Hello bread and grain friends,
I am on an accidental great big bagel & deli tour—First stop was dropping my kid off for their second year of college, and their new dorm is around the corner from Ess-a-bagel and Tal’s, and we went to both multiple times. Of course I made stops at Bread’s Bakery four times in three days.
Next stop, Montreal where I went to Dunn’s, St-Vieteur, and Fairmount in quick succesion. Oh, and my family won’t let me leave town without a stop at Chesky’s, too. I’m excited to try my friend’s new spot Hof Sucree when my cousin takes me for a food tour in the Plateau.
I’m heading to LA in a few days and I’m hoping for a stop at Canter’s. Then I won’t be able to eat for at least a week after all of that. Lol.
Here’s what’s going on in my kitchen when I get home this month:
Mama Bread
This month’s Mama bread is made with the addition of buckwheat in every loaf. I recently got to attend a buckwheat festival up at the Bread Lab with Lane from Culinary Breeding Network. She’s part of a project called More Bang for your Buckwheat, and I was lucky enough to get to work on the zine for it. In these loaves, I’m using flour from a mill that’s been in NY since 1797. Whoa! It’s one of the oldest in America. This project is to raise awareness of buckwheat, but also to get more diversity into the diet. I’m loving these loaves with a bit of buckwheat honey in the afternoons.
Sesame Einkorn
This year has been all about einkorn and these loaves haven’t left my side. This month, I’m making them with Anson Mills Sea Island benne seeds. My three favorite sources for einkorn flour are Bluebird, Carolina Ground, and Maine Grains.
Challah
I love making Challah on Fridays and putting it out reverently on the dinner table, watching it whittle down as my family joyfully takes bites with our Shabbat dinner. This is the best way to end a busy week, and the loveliest threshold to a mandated time of rest. I feel so much gratitude in these small moments. I’ve been working on a new version of naturally leavened challah with a sweet stiff starter. I’ll keep you all posted! I’ve been making it lately with Glacier Peak flour from Cairnspring Mill.
Other news from the world of grain:
-My friend Sonya who hosts the Food Friends Podcast (one of my favorites!) is also the most fun person in the world to walk around a farmer’s market with. She knows who has what and which time of year. She recently started doing tours of two markets in Portland and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. I took my dad and family recently, and although I go to the market regularly, I learned a ton!
-This article from NYTimes https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/well/eat/health-effects-bread-europe-united-states.html
-Did you know that I have a community page? It can be accessed here, and there, I’ve provided some videos demonstrating how I feed my starter.