Trying something new . . .

BakeHouse Golden Corn with Hatch Green Chili!

Along with planning the BakeHouse in Las Cruces comes a time to test out new bread formulas. When living in Las Cruces, there is no choice in the matter, you MUST fall in love with the famous Green Chili from Hatch, NM and the Mesilla Valley. They've made there way to the Food Channel and a variety of special shows that showcase this regions most famous celebrity. It's going to take a couple of bakes to work out any kinks in the formula. I'll keep you posted on how it develops.

Three very sour & sleepy starters

This time of being a "home baker" has been a great journey of discovery. One of the things that I've enjoyed is getting to really "know" my three starters.

When I get ready to bake - I take them out of dormancy about a week before I actually need them. They are a bit sleepy and very sour, but they faithfully come back to life within two feedings and by the weeks end, they are bubbling and ready to go.

The main observation I've learned from my starters is that they prefer the 12 hour refreshments and only tolerate being forced in to dormancy. There seems to be an element of "stress" that the starters experience and it takes several refreshments for the stress to get worked out.

All this to say that the best part of baking bread is that the bread is always teaching the baker!

Thanks for checking in

Kath

It's a Winner!

The Apple Pecan Sourdough won the hearts of the Judges at the Western Pecan Growers Association! I even have a Pecan Grower wanting to barter his Pecans for Bread - now THAT sounds like a tasty deal!

Patience and Practice

Buenos Dias from Las Cruces, NM.
I was up at 3:30am this morning to bake off the 18 loaves of bread!

I'm grateful for the La Cloche clay bakers that I have - they are the closest I can get to what I pulled out of my Brick oven in NJ.

Speaking of the oven . . . yes, we are in the planning stages and we're really excited about it. It's amazing how long it takes to adjust to a big move and to closing down the BakeHouse in NJ.

In the meantime I'm putting our little kitchen to the test. It's amazing how creative you can get when you're passionate about something!

As you can see . . . it's very easy to convert a counter top to a bench:)

I find that I still do things the same way in regard to getting my Mise en place.

OK . . . I've had to really adjust to this mixer. And my husband Tom has become a pro at fixing it! I don't think it likes the demand I've put on it even though my mixes are very short . . . I think it also knows that I really, really miss my Big Boy Spiral Arm.

Here it is in waiting. The encouraging thing is that the mixer is waiting in the room that we hope will become my BakeHouse :)

And here's the last two loaves of the bake, Apple Pecan. I plan on entering this bread in the Western Pecan Growers Pecan Food Contest next weekend!

I'll let you know how it goes!

It's now 6:30am, the bake is done, sun is coming up and it looks like it's going to be another beautiful New Mexico Day! Be well everyone & blessings - Kath

We Made It . . . . !

It took us 4 days to make it to our new home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We left the East Coast just as the snow was rolling in and found ourselves traveling through the nasty weather front until we got outside of Arkansas. After that it was sunny and warm for the rest of the trip.

It was good to have the four days of driving across the country to take a deep breath and process all that had happened to us in the last 4 months. Even the dogs enjoyed the extended nap time they got during the trip!

It wasn't but a few days after we arrived in Las Cruces that the movers arrived with all our STUFF from New Jersey - it seemed that the load had multiplied while in transit. We didn't remember packing so many boxes!

One of the last items to come off the truck was my bread mixer. Needless to say, I was very relieved to see it roll off the ramp safely! And the BakeHouse starters are doing well in their new home. I've noticed a change in the overall aroma as they take on some new characteristics from their environment. They will be in dormancy for a few more weeks as we get settled in our new home. I'm looking forward to making my first batch of New Mexico Sourdough Bread.

And today we became official New Mexico residents. It's all still surreal and we keep feeling like we'll be getting on a plane to head back from our "vacation".

Las Cruces has welcomed us with clear skies, warm days and chilly desert nights. Our neighbors have welcomed us with the warmth and kindness so familiar in this beautiful city. And every morning as I take the dogs out for their morning walk, I'm greeted by the beautiful Organ Mountains.

