, use your flat beater, not your dough hook. The dough consistency will be more like a quick bread and very sticky. The xanthan gum helps to mimic the action of gluten in this dough, allowing it to rise, but it’s really not the same as working with a wheat-based bread dough. Consequently, it is helpful to have a powerful stand mixer such as a Kitchen-Aid or Bosch mixer that can beat the dough hard enough to whip air into it, giving it a head start on its rise.
Check it out on my Recipes page!
