BreadOfferings

Hello bread and grain friends, Are you baking your way through early Fall like I am? With school starting again, I’ve been thinking through two bread questions: 1.) What’s the best sandwich bread? And 2.) How can I get more whole grains into our busy lives (football practice and play rehearsals almost never line up!) Unfortunately, the first question almost never lines up with the second, and my favorite whole grain breads do not please my teens as a sandwich supply. The Approachable Loaf to the rescue! If you don’t know about this project, read about it here. I … Read more

Hello bread and grain friends, The kids are back in school, and we’re in a new era because my son just started high school (and varsity football!), while my oldest is entering their senior year. We’re beginning the search for colleges and all the stuff that comes along with sending a kid off to start the process of adulting. That said, I’m also hunkering down into the autumn season and baking a lot of bread again after the heat of summer. Not that I ever stop baking entirely, but my breads are getting cozier, like a heavy warm blanket … Read more

Hello bread and grain friends, Do you love bagels as much as I do? They’ve been a mainstay in my home for as long as I can remember. My grandmother brought back suitcases of them every time she visited her old neighborhood in Montreal, and her aunt always toted along gifts from Zabar’s whenever she came to see us from the UWS of NYC. Punctuating these visiting bagel treats, we’d even stock the freezer with Lender’s. Remember those? I bring all this up because there’s a bagel off in Portland this month, and I’m excited to go check it … Read more

Hello bread and grain friends, Wow– Asheville Bread Fest was wonderful! I got to see many friends and colleagues I hadn’t seen in years, plus make some new friends along the way. I spent a good deal of the festival with Erin McKenney and learned more about sourdough ecology than I thought possible. What an inspiring woman! On the home front, my book is close to being finished, and I got to teach an einkorn class this past weekend. Time to bake some bread!         Here’s what’s on the menu this month: Mama Bread This month’s … Read more

Hello bread and grain friends, I’m at that time of year where I’m clearing my house of most bread products to get ready for 8 days of unleavened bread; aka bread of affliction; aka matzah. It started with a promise to my grandmother that I’d keep at least some of our Jewish traditions alive. I told her, no matter what, I’d celebrate Pesach (Passover) with my kids. And I have. And I do. In keeping with tradition, I refrain from unleavened bread during this time, which has afforded this sourdough baker (me) a yearly pause to reflect on the … Read more