June 23, 2014 - 6:32am
State Fair Baking Contest
I have been thinking of entering the state fair baking contest. What I dont like is they want your recipe and technique if you enter. So, I was thinking that since red star yeast is sponsoring this year I would go to their website and submit a recipe right off there? Any thoughts.
Share
a recipe and technique is not going to make a sub par baker a pro and a pro will be comfortable enough with their knowledge that snagging yers wouldn't help em much. The best bakers I'v known have shared openly and said that we could stand shoulder to shoulder and do everything the same and still would inevitably have different results.
I was thinking doing a 65% hydration loaf with 20% preferment using the technique on their website by creating a poolish using rice flour. My concern is the spice blend I developed that I use in my baking. While a bread recipe is no big deal the spice blend would be my signature for establishing a business down the road.
Sharing your formula and recipe. It takes more than just instructions to make something well and odds are whatever you are "keeping a secret" is not a secret. And it's fun to share a good formula for others to take a crack at. Even if you had a shop and gave your customers the way to make it, odds are they'd still come get it from you.
By no way am I saying your spice mixture isn't a great signature but sharing won't change that. One way around it might be to include a total spice mix amount with a listing of spices that could be used (not your mixture though) and let the reader blend what they want.
Good Luck
Josh
The best bread I've made to date was made from a recipe given freely to me from a baker in Australia. It's a simple recipe which I have modified some over the last couple of years as I like. His philosophy was the more you give, the more you get in return.