The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Failure at the Weekend Craft Market

bakingbadly's picture
bakingbadly

Failure at the Weekend Craft Market

Several months ago I took a risk and plunged. I opened a microbakery focusing on central European-style breads... in Cambodia, Southeast Asia. Crazy, ain’t it? Prior to that, I was just an amateur baker, with a mediocre office job, who was obsessed with sourdough.

Anyway, during the last 2 weekends I sold my breads at a local craft market. So far we haven’t done too well, but before I get into details let’s fill you in on what we’ve been doing to stay afloat.

Caution: Photos of delicious German food ahead.

 

  • Boiled bread dumplings

  • Bavarian-style stewed cabbage with pork

  • Bavarian-style pork roast (slow cooked in vegetable broth, then broiled)

My German business partner, Michael, is infatuated with cooking. Unlike me, he has a lot of professional experience in the food and beverage industry. Over 20 years of it, actually. However, his culinary kryptonite is making breads and pastries.

That’s where I come in!

Together we launched a catering company (in addition to the microbakery as a subsidiary) in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and every Sunday we cook and deliver BBQ specials.

 

  • Pork tenderloin roast, imported beef pastrami, Cambodia-made black pepper & garlic salami

  • Seasoned cottage cheese with diced red bell pepper

  • Obatzda (German cheese-butter dip)

Two Sundays ago for a private party of 30 guests, from late afternoon to past midnight we prepared and served assorted cold cuts, cheeses, bread rolls, salads, meatballs, sausages, chicken drumsticks, satays (grilled meat skewers served with peanut sauce), and homemade dips.

The day after the party we provided Asian foods to a company event with approx. 500 guests.

So in the span of 3 days, we had to organize food for a craft market, a private party, and a company event. As you can imagine, it was a hectic and sleepless weekend.

 

On Thursday, August 21st, we launched a giveaway on Facebook, a social media platform that many of our clients use. Prizes included a new toaster oven, nonstick baking pans, and a one-year supply of German bread rolls. (Not a bad prize, eh?)

To our surprise, the winner was an American expat who was raising a family of geese and ducks with her husband. Talk about an unusual set of pets! What’s more unusual is that the flock came with their house lease.

Moreover, the giveaway had unintended consequences.

The Facebook giveaway indirectly led us to a professional event planner and a seasoned cook (garde manger) who has worked in a Michelin star restaurant. We’re likely to collaborate and join efforts in the near future---boo-yah for successful marketing!

 

  • Poppy seed and plain German bread rolls (Brötchen)

  • Thuringian-style sausages / bratwursts

  • Grilled chicken skewers

For our first craft market, starting at the end of last month (August), we sold fresh German bread rolls, bratwursts, Cambodian papaya salad with grilled chicken skewers, and sliced tropical fruits.

We nearly cancelled our attendance because of our busy agenda (prepping for a private party and company event) and the imminent downpour of rain. It’s currently monsoon season in Cambodia and the craft market is outdoors. Not a good combination! 

 

There were some amazing things at the market, by the way. Homemade infused rice wine and rum, paintings and sculptures, ceramics and clay pottery, clothing articles, jewelry, and the list goes on and on.

The craft market, as I saw it, was a community of local artists and artisans. It was encouraging to see and meet others who were passionate about their (handcrafted) products as we were passionate about our own. 

 

For nearly a month I’ve been working on a new bread recipe.

They’re shaped and poached like bagels, but lack the chew and density. They’re treated with an alkaline solution, but lack the punctuated taste of pretzels. They’re cracked like a Roggenbrot (whole rye bread) and contain sourdough and German spices, but lack the closed crumb. Rather, it’s well aerated like a French baguette.

So what the heck is it? I don’t know, but I stuck with “German spiced bagels” for the sake of brevity. Perhaps I should give them a new name because it’s nothing like a typical bagel, pretzel, or German bread.

Maybe “Zagel”? (My name is Zita and the breads are bagel-shaped.)

 

Last Saturday for the craft market I baked a small batch of the bacon and cheese “Zagels”.

Made with sourdough, unbleached wheat & rye flour, natural mineral water, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground spices (caraway, coriander, and fennel seeds). No added sugar or commercial yeast.

The Zagels were also fermented for approx. 20 hours, poached in a baking soda solution, and topped with Cambodia-made panchetta (Italian spiced bacon) and caramalized cheese.

I also convinced Michael to prepare his "obatzda", a German-Bavarian cheese delicacy made with a soft cheese, cultured butter, Weissbier (German wheat beer), sweet paprika, and other seasoning. Believe me, it takes the flavour profile of the Zagels to another level. 

 

Despite its deliciousness, the Zagels did not sell well. Nor did my bread rolls or our food in general. As I mentioned earlier, monsoon season and outdoors market is a bad combination.

Michael and I expect to sustain a profit loss at the market until mid-October to early November, when dry season enters and tourists flock into the country. ‘Til then I’ll continue to experiment and bake happily.

