A day of test baking . . . the humble Bialy.

"When I was an adolescent in Auschwitz lying on the hard shelf that was my bed and hallucinating from hunger, I would often try to recall the shape and savory aroma of the kuchen we used to eat at home in Bialystok."    Samuel Pisar - Holocaust survivor

Today I had a date with bread history. With each of the breads I've baked, the process of test baking is like attending a History Class. I find myself eager to learn about the bread through the process of making it. Such was the journey today with the humble Bialy. Bialystok, a town in Poland, which is believed to be the birthplace of the Bialy.

Because of my passion for baking with sourdough, I converted the simple Bialy formula, that uses commercial yeast, to a formula that would use sourdough for leavening. I'm very, very pleased with the result. As they came out of the oven, I felt like a little girl on Christmas morning, walking into the living room, before anyone woke up, and seeing the lit Christmas tree with all the wrapped gifts underneath! It was magical to see these old world treasures come out of the oven and smell the wonderful aroma of caramelized onion! Here's my journey with the Bialy - Enjoy!

All ingredients into the mixer and mixed for 10 minutes on slow speed.

The dough temperature was a bit higher than I wanted.
But the small amount of dough cooled quickly to the desired
76° once I placed the dough bucket in a cool room.

The dough came together nicely. It was firm, but not overly stiff after the 10 minutes of mixing. It then went into a dough bucket to ferment for 2 hours. I stretched the dough after the first hour of fermenting.

I was excited to see wonderful fermentation from the sourdough
showing up after the first hour of fermenting.

Once the two hours of fermentation was done, I then scaled the dough into 12 - 3oz balls and prepared them for another hour of fermentation. The dough at this point was filled with life. It's one of the experiences as the baker of sourdough bread that I enjoy, the feel of the living dough.

I placed the dough balls onto parchment sprayed with non-stick spray.
I then covered the pan with a flour sack towel and then
put the whole tray into a plastic bag.

After the two hours of fermentation was complete, the dough balls were ready to be made into the unique form of the Bialy. Basically, forming them is like making mini pizzas!

The dough was extremely pliable but strong.
The trick was to make sure the middle was pressed down so that it was paper thin.
This would assure that as the Bialy baked, it would not pop up in the
middle and push out the onion mixture.

I used a fresh, big, juicy yellow onion from the Mesilla Valley.
I minced the onion very fine and then added some plain
breadcrumbs to the onions. 

The Bialys baked for 15 minutes. It was hard to wait for them to cool enough before taking a bite!

The aroma in the kitchen reminded me of being in New York City
and walking by a Bagel and Bialy shop.
So it's just like we say "a little taste of Brooklyn in the Land of Enchantment"!

I was so pleased with the flavor. And the crumb was nice and light.
I felt as though the first test bake was a success.

 Tomorrow I will test bake the Bialys again and then bake them in the wood fired oven! I'm already looking forward to tomorrows breakfast - a hot bialy with butter!

I will be sure to post the results! Stay tuned - Kath

Seems everyone wants us to have a storefront!

Making mistakes and learning from them is crucial to winning. Learning from the mistakes of others is less painful 
~ Dave Ramsey

The last three months have been filled with growth and change. It's been exhilarating to say the least. Owning a business can make you a bit seasick if you're someone whose not up for the challenge. You need to be willing to take a road less traveled, think outside the box and have the ability to reinvent yourself over and over again and know when to say "no"!            

There are so many snares along the way, and if you're not paying attention, you can really get yourself sidelined. At first it's very subtle, you don't even notice them. You are busy keeping up the pace and focusing on growing the business. As each Saturday approached the customers were coming. New ones, repeat ones, tourists and even folks from as far away as Deming, NM and El Paso, TX! And between the hours of 9:30am to 11:00am at the market it was busy. And over the chatter you'd hear "do you have a storefront?", "is there any place else I can get your bread?", "do you ship your bread?", "do you sell your bread to restaurants?", "will you open a shop in El Paso?", "when are you going to open a restaurant?"

Our response: "this is our storefront - we're here every Saturday. ". It seemed to come out almost like an apology. Hum . . . why is that I questioned myself.

