"O holy Child of Bethlehem!

Descend to us, we pray;

Cast out our sin, and enter in;

Be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels

The great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us,

Our Lord Emmanuel."

~Phillips Brooks from "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

Bethlehem: The "house of bread." A place that satisfied hungry stomachs.
Jesus: The "Bread of Life." The satisfier of all spiritual hunger.
Our hearts: Little "Bethlehems" - houses of the Bread of Life when we ask Him to "cast out our sin, and enter in."

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Looking Back

In today's age of stuff-overload, Christmas shopping has become a hard and dreaded task. "What in the world does ______ need?" plagues our thoughts as we roam store isles, page through catalogues, and surf the net. At the end of a frustrating day of shopping, we realize once again that the answer to the question is "nothing."

But wait, there is one thing all people need - food. Baked goods make a welcome and usable gift. Since I am a baker, this isn't something I often receive, but on the rare occasions I do (or someone else in my family does), oh what a treat! I think the reason a gift of food is so special is three fold. 1. Variety is added to the family table. 2. Hungry tummies are satisfied. 3. A meal during the fast paced Christmas season is saved!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I received a large order of bread that is going to be given as teacher gifts this season. Already I have baked and frozen some of these loaves. Still on my to-bake list is Julekakke (pronounced "you-li-kaka"). What is Julekakke? Let me show you.

Christmas 2007 - Julekakke, julekakke, and more julekakke! This traditional Scandinavian Christmas bread has grown to be a popular item among my customers. Bright red and green candied cherries, golden raisins, and deliciously sweet candied pineapple are packed into the rich and sweet dough. It is made festive with cherry "poinsettias" atop powdered sugar frosting.

I have good memories of Mom making this special treat for our Christmas celebrations. Before bringing it to the table, Mom would cut the loaf and then frost it. My mouth waters as I remember the flavor of the slightly warm bread with soft and fresh frosting which always had the tendency to slide off onto my fingers. I have tried my best to share this experience with my customers, but some of those little details become impossible when baking for the masses. Perhaps what I wish I could share the most is the enjoyment of eating a slice of julekakke with the knowledge that it was made lovingly by a mother who cares enough to make something special for her family. Then again maybe I can share this. My customers, with a certain glow in their eyes, often tell me of how their mother or grandmother would make julekakke when they were growing up. Maybe, just maybe my loaves can take them back in their memories to those special times. If nothing else hopefully they can enjoy the product of my time and care. Mom's example of doing things well has been my teacher these last twenty some years.

As you can see, Julekakke was a hot item last Christmas. Also on the "Christmas 2007 hot item list" was...

...Brownie Supreme - rich chocolate brownies with fudge like homemade frosting.

Here is another wrapping idea. Cut cardboard to the size you need, then cover it with Christmas wrapping paper. Here I wrapped each brownie individually to keep them extra fresh and make a nice to-go treat. Put all in a bread bag or clear cellophane and tie with a twisty. Add curling ribbon to match the wrapping paper.

Gourmet Gifts Made Easy

Clockwise from bottom clear bowl: Aromatic Coffee & Cheese Spread, Favorite Jam Spread, Peanut Butter Lover's Cream Cheese Spread, Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread with maple syrup, Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread without maple syrup.

I promised my customers more Christmas gift ideas. This time instead of wrapping ideas I have some spread recipes perfect for making your gift extra special. You could either mix up one of these delicious spreads to put alongside your gift of bread or simply copy the recipe onto a pretty recipe card to stick in with the loaf.

For months I have been dreaming of flavored cream cheese spreads atop Chocolate Pecan Bread. With the onset of winter, thus no farmers' markets filling every minute of my life, I was able to do some recipe research online. The spreads you see in the pictures are the result. After much taste testing my family and I have come up with some favorite bread/spread combinations. See each recipe for our comments.

Peanut Butter Lover's Cream Cheese Spread

The blue ribbon winner! This can be eaten on any bread, but nothing could beat a generous slab of Chocolate Pecan Bread smothered with this spread.

1 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Using an electric mixer beat until smooth.

I found this to make a very clumpy, dry mass. It may have been this way because I was using our favorite natural peanut butter (only ground peanuts and salt). Whatever the cause, these are the additions I made to get a desirable smooth texture plus a sweeter flavor since our peanut butter has no added sugar:

2 T. + 2 tsp. powdered sugar

4 oz. (1/2 c.) butter

Aromatic Coffee & Cheese Spread

Ahhh! The rich and comforting flavors of coffee and chocolate. Definitaly a spread for Chocolate Pecan Bread. Even Mom and Maren who are not coffee drinkers didn't mind a bit of this one.