We are finding that requests for bread are starting to come in as people find out about the BakeHouse arriving in New Mexico. We'll keep you posted!

Thanks for sharing our journey - thoughtfully Kath & Tom

The last bake . . .

The day of my last bake on Saturday, September 26th has come and gone. There has been so much happening as we prepare to move to New Mexico that I've not had much time to reflect. As I share with you this morning my mind is scattered as we continue to sell items from our home and pack up for the moving company which arrives next Wednesday, 10/14! My last morning baking bread.

My best friend who knows me to the core :)

I was grateful that my last bake was on a weekend and I was able to have my husband Tom with me. Since he actually built our Alan Scott Oven, it seemed appropriate that we share the last day together. I also needed his support or I would have cried my way through the whole morning. With Tom by my side, we talked, laughed and cried together about our life with the bread.

The very last load goes in the oven.

With the tears comes letting go and looking forward. We talked about our plans to rebuild the BakeHouse in Las Cruces, NM. It will take time . . . but we are excited about the possibilities there. And I've discovered something about myself as a baker - I am completely dedicated to this method of baking and have a passion for the whole process from preparing the dough to firing the oven. I couldn't imagine creating and baking bread any other way. I look forward to what the bread will teach me in New Mexico and I look forward to what Tom and I will discover together as we enter in to this new chapter of our lives.

Thanks for coming along ~ thoughtfully

Kath

The student's bring great joy . . .

Clemence Danko from France

It has been an exciting last week here at the BakeHouse. Today will be my last prep day and my last day to have a visitor. The amount of bread is tremendous as the shops are trying to get as many loaves as they can from the last bake tomorrow morning. I'm very grateful to have the helping hands of eager students!

Jeremy Thomas survives a 6 day crash course!

The joy I've received from each student is priceless. Their enthusiasm for this method of making a naturally leavened Sourdough bread convinces me that my desire to pass on this ancient way of making bread is important.

Janice Ewertsen gets some more hands on learning after just finishing the intensive 2 month Bread Course at FCI in NYC

Laszio from Hungary (left), Clemence's husband also joins the fun

as well as Jeremy's boss Brain (right) from Apple Ridge Farm in

Saylorsburg, PA.

When the teacher becomes the student . . . .

Teaching a class about keeping a Sourdough Culture The Health Shoppe in Morristown, NJ in the Spring of 2009.

I've entered in to the final stretch of my bread making in New Jersey. It feels a little emotional. And to make things a little more challenging, I've been having to really monitor one of my Sourdough Starters since the weather in NJ went from Dogs Days to Cool Fall Days . . . sudden change in temperature and humidity does not make for a happy, robust Sourdough Culture.

What it has done is make me rely on years of experience of making bread to make the right decisions when I do face this type of challenge. Boy do I remember the beginning days. I could see that there was something wrong with the bread, but I didn't have enough experience to know what to do about it! Ahhh, the learning curve.

I've had the pleasure these last few bake days to share my work day with several visitors. As they spend the day with me, I observe so much that reminds me of my first attempts at becoming a baker of Sourdough bread. Back then I couldn't get enough information, and by the end of my visit with an experienced baker my brain felt swollen!

Now the tables have turned and while I'm sharing and teaching these eager baker's, I'm relearning myself! When these students leave the BakeHouse, my brain is swollen, the adrenalin is flowing and I can't wait for the next set of students to come so I can share and learn some more! I'm discovering that the benefit I get from sharing my skill is priceless. I have been truly blessed by this opportunity and I'm looking forward to sharing my last week of baking in New Jersey with 6 more students.

And this past week, one of my students, an avid home baker, told me that he will be gifting me with a Fig Tree to take to New Mexico. He's so enthusiastic and excited about what he's learned from his visit. He built his own brick oven in his back yard based on the oven his mother had in her home in Tuscany! I will look forward to staying in touch with him as I will need his help in cultivating the Fig Tree! Thank you Mario!

Thoughtfully

Kath