Let the search begin:
We needed to investigate this for ourselves. You cannot make a good decision about something, especially a business move, if you do not gather information. We started out by talking with a Bank, a long time landlord, who had owned several business properties and leased them out, two Realtors and also made notes of other vendors, like ourselves that had opened up shops and then closed them.

1) The Concession Trailers. Every shape and size. New, used, barely used (a lesson to be learned there). Several things kept making the concept unappealing. The cost being the first hurdle, the loss of our wonderful space at the market and the barrier that a vending coach presents. With the coach concept we would be inside a box looking down at our customers and handing them their food through a window. Very unappealing to us since seeing our customers, talking to them, joking, laughing and sharing our business with them is so much a part of who we are. So check that one off.

2) The brick and mortar. We looked at several buildings and spaces that were for lease. We had problems right from the start. We didn't want to have a landlord, and we didn't want to pour a huge chunk of money and our own blood, sweat and tears into someone else's building to retro fit it to our needs. And no matter how we looked at it, we had to be honest, our new location at the market was proving to be a huge success without being in a building.

3) Buying property and building our own shop. In the beginning, this was really exciting! We even had a builder in mind. Since we had built our own home and BakeHouse in New Jersey, taking on a project like this one was something we were familiar with! There was even an awesome piece of property within walking distance from Main Street where the market takes place and it was in a historic district. BUT . . . when we punched the numbers and did the pros and cons we found ourselves saying - if we do this we'll put tremendous stress on our product and ourselves. And the list of eateries that had come and gone, some within a matter of months after opening, served as a serious warning. And once again we found ourselves going back to our location at the market on Saturdays - there would be no way we could match the foot traffic that we received each and every Saturday at the market with a building and a huge pile of debt.

Our search had come to a conclusion, we are very happy and satisfied with where we were at. We like that our storefront was at the Saturday Las Cruces Farmers' and Crafters' Market. Right on an awesome corner in front of The Music Box, a store that has been a long time resident in Las Cruces. We like the buzz that takes place every Saturday morning as we're setting up, with that flutter of anticipation in the pit of your stomach as you wonder what the day will bring. We really enjoy our block and all the vendors that we share it with. And best of all, we like the fact that we are not owned by a Bank. It allows for us to be creative with our menu and breads, it allows for us to take on young employees, to mentor them and see them develop working skills that they will take with them into the world and it allows for us to enjoy what we do without the pressures of owning or leasing a building.

But there was one thing that a storefront would have given us - a place for our customers to sit down, in the shade to enjoy their BakeHouse fare. So we thought outside the box and we've put in our request for a third space that will hopefully become the "BakeHouse Outdoor Bistro" at the Las Cruces Farmers' & Crafters' Market! It may take some time for the concept to come to fruition, but our customers are excited about it and the cost . . . . well, let's just say it does not involve a Bank and Dave Ramsey would be very pleased.

We appreciate each and every one of you. Those of you who are far away and share our adventure with us on Facebook and our blog and those of you who faithfully come to the market each Saturday to enjoy our bread and bagels.

Thoughtfully - Kath

Batten down the hatches . . . it's MARCH in New Mexico!

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."  Charles Dickens

There really is no way to describe what it's like to sell bread at an open market with the wind howling and throwing gusts of 30+ mph at you. We've had some of our best market days when the weather is difficult. Our customers are amazing! But there came a point this past Saturday that I did consider whether or not we were loosing our minds as I watch the bacon and the eggs Tom was cooking on the grill go flying off in the wind! As one vendor hollered out as the bacon flew by his booth "watch out, the Pigs are flying!"

We did open our BakeHouse Bagel Booth with Grand Success on March 2nd. But it was a difficult day emotionally, for no sooner did we get both the BakeHouse Bread and the BakeHouse Bagel Booth set up, we received a phone call from El Paso, TX that my 27 year old cousin had passed away suddenly. Fortunately, my father-in-law, Tom Sr., was able to pack up my mom, Jolan, right away and take her to El Paso, about a 45 minute drive. 