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules (or up to 1 tsp. for more flavor; may need to add more hot water)

1/2 tsp. hot water

In a small bowl beat cream cheese and sugar. Dilute coffee granules in hot water. Add coffee to cream cheese mixture until it is light and fluffy.

Favorite Jam Spread
This one got mixed reviews. The general consensous, though, was that it needed more jam flavor, especially if served on Chocolate Pecan Bread. I personally enjoyed the spread on French Batard, one of my signiture artisan breads.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. butter, softened

4-6 T. jam, any kind (I ended up using much more homemade cherry jam for more flavor. It still wasn't as cherry flavored as I would have liked, so I would try adding even more and eliminating all or part of the butter to keep it from getting too soft.)

Cream together the cream cheese and butter (if using) until well mixed. Add jam to your taste. Do not overmix or it will separate.

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

I originally made this one to try on Pumpkin Pecan Bread. While very good I still prefer this bread with just a little butter. A la French Batard this taste bud pleasing spread made a very yummy treat! Maren gave the spread with maple syrup the highest rating, while Hannah voted for no syrup. What's your vote?

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 T. brown sugar

2 T. pure maple syrup (optional for a sweeter spread)

1/4 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. vanilla

In a small bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, and syrup (if using) until creamy. Add pumpkin, spices, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour. (It will be softer if using maple syrup.)

Christmas is coming...

"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat..." Soon that song will be playing over our speakers as Christmas preparations begin. Decorating, cookie making, buying and wrapping presents... For some, these things have already begun. In fact yesterday I got my first Christmas present order for the year. Twenty loaves made up of a mixture of some of my more special breads will soon be in production - Chocolate Pecan, Julekkake, Pumpkin Pecan... Visiting with the woman ordering, I learned that these loaves, wrapped in festive cellophane, are going to be teacher gifts.

Her call got me thinking. What are some creative ways to wrap bread? Keep reading to see some of my ideas.

Ribbon makes a simple yet elegant wrapping. Even a novice bow tier can make a stunning bow or simple knot with wired ribbon.

Ribbon being put to use again. Here it ties together a bamboo tray and loaf of bread. Ready to serve!

Want to add a little, inexpensive gift? Buy or make a tree ornament and tie it on with curling ribbon. So easy, yet see how special that looks!

Towel: Mom, being a lover of textiles, dreamed up this gift wrap. Here I used some antique lace to secure the towel around a loaf of Chocolate Pecan Bread.

Take gift bags to the next level with a fun cloth bag. No fancy wrapping required!

Bread Around the Country

Miles of traveled road lays behind us. The rocky Susquehanna River is to our right. On the left the country side is dotted with rolling hills, tiny towns and beautiful farm places. My family and I are on our way to Wellsboro, a beautiful Victorian town tucked away in the northern mountains of Pennsylvania. We are going to relax and enjoy the fall colors. Suddenly the driver brakes; a u-turn is made. A bakery has been spotted.

We enter the dim interior of the bakery. Young women speaking to each other in another language and wearing head coverings scurry about their large kitchen behind the bakery display. Massive "Hobart" mixers run by air compressors are being emptied of their sweet contents onto large cookie sheets. Bread is making its way into the proofer which is heated by a large kettle filled with hot water. Dozens of quick bread loaves are being taken from the beautiful, gas powered pizza ovens.

The bakery display table is yet another site to take in. Perfectly risen loaves, pies of all kinds, golden and flaky apple dumplings, cookies without number, creative variations on the traditional Pennsylvanian treat, whoopie pies... This is a detour worth taking!

Driving down the road once again our hands are sticky with the amber colored caramel of the rolls we just devoured. A loaf of bread lays waiting to be eaten at another time. Sigh - what a lovely day.

Wellsboro behind us, Lancaster County ahead, the little road-side bakery comes into site once again. A feeling of welcome familiarity washes over us as we file into the bakery, viewing the day's baked goods. We chat with the cheerful cashier, noticing slightly awkward movements and a wheelchair as she rings up our sale. More yummy foods to try.

The food is long gone, but still in my memory is the sweet, smiling face of the girl behind the desk. Bound to that wheelchair, she was making the most of life by blessing others in one of the simplest ways - the gift of a contented and joyful smile.


100% Whole Wheat bread from "Weaver's Market & Bakery," Port Trevorton, PA. Don't miss it!

The Cook, the Baker and the Tray Maker?

