~ 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!

Gluten Free II

January 26, 2010
My second day of baking gluten free bread. Hmm... Three different versions. #1 -- Good, but did it taste a little yeasty/winy? I think it over-proofed (raised). #2 -- The honey I added was a bit strong. I'd like to taste a less sweet and more salty bread. #3 -- The addition of flax meal adds a delicious flavor.

January 27, 2010
Second day taste test results. #1 -- A little bland. It is staying nice and moist! #2 -- Wonderful texture! Moist, non-crumbly, and not so dense. #3 -- Good, but I think I would quickly tire of the rich flax flavor. Maybe using less flax would make both a delicious and nutritious bread.

A few days later--
The loaves are still moist and holding together!

February 3, 2010
Three more gluten free experiments. #1 -- Less sugar, more salt. Yes, flavor is much more like normal bread. #2 -- Now that I have egg replacer, I may as well add that as the original recipe says. Does it make a difference? Not that I can tell. #3 -- Left out the egg. Hmm... I love the flavor - the most "wheaty" gluten free bread I've made. Texture is compromised, though - dense and tough.

February 4, 2010
Yesterday's loaves are holding up well.

February 8, 2010
Can I get an eggless bread with better texture? Not with today's two experiments.

February 11, 2010
Once again I dug out the army of gluten free ingredients. More experimenting with eggless and egg-yolkless bread. Also tried one with no milk powder.

The loaves are okay but not up to my specs yet. The combination of good flavor, texture, and nutrition is eluding me.

February 15, 2010

A drive to Fargo to pick up gluten free ingredients. A short visit with the store manager was helpful.

February 18, 2010

Gluten free garlic toast - yum! A great way to use up some of the multiplying loaves of not-quite-right bread.

Rewinding -- Gluten Free I

January 4-6, 2010
Intense days of research. Hopefully I now know enough about gluten-free baking to begin tinkering around the kitchen with brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, etc.

January 7, 2010
A full day in the kitchen. Baked a small bread order, three trial granola bar recipes, and two batches of gluten-free (GF) bread. Learned much; much more to learn.

Also refreshed "barm," my sourdough starter, by adding flour and water. This is a twice a week duty in the winter which increases to three times a week in the summer. Summer is when barm is used and depleted regularly for farmers' market sales.


















Multigrain Gluten-Free Bread -- I can't say the flavor and texture were anything to brag about. Dry and crumbly with an unusual "bite" in the flavor. A caved-in top crust indicates too much liquid.

Brown Rice & Sorghum Bread -- A tired loaf. This is what happens when I stick a thermometer probe into an under-baked GF loaf.

Another Brown Rice & Sorghum loaf. Its sag isn't nearly as pronounced as the other loaf. I was very pleased with the texture of this bread - elastic (not crumbly) and moist. Flavor was quite pleasing, too. I definitely have found a good base recipe here!