Lastly, I’d like to thank TFL members for sending me heartfelt messages after my last blog post. I was working strenuously (I still don’t have a dough mixer or baking assistant) and slept only a few hours at a time. Some of you urged me to rest better and delegate a few of my duties, and since then I have. I’m now in much better condition, both physically and mentally.

Thanks for the guidance and encouragement, all!  See you around and best wishes to your endeavours!

Zita
Head Baker
Siem Reap Bäckerei

 

Comments

Mebake's picture
Mebake

Such beautiful rolls! and all hand mixed.. I'm impressed.

You are on your way to success, Zita, your dedication to the craft of bread making will soon triumph. Just keep baking and believing. I hope things will look brighter for your next crafts market.

And do get some sleep, you ought it to yourself.

Good luck, and happy baking.

Khalid

bakingbadly's picture
bakingbadly

Thanks, Khalid! For sure I'll keep baking and believing. I haven't done much else besides that! :)

Also, I hope things are going well for you and your bakery. Keep us updated when you can!

Best wishes,

Zita

Isand66's picture
Isand66

Zita...all I can say is WOW!  What an incredible collection of food and baked goods.  I'm sure your market sales will improve once the monsoon season ends.

I love your new Zagels and that spread sounds terrific.

Look forward to reading about your further adventures and it's good to hear you have delegated a little so you don't put yourself in the hospital :).

Regards,

Ian

bakingbadly's picture
bakingbadly

:) Thank you, Ian! I knew you would enjoy the food photos, judging by the food photos I've seen from you.

I'll try to keep you all updated on my culinary and baking adventures. There's just so many things happening that sometimes it feels like my head is spinning. Just have to take it more easy. 

Take care and jolly bakings,

Zita

CAphyl's picture
CAphyl

Zita: Wonderful post. Thanks so much for the update. I am glad you are getting more rest, but disappointed that the market isn't working out better for you. The Zagels look so yummy, too!  I just got to the UK and revived my sourdough here so will begin baking with it soon. I think I am a bit obsessed with sourdough as well!  Good luck in your ventures and take care of yourself. Best, Phyllis

bakingbadly's picture
bakingbadly

Thank you for the compliments and kind words, Phyllis. Very much appreciated. :)

You certainly are obsessed with sourdough, not just a bit! Otherwise, you wouldn't be making those lovely sourdoughs I've seen in your posts. *wink, wink*

Hope your sourdough makes a speedy recovery and I shall look forward to seeing more breads from you.

Jolly bakings and all the best, 

Zita

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

at first I thought they were bialys.  With all the water buffalo you must get some great mozzarella and ricotta too.  It is monsoon here too and we got 5"of rain yesterday!  Nothing like you get but fir a place that only gets 7" a year we were pretty soggy.  Once the tourists come bake things will pick up business wise.  Everything looks well baked and delicious.  Wish i could try one of those zagels.  Well done and

Happy baking Zita

bakingbadly's picture
bakingbadly

Actually, I thought about making bialys but decided against it because they're not boiled. Not sure why I'm so fascinated with boiling dough... Maybe it's the sheen and thin crust it gives that I like.

And yes, we have excellent mozzarella and ricotta here! We have one local Italian cheese producer in town, and I rely on him for my frequent cheese intake.

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, Dab!

Zita

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Hi Zita,

I have read your post while my dinner is cooking….I think I am in the wrong country - what you have posted looks a whole lot better than what I have going on in my kitchen :*)

LOVE all of your photos from your part of the world and your bread photos too.  Just reading about your hectic schedule makes me feel tired.  I was glad to read that you are getting more rest now.  It does make a difference - especially in the long run.  Our minds like to think our bodies can run on no sleep and too much working….Better to stop and slow down before your body breaks down.

What you have done is such a short time is inspiring.  YOu have come a long way.

Thanks again for the update.

Take Care,

Janet

 

bakingbadly's picture
bakingbadly

Hey, don't feel bad about your cooking. I'm sure it's great! To be fair, Michael prepared most of the food I mentioned above, and he does it for a living. However, I'm willing to bet that your breads are much, much better than his. ;)

Thank you so much, Janet, for your kind words and consideration! Really appreciate it. Honestly, I don't think I would last as long in my bakery without members like yourself.

Take care and wishing you all the best,

Zita 

varda's picture
varda

So much going on.   What a transformation.   You must bake!   You must make zagels!   Very cool.   Sounds like you are swimming in business and more to come.   Terrific!  -Varda

bakingbadly's picture
bakingbadly

Yes, more and more opportunities are coming our way, almost like a snowball effect. And sometimes it feels like we're only starting, with a lot more work ahead of us.

I hope your business is doing well, Varda. I would think so because your breads look fantastic. Any educated bread purveyor in your town will find you!

Jolly bakings,

Zita