Tom and I along with my mother-in-law, Rita and our wonderful new employee, Erin, served our customers. It's at times like these, when you have to function while your processing difficult news, that family is so extremely important. I feel in my heart that it's this very aspect that gives the BakeHouse it's unique personality. It is a blessing beyond words.

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door"  Milton Berle

We had no idea when we added our bagels the the bread line up that we were actually creating an opportunity to expand our business. What started out as a simple desire to recreate the "real" bagel, has now turned in to it's very own business! We now have two very distinct Vendor Booths side by side. The BakeHouse Bagel Booth is introducing us to new customers because of the Bagel Sandwiches, which in turn, introduces those customers to our BakeHouse European Breads and vise versa. I have to say that this to me is truly a Win Win business opportunity!

Only folks from the East Coast are familiar with some of the items we serve.
It's been fun putting together all the advertising. It takes me back to all those
years I was a designer in the publishing industry!

And adding to our already exciting venture, we have now received official news that we have been given a permanent spot at the Las Cruces Farmer's and Crafter's Market! We've been told that we are being considered an Anchor Vendor for the block that we've been placed on. This is really, really important to us. Dave Ramsey would love it! It's like having your very own store front, but without all the overhead of having to own your own building. This weekend will be our first time at our new location, so I'm busy getting the word out, this blog being one of those vehicles. 

Letting folks know where to park is key!
Our new location gives our customers quick, easy
access to our booth.

The access alley is welcoming and will literally take
our customers right to our booth. No longer will they
have to wander up and down the long stretch looking for us!

We will be located in front of a store that has been a part of the Las Cruces
Downtown Mall for many, many years. We feel it a privilege to call this new
location our home! So on Saturdays, you'll find us at 200 S. Downtown Mall, Las Cruces, NM!

This is the weather forecast for this coming weekend: 

Saturday, 3/16/2013

Clear. High of 84F. Winds from the West at 5 to 15 mph.

It is our hope that it holds true! My plan is to take lots of pictures, and I'm excited to have help in doing that since we'll be blessed with some extra help. A student from Germany, Tim, will be joining us for several Saturday's as part of his work study time here in the US. I'm looking forward to when some of our German customers come and Tim will be there to welcome them in German. What a surprise that will be!

Thank you to all of you who have joined us in this journey. Thoughtfully, Kath

A little bit of Brooklyn in the sunny Southwest . . .

This NYC icon has been recreated into a Porcelain Mug and serves
as our Business Card holder!

"It seems that when you travel or go abroad you'll have these wonderful culinary experiences, only to come home and find yourself talking to everyone about them, knowing that you'll not get them again unless you go back to that location. You know Kath, you seem to have brought the experience to us." as quoted to me by a wonderful, sweet spirit, Abby. It's not her exact quote, but I think I've captured the heart of what she was sharing. This was while we were eating BakeHouse Bagels at a breakfast gathering at our church.

This has indeed been our project for the last several months, and why I've not had many updates on the Blog. There has been a lot of prayer, thought, Board of Health meetings, Block Captain discussions, reviews, family conversations and test baking that has gone into our desire to bring to Las Cruces, NM the wonderful, traditional Bagel from the days of the Bagel Bakers Local 338 Union of New York City, which was primarily in the borough of Brooklyn, established in the early 1900's.

As I had shared with you several blogs ago about introducing the Bagel to our lineup of bread, you'll remember the Tom, the over builder, was the instigator. Once we had our bagel production underway, Tom then set his sights on the BakeHouse Bagel Booth.

Again I have been inspired by the history of this "poor peoples" bread. I have such a passion in bringing this simple food, in its original form, to the wonderful City of the Crosses, Las Cruces.

Check out this wonderful video: 

http://media.gfem.org/node/11687

Bringing the idea into fruition has been another amazing journey, which will have us now holding two permits. One for the BakeHouse, which is a food processing permit and the second is a Caterer permit which will allow for us to have our BakeHouse Bagel Booth at the Farmer's Market, which is literally a portable Bagel Shop! How cool is THAT!

So along with the bagels, there will of course be the . . . schmears, and a few other things that are uniquely Brooklyn!

