Greetings grain lovers,
Ah, friends, where do I even begin with telling you about the Asheville Bread Festival? Wowza, this bread shin-dig was inspiring, fun, educational, and illuminating. I loved how it brought the whole community out to eat bread, and also encouraged community members to learn more about their local grain economy. There were classes all over town for every skill level. I met some of the bread world paragons whose work I’ve been following for years, but I also just got to hang with some laid-back, down-to-earth folk who want to eat well and change the world.
This week’s bread offer:
Mama Bread
This week’s Mama bread is made with organic red wheat from Lonesome Whistle Farm, a small operation in Junction City, Oregon. They primarily sell wholesale and at a few of the farmer’s markets in Eugene and Portland. If you’re ever at the market, don’t miss their heritage kettle corn as a treat. Oh my, this stuff is addictive. I even suspect it could double as cereal if you poured milk over it…but I digress. They grow a wonderfully versatile red wheat that makes a solid, flavorful workhorse of a loaf. To this, I’m adding a bit of purple Egyptian barley.
Organic Raisin-Flax Loaves
I woke up my first morning in Asheville to the sounds of laughter downstairs and the smells of the kitchen calling out to me. The funny thing about traveling East is always being the last one up. At home, the morning is my lonely domain as I greet everyone else awake one by one. I wound my way through the big, beautiful old house where I was lucky enough to stay, past the bulging bookshelves filled with more wonders than I can count, and I sat at a corner of the table awash in light. There was something enchanting about it all, especially with the heightened senses of a traveler in a new place. The conversation was excellent, but it really all came into focus when my host put a perfectly toasted slice of bread from the local bakery in front of me: a thick slice of raisin-flax, dripping with butter. And that, my friends, is what I want to recreate for you this week. The bread came from OWL bakery, as the locals call it, or Old World Levain. After that morning, I found their superb loaves all over town. I’m making this one with White Lightening from Cairnspring Mill in Skagit Valley, Washington. To this bread, I added a bit of malted barley flour from Carolina Ground, and organic raisins and flax seeds.
Levain Crackers
The goal is to waste nothing in the kitchen, and that’s how these crackers were born. These are made with the spent levain that I save from feeding my starter each day. To the mix, I added flax seeds and Peace No War cornmeal from Ayres Creek.
Frozen Plain or Marbled-Pumpernickel Bagels
As you know, I developed a bagel recipe with bagel baker Jenna Legge, and my family has been eating these naturally-leavened, fresh flour treats like crazy. We slice them fresh and put them in the freezer to toast quick on busy mornings. These are bagels I feel truly good about feeding my family on a daily basis. They are made with the highest quality fresh, sifted flour from Camas Country Mill in Junction City, Oregon. Jenna and I have even talked about developing a 100% whole grain version, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can order packs of frozen bagels through me and I can deliver with your order. They are $8 for a pack of six frozen, pre-sliced bagels. If you’d prefer to get them fresh or want more variety of flavors, visit her website and store here.
To place an order, email me to let me know what you want and what day in the coming week you would prefer to get it. You are always welcome to drop by for espresso & morning toast, or we can work out delivery or pick-up via email. I have a limited amount of each item, so the earlier in the week you let me know, the better your chances of getting what you want. For the more spontaneously-minded types, drop me a line whenever and I’ll let you know what I have on hand. Oh, and if you want to pay for the bread on-line, here is the link. Of course, I’m always open to trade…
Savor your week with madcap delight and untamed gratitude,
