Hi from Sonoma County
I've been looking at this site for a long time and finally decided to register. It's one of the best around. I bake at home and teach people bread-baking, both at home and in school settings. I have been baking all the bread in our household for over four and a half years and especially enjoy baking sourdough breads with wild starter. I have been baking challah for over 40 years and still learning new ways to braid. My favorite book is Jeffrey Hamelman's Bread. I began learning sourdough from my cousin's wife, who has a bakery in Marin County. I started reading about bread with Maggie Glezer's Artisan Baking Across America and have made some of the recipes there, including Thom Leonard's country bread and Della Fattoria's garlic cheese bread. I recently saw Craig Ponsford's video and think he's the wise man of bread-baking. I wish he were still giving classes. Looking forward to continuing to learn, bake and teach bread, my great joy!
There's a bunch of us here in Sonoma County--it's a great place to be inspired and to bake.
Have you been to Della Fattoria in Petaluma? Yum! Their lemon rosemary bread is to die for!
Nice to know you're out there. I have never been to Della Fattoria, but I've spoken to Katherine Weber, who was as nice as can be (I was looking for fine durium flour, which I ended up ordering from King Arthur's web site). I have eaten their bread at Sassafras in Santa Rosa (now, unfortunately, closed)--a seeded bread which was fabulous. And, as I said in my intro, I have made their garlic cheese bread, the recipe for which is in Maggie Glezer's Artisan Baking Across America. Fabulous! And then there's Wildflour Breads in Freestone!!
It's great knowing you are all "out there." Someday maybe we'll have a bake-a-thon and get to bake together. If the quilters can do it, why not the bakers? (Some of the baking classes around here and in S.F. are getting too expensive for my budget!)
The culinary highlight of my trip to Petaluma wasn't exactly my every-morning visit to Della Fattoria - OMG, run don't walk for the Meyer lemon rosemary boule, the Kalamata olive campagne, and the currant walnut baguette - it was a visit to their wood-fired bakery. Been a couple of months, and I still haven't digested the experience.
You mean you can visit the back end of the bakery, oven and all? Not sure about what you mean "wasn't exactly"--sounds like the visit was a highlight.
I haven't been out in that direction in YEARS! I count it a big trip these days when I go to Sebastopol ;o)
Anyone know if there's anything in Guerneville? I have to go out there next week for business and it would be nice to have a fun stop to make my drive more pleasant.
There's always Armstrong State Park; you can park in the lot at the info center for free, then take a stroll (unless it's raining of course). Dress warmly.
Yeah, if Wild Flour bakery is still in Freestone it is quite nice.
It weirds me out seeing everyone talking about these places in West Sonoma County (Petaluma, Guerneville, Freestone). I grew up in Forestville, lived briefly in Petaluma and Santa Rosa, spent many afternoons in high school bumming around Guerneville, and dated a girl who lived in Freestone. Small small world.
Hi from SF. I try and get to the Ferry Bldg Farmers market, here in SF, early Sat morning, so that I can get a loaf of Della Fattoria bread. Great stuff..... That is also where is buy stone ground flour from Eatwell Farms. If your in the market, he sells it for 5bucks for a 3lb bag, always milled that evening.
Earl
I live near Kenwood in Sonoma County and I have a beautiful wood-fired oven outside. Why don't we plan a day event (a Sunday would be best) at my place. Everyone can bring dough that's in it's last stage before firing and we can have a potluck lunch as things bake. If you're interested, let me know and we can plan something for April, when the rain may have slowed. I can probably fit 8-12 loaves per firing...