We will offer the refreshing and traditionally
made Egg Cream Soda (which contains no eggs)

And a Bagel Booth that's tipping it's hat toward NYC
wouldn't be complete if it didn't offer the
Heavenly Coffee . . . In the traditional 10oz size cup.
No mega sizes offered here.
The 10oz to go cup is easy to carry along with a brief case,
newspaper and bagel as you hustled to get on the Subway or Path.
Remember, our goal is to capture a tiny part of the true NYC experience!

We did have to sneak one major New Jersey icon into our menu - Taylor Ham, also known as Pork Roll. We will showcase this in our Jersey Boy Bagel Sandwich. As you can see, we are having a blast putting the BakeHouse Bagel Booth together and can't wait to share it with Las Cruces.

We have found that our lives with traditional European Bread and Jewish Bagels is so interesting, like reading a really good book . It's the people that they bring into our lives. Each person, unique and sharing with us their experiences with bread. And while they are sharing with us, I find that I'm getting a small glimpse of into their heart . . . . what a privilege.

Thank you for coming along with us . . . thoughtfully ~ Kath

The BakeHouse is getting some Radio time!

Tomorrow morning at 7:30am I'll be giving an interview with Michael Swickard about the BakeHouse and the European Sourdough Breads that we make. Hope you can join us!

News New Mexico: Twitter

We are truly Thankful . . . .

"How can a nation be called great

if its bread tastes like kleenex?"

~ Julia Child ~

The BakeHouse has been a buzzing since the Thanksgiving Holiday and Christmas right around the corner. Las Cruces is a tourist destination and the mild winter climate brings in new visitors every weekend. Since we're still a floating vendor (we don't have a permanent spot yet) new local customers are discovering us each weekend!

Customers arrive very early to get their bread.
Sometimes the tent is just about set up and we're selling bread!

I never have to worry about anything at our booth with
both my mom (Jolan, on the Rt) and my Mother-in-Law (Rita)
running the show! They are such a wonderful blessing to me,
the BakeHouse wouldn't be the same without them!

There's nothing like customers to keep you on your toes and to keep you striving to do your best. Just about every Saturday since we started selling BakeHouse Breads at the market there has been at least one person that asks for Rye bread. And when we introduced our big BakeHouse Miche, which is a 95% Whole Wheat Sourdough, many of the Rye customers purchased that bread over the others.

The thought of adding another bread, especially Rye bread, was very difficult for me. Rye, the Rye I wanted to make, seemed to have its own schedule of fermentation. And no matter how I tried to weave it in to the schedule, it just seemed like it would be a struggle.

BUT there was this one customer from Sweden. I don't know what it was about her, but she was able to coax me into making a Rye. She wasn't demanding, or pushy, in fact she was tremendously gracious as she shared with me her enjoyment of the BakeHouse Miche. I think it was when she started sharing with me the reason Rye bread was the bread of choice in her country as she grew up. It was simple bread with a very important place on the table. It was purchased out of need. To not have this bread in the home meant that stomachs would be hungry. Because of the keeping quality of the bread, the loaves were made in very large rounds so that they could sustain a family for a week. A slice of this bread with a meager slice of cheese, or a spread of lard, would offer the body fuel for the day.

My desire to recreate Old World Breads is what inspires me as a baker. The bread she spoke about was not quite the dense German Rye that I had researched. I found myself reading about Polish style Rye breads, and there it was, the Polish Cottage Rye, a Sourdough Rye that had the same exact fermenting schedule as the Miche. I became overjoyed with the realization that I could actually add this bread to our line up!

As with all the other BakeHouse Sourdoughs, the Cottage Rye starter is prepared
14 hours before the dough is mixed.

The dough, once mixed and fermented for 2 hours is as soft as velvet!
There is very little evidence of the typical increase in size that you usually
see with a dough made with wheat flour.

The Cottage Rye dough wasn't as sticky as I thought it would be. It was actually very easy to scale and shape.

If you look closely, you can see some of the gas pockets that have formed in the dough

Now that I know how the dough handles, I will be scaling them at 5lbs each.

I dusted the linen heavily with flour to assure that the dough would not stick.

After proofing for 2 hours at 72°, the dough was ready to go into the oven.

The oven temperature was perfect at 475°

The oven bloom was amazing!

It