A few weeks ago I received some calls from a sweet, elderly lady in our community. 'Could you please bake three Pumpkin Pecan Bread loaves, slice them, and butter 36 pieces for November 17th? And what could I add to it to make a nice afternoon lunch for the weekly senior citizens' get together? Crackers and cheese? Okay.' So this baker, turned consultant/caterer, got busy.

The 17th came and I began slicing and buttering. Then came the challenge. How can I make this bread ready to serve without using one of our own dishes?

Digging out the cardboard-scraps box from my family's treasure closet filled with games, miscellane-ous craft items (most of them as cheap as this cardboard), and other odds and ends, I knew I had my answer. Mixed with a little freezer paper and tape, this cardboard would make the perfect disposable tray.

36 slices of bread ready to go! These maybe don't make the most elegant serving trays, but they definitely work well in a pinch!

Whew! I made it through my first job as baker/consultant/caterer/tray maker.

Stepping back in time...

October found my family and me on a little adventure. Abraham Lincoln's birthplace, Virginia Beach, Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Mount Vernon, Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon - these were the sites that filled one week of our two week long vacation. The next week found us in Lancaster County, PA. There we helped sort and pack humanitarian aid at Global Aid Network's large distribution center along with many friends from our mission trips to the Former Soviet Union. Though aid work was our main goal in Pennsylvania, we did take one day to do some touristy things around the area. Joined by our friend, Joey (the one responsible for the pictures below - didn't she do a great job?) we visited the Ephrata Cloister. Now a beautiful park with original and reproduced rustic wood buildings, aged tombstones and trees dressed in autumn's colors, this was the busy home of an unusual sect in the 1700's. The "brothers" and "sisters" that once roamed these grounds took the biblical concept of being in the world but not of it to an unbiblical extreme. Long hours of work, one daily meal and sleeping on narrow, wooden benches with blocks of wood for pillows were only a few of the unusual practices of these confused people. Heretical though they may have been, these people left behind one of PA's beauties.

Maren, me, Mom, Dad, and Hannah - Ephrata, PA
It was one of the few days planned for school children to visit the cloister. That meant that many of the buildings had artisans dressed and demonstrating (or explaining as is the case in this picture) the different trades of the cloister folk. Here we are at the bakery where a very delicious bread was made not only for the cloister natives but also for a prominent government official who fell in love with their bread when visiting the area. The secret ingredient - olive oil.

Manning the brot shib (not sure of spelling, but it is pronounced something like "brote - ship" - literally "bread pusher"). I can't even get away from baking on vacation. :)

Autumn French Fare

Today's noon menu: Pumpkin Pecan Bread French Toast

Last fall when Pumpkin Pecan Bread was brand new, two of my faithful customers came up with this food idea independantly. Great minds think alike!

This noon my family finally tried it out for ourselves. My customers were not kidding. It was a spectacular meal. My favorite was drizzling the toast with pure maple syrup, but our home made syrup was tasty on it, too.

Here is the Stowman's staple syrup recipe. My dad would prepare this as a mix in his younger adventuresome days when he went canoeing in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota .

Stowman's Table Syrup

1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. water
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring

Mix all together in a medium size sauce pan. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. Boil one or two minutes.

Serve warm over French toast, pancakes, waffles, or corn bread. Save the left overs in the refrigerator to be used cold at another meal.

A Picnic Lunch

Autumn - There are many characteristics that lend themselves to making this my favorite time of year. The smell of apples cooking on the stove, colored leaves, crisp, fresh air, leaves crunching under foot... Some of my best memories come from this season. Typically even though our fall days have always been busy - storing away home grown food, winterizing garden, home, and lake cabin, plowing telephone cable into the ground once the crops are harvested, etc. - there is something about the season that calls for setting all work aside, getting the whole family in the car, and going for a relaxing drive and picnic.

Sandwiches are an important part of my family's picnics. Since bread is rarely hard to come by in our house, I guess it makes sense. Sliced bread, buns, plain bread, flavored bread, meat, jam, salad filling, prepared at home, assembled on the picnic - we've had it all. Though all have tasted delicious (what doesn't in the great outdoors?), there have been a few that stand out in our memories. One such sandwich was made with meat, lettuce, and Cran-Orange Whole Wheat Bread (picture above). As I have mentioned before, there is something about the sweet fruitiness of this bread along with meat that makes this sandwich rise above all other meat sandwiches. It's much the same concept as turkey and cranberries, ham and raisin sauce, and if you are Scandinavian, ribs and lingenberries. A simple idea, but a delicious one.

Happy picnicking, everyone!

