Blog posts

beautiful orchard fruit, grown by the Western Washington Fruit Research Foundation at WSU-Mount Vernon




Hello everyone,

Day 2 of the Conference had so many good things going on.

Notes on the seminars and talks I was fortunate to attend on Day 2 follow:
Keynote Address – “Grow It! Mill It! Bake It!: Adding Value Adds Up” – Thor Oechsner
“Flatbreads from the Tandoor Oven” – Naomi Duguid and Dawn Woodward

local wheat, ripening in the sun


Hello everyone,
I attended the third annual Kneading Conference West this past weekend – a celebration of local wheat and grains, and a wonderful gathering of people interested in breeding, growing, milling and baking with them.

In other news, I've recently become the proud owner of an Ankarsrum Original, AKA Electrolux DLX, mixer. Mike Avery did a great review of it compared to a Kitchenaid or a Bosch mixer a few years back, which really helped me make up my mind when I was first considered an upgrade.

I just got back from the 2013 Kneading Conference West at the Washington State University Mount Vernon Extension Campus.

(My write up of last year's conference, which gives quite a bit of background about it, is here.)   

So I was at the market the other day and saw a hollowed out wooden oblong bowl and I said to myself, I can proof bread in that! So I did. The big Loaf is 1000grams.

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Dear fellow TFL bakers, I have a challenge for you!

During our recent trip to Germany we spent a few days in Potsdam, to visit Frederick the Great's Sanssouci. We stayed at Schlosshotel Cecilienhof, a wonderful hotel right inside another historic site, Cecilienhof Palace.

Cecilienhof Palace

Hello all,

Here's my first attempt this year at sourdough.  For the most part this follows Jeff Hamelman's Bread book recipe for both the starter and the bread.  My starter is young, this bake being the first one using it.  It has just in the last day or two showed good signs if life and is at least doubling in volume after feeding it.

So one of the biggest things I've taken from the broad trip was that 100% wheat breads are much better as a smaller loaf.  I've made a few and we sell one at my current work that is scaled at a whopping 40oz and finished in a loaf pan.  It's good but every time I have it it's a bit overwhelming.  This could just be my preference as more than a few have claimed it their favorite loaf.  Regardless Dave Miller's Chico Nut was an awakening for me as the loaf is so pleasant to eat.