Last week a three pound box of granola made its way from my small town post office in MN to Hope, ND. I was grateful that Maren had already laid the footwork for this endeavor by calculating postage to see what would be the best mode of shipment. What we learned: prepaid boxes aren't the best deal - unless you load them with something heavy and melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious. I'm thinking brownies might do the trick.

~ The Bakery Times ~

Farmers' Markets

Bethlehem - "House of Bread" will once again be hitting the farmers' market this year. Come June, Elsa Stowman's home-made, all from scratch baked goods will be readily available in Pelican Rapids and Detroit Lakes. While Stowman says she expects a good year at the market, she noted that her schedule may be slightly altered from her previous nearly regular farmers' market attendance. "Between the uncertain future of care for my Downs syndrome aunt and a new bakery addition to be built onto my house, my customers may have to put up with a more flexible schedule," explained Stowman. This said, she conveyed her desire to be at the market "as much as possible." Bethlehem - "House of Bread" will continue its schedule of attending the Pelican Rapids farmers' market every-other Tuesday (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.) and the Lakes Area Farmers Market, Detroit Lakes, every Saturday (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.). Exact dates will be emailed to the customers on her email list. "I am looking forward to seeing all of my farmers' market friends once again."

New in Town

Last winter found Elsa Stowman back in her test kitchen. While unable to spend all the time creating the new products she dreamed of making, a few new and tantalizing products will be on Bethlehem - "House of Bread's" tables.

- Cinnamon Crunch Granola: A nut-free granola with great cinnamon flavor! Featured in this cereal are sweet and cinnamony clusters of puffed millet tossed in a tender blend of rolled oats, rolled wheat, and puffed quinoa.

- Lemon Bundt Cake: This moist cake is soaked with a sweet, lemon glaze made from hand-squeezed lemons. The results - a mild tasting interior surrounded by a delightfully intense lemony exterior. No one would ever guess that a high percentage of whole wheat flour is used to make this smooth and rich cake. Prepare for your mouth to water! Sold by the slice at the market or whole by special order.

- Scandinavian Almond Cake: Scandinavia visits the market in a buttery almond dessert. This gently yet distinctively almond flavored cake is made in the traditional half-log shape. Sold both as a whole and half cake. Perfect for afternoon coffee!

- Brown Rice & Sorghum Bread: Gluten free bread! While not certified gluten free, care is taken to keep this bread as pure as possible. You may have just found the solution to those sandwich cravings. (The recipe is still in development stage. You may see this bread change a little over the next weeks.)

Changing Faces

Some Bethlehem - "House of Bread" products have received a face-lift. Here is what to expect.

- Changes have been made to Roasted Garlic Bread to make a more eye and taste-bud pleasing loaf.

- According to popular demand, Caramel Rolls are now even more deluxe with a thicker layer of caramel. Prepare for sticky fingers!

- Try the new Peanut Butter Granola to find a more subtly peanut butter flavored cereal. Chunks of all natural peanut-buttery goodness float in a delicious blend of rolled oats, rolled wheat, and puffed millet. But take note - you may have to wait a few weeks to buy your bag while the bakery waits to get its supply of peanut butter. Apparently news has spread that this is the best peanut butter around!

The Bakery "Forecast"

Bakery "Weather" History

--Monday:
Baked all day
--Tuesday:
Sold 39 loaves plus sweets and granola at the Pelican Rapids farmers' market.
New on the table -- Dill-Onion Pizza Crusts
Maren baked 28 pounds of granola.

Bakery Forecast

--Wednesday:

Production of more granola (by Maren)

Baking of 15 individual Brownie Supreme plus 4 packages of 12 (by Elsa)

Baking of 16 each Blueberry, Cherry-Berry Chocolate, and Cranberry Oat Scones (by Elsa)

--Thursday:

Caramel roll baking

--Friday:

A long day of baking 63 loaves.

The day's specialty bread - Chocolate Pecan Bread

--Saturday:

Sales at the Lakes Area Farmers' Market, Detroit Lakes

--Sunday:

A welcome day of worship and rest

Maplewood Granola

Welcome a new member to my baked good family. Maplewood Granola resembles its older sibling, Honey & Nut Granola (formerly know as Granola), in several ingredients (oats, walnuts, and sunflower seeds) but has a personality all of its own. A faint and pleasing maple flavor combined with toasted almonds and coconut are this granola's distinct characteristics. A delicate flavor is the only way to describe it.

PS - Maplewood Granola is named after the beautiful state park located in the rolling, maple covered hills near the town of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. Come to the farmers' market in Pelican Rapids this June for Maplewood Granola's first presentation.

On Research & Development

As I write I sit on my soft and comfy bed in a hotel in Minneapolis. This bed has not only been my place to sleep these last days, it has also been my couch, desk, and even my eating area. A very versatile bed!

Though you may not think a bed is where you would like to do all of your dining, I have to say it has been a very nice experience. Besides the fact that eating our own packed food cuts down the expense of a trip, we have found we are over all much more satisfied when not eating greasy and far-from-home-made restaurant food... at least most of the time. Of course there comes a point when bread gets dry and the contents of the cooler become unexciting. This was the case yesterday, day five of our trip. The two loaves of bread that lasted amazingly well were reduced to one puny crust. The rest of our food was also dwindling, and we were ready for a little variety. It was time to do something about this before there was mutiny.

A trip to one of my family's favorite specialty grocery stores in the Twin Cities, Trader Joe's, soon solved the problem. Milk, bread, and veggies were replenished, while several unnecessary but fun foods were picked up to make our meals more interesting. As we followed the instructions of our GPS through the confusing mess of roads back to our hotel, a pleasant smell met my nose - the aroma of "real" bread. Ahhh... none of that stuff that tastes and smells like saw dust! That smell could have easily brought me to snacking on the bread right then and there, but I refrained.

This noon was the exciting hour of sampling. With all the bread that is baked in our home, we rarely have the opportunity to try other people's bread. Here was our chance. Would it taste as good as it smelled? Chewy and with substance, the sourdough which was a bit more tangy than I like was mellowed and made pleasing with home-made strawberry jam. Multigrain and Seed Bread was a hit both with and without cheese. If stomachs could smile, ours would have been with this hearty and moist bread.

Our stomachs are satisfied, and our menus have been made more interesting. Besides that, I have had a chance to do some bread research. I have to say, this research and development job isn't half bad!

Speaking of development, there are some new things in the works in my kitchen. Though I have no plans to expand my breads this winter, I have been working on some new granola recipes. No finalizations have been made, so keep checking back for the releases of new granola!