Other Happenings In the Kitchen

Ok, ready to see something else happen in our kitchen besides farmers' market baking? Let me tell you, this is one busy kitchen! (Right now I'm sitting with a lap top at the kitchen counter. Apples are on the stove, juice being boiled out of them. Mom is busy making supper - BLT's. The bread machine is mixing up a couple loaves of whole wheat bread. Can you believe it - we're basically out of bread in the house!)

A couple weeks ago our kitchen was invaded by a group of birthday cake decorators. Who was the aging person? An eight year old girl who we were taking care of for the day along with her brother and sister. Here are some pictures of our celebrations for you to enjoy.

Mom helping Brandon frost. Chocolate frosting on peanut butter cake - yum!

Here's the birthday girl! Ryndel's favorite decoration was chocolate chips. I think she was thinking more about flavor than color. :)

Brandon, Ryndel, and Natalie, ready to dig into the master pieces. No worries - their own beautiful sunflower/zinnia cakes were set aside to bring home to mom, while we feasted on the extra mini cakes. "Happy birthday to you..."

Bacon, Eggs, and... Black Pepper Seed Bread?

Do you have favorite bread and spread/filling duos? I have a few -- Whole Wheat French Boule with peanut butter and jam, Dill-Onion Bread and fresh tomato, Cran-Orange Whole Wheat Bread and chicken salad, and Black Pepper Seed Bread and cheese. Lately my goal has been to broaden my sandwich horizons. Black Pepper Seed Bread (still my favorite flavored bread) should have more matches than cheese, I'm determined. What could they be?

Unfortunately I have only had one loaf of this bread in the freezer and 6 hungry adults to feed, so experimenting has been rather limited. Where to start? How about that recipe I saw in the latest Country Home magazine? I've always loved BLT's, and fried egg sandwiches are a good and easy comfort food, so why not. Here's what I (with plenty of help from the family) did.

Mix together:
2 T. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. capers, drained
Fry:
4 slices bacon
4 eggs (Fry after the bacon in a little of the drippings.)
Toast:
4 slices Black Pepper Seed Bread
Slice:
Tomato (we used Romas - not so sloppy wet)
Snip:
Fresh basil, optional

Spread some mayonnaise mixture on the toasted bread. Pile with egg, tomato, and bacon in whatever order you wish and sprinkle with basil if desired.

This is what it looked like.
Now of course with 6 hearty, country eaters we made more than this, but these are the proportions in the recipe.

This is what I learned from fixing this sandwich:
-Don't try out a new food when you are over-tired and stressed. Nothing tastes good then.
-Basil grown at home from the same packet but on different years (thus different growing conditions) isn't necessarily going to taste the same. I'm curious to know what the conditions were this year that made it stronger.
-Capers aren't my favorite flavoring.
-Eggs, bacon, and tomato mask the wonderful, peppery flavor of the bread.

This sounds pretty negative, but not all the ratings were as critical as mine. I may just have to try it again sometime, with a few alterations of course. Meanwhile the mother-of-all recipe hunt continues. If I don't succeed there is always cheese! Who coined the phrase, "Variety is the spice of life," anyway?

PS - Mom's current spread of choice on Black Pepper Seed Bread is home-made apple butter. Sound strange? Try it, and you may just be surprised.

More Changes

Selling at the Lakes Area Farmers' Market in Detroit Lakes, MN has brought forth a whole new set of blessings and challenges.

Blessings:

-Uncle David and family, DL natives, make an instant connection to this active, lake country town. Not only do I get to see these relatives more often, but I am also meeting some of their friends. They have done a great job making me feel at home right away.

-50 plus loaves along with dozens of goodies fly off my table in just a few hours. This is the largest amount of baking I've ever done for a single market.

-A great group of vendors, averaging 15 during the peak season, have warmly welcomed me. New friendships are already forming both with vendors and shoppers.

-Sisters more than willing to give a chunk of their day to help me sell. I couldn't do it without them!

Challenges:

-Two long and tiring days of baking to try meet this market's demand. Not only does this mean a weary baker but a frazzled book keeper (one and the same person) trying to sneak her work in every spare minute.

-A work-out trying to keep the tables stocked with all baked goods.

Solutions to challenges:

-More sandwich loaves to "up" production. Six sandwich loaves fit in one oven at a time in contrast with two round loaves.

-Baking what I can handle and not worrying about selling out early.

-One complete week off to recuperate and catch up. Were you wondering what brought on this rash of blog posts?

-Dad's beautiful cedar crates. How do these help? Let me show you, but first, a short tour of what he did...

Dad, chief designer/craftsman, in his shop late into the evening.

That's an impressive pile of saw dust!

Dad's finished product loaded with my finished product.

Now for how these work out to be a solution. For one thing, no longer am I limited to hauling everything to market in our mini van. With the new, handy frames, I can slide eight trays, each loaded literally with pounds of bread, into our Forester. Neat, huh?

It's a pretty tight fit, but with Hannah, my travel loving family's chief packer of vehicles, set to the task, there's even room for my sister's stacks of books to study on the road. (No, not a student. A tutor!)

And my favorite solution. Look at all the bread that fits on my tables now! No more scrambling to restock. Thank you, Dad!

More refiguring is in order to manage this new venture, I'm sure, but with help from the whole family, I'm well on the way to a great, new market.

Changes

Friday, August 1st, 2008: Today was my last day at the Sabin farmers' market. After watching sales dwindle to only a few loaves sold each Friday, I decided it just wasn't worth the time and drive. Saying good-bye to the friends I'd made in the year I'd been there was sad. Their quiet, godly example had been an encouragement to me. But life is full of changes, and change it will!

New opportunities are on the horizon. The farmers' market in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota has been referred to me as one with potential. Up until now I've shied away from the prospect of the one hour drive there, but it seems like the best next step. This will mean a few more expenses, though. Besides the extra gas, there will be a larger weekly fee. A canopy tent is also required. Time to do a little shopping.

A few weeks later: My family's weekend stay at the lake proved to be the perfect time to try out the new tent found in Fargo, ND. Lots of good help from parents and sisters!

One of the deciding factors for this tent over the rest at the store was the attachable side panels. Great to block brownie melting sunshine and the whipping, Minnesota winds.

Saturday, September 6th: My third time at the Detroit Lakes farmers' market. Isn't that a beautiful tent?

Yes, changes are a part of life. What a relief to know the One who has all changes in His hands. No need to wonder and worry!

To: Florida

While a box of bread traveled to my sister and friend in Pennsylvania (see my last post), a package of goodies from my kitchen made its way to Florida. Second cousin, Karin, and her family were to be my other shipping guinea pigs. Two days after I brought the frozen sweets to the little, down home post office in Rothsay I got the notification email. The package had made it to its sunny destination. One step accomplished. Now the question - how do scones, caramel rolls, and brownies hold up to the intense Florida heat?

Besides a call from Karin with a thorough report, she sent great pictures and captions for you all to enjoy. Thanks Karin and family for being a terrific panel of judges and for your great documentation!

July 25th – a wonderful package from Minnesota arrives packed with delicious goodies!

Karin's favorite - caramel rolls


Half of them were put on a plate for a taste panel…
…and half of them were put in a container in the freezer to be thawed out and tested a few weeks later.

My husband, Jason, and his sister Amanda who was visiting from Georgia joining me in a tasting that evening. (Wow! Pen and paper beside each judge. Did I mention these people did a great job judging? - Elsa)

Dividing the desserts…

Oh so good!

Must have been a winner…these crumbs were all that was left from the scones.

Saturday, August 30, 2008: the second batch has been thawed out and a new taste panel tries out some of the goodies. Here is Jase, the youngest taste tester. He gives a big thumbs up to the chocolate and cherry scones! (A diverse judge panel! What more could I have asked for? - Elsa)

His older sister, Siri, concurred. :)

Mommy was extremely selfish and kept the last caramel roll all for herself! It was so much better just warmed up a bit in the microwave.

My only complaint was not enough caramel…but then again, I don’t ever think you could have too much for me! (More caramel - hmmm. Will have to see what I can do. - Elsa)

Bread Hits the Road

Shortly after saying good-bye to my sister, Hannah, when she flew to Pennsylvania to visit a friend, I said farewell to some of the fruits of my labor. A sister in PA equaled a perfect opportunity to test my bread's endurance in mailing. Two days after sending the frozen loaves, I got the email. The Priority Mailed bread had made it to Mt. Joy safe and sound.
Joey, our PA friend and operations manager at the Global Aid Network (GAiN) warehouse, opening the package in the warehouse kitchen.
A hearty loaf of Multigrain Bread waits its turn while Joey cuts slabs of French Batard for the official taste test.

Hannah as freshness and flavor judge.

Taste Tester Todd. All warehouse staff got to be a part of the fun.

The verdict? French Batard showed a few signs of age but still was good enough to eat. This was not at all surprising for a lean bread (no added fats or sweetener), especially considering these loaves had been to a farmers' market before being put in the freezer. Multigrain Bread got higher ratings, or should I say raves. As good as fresh! Not a bad report for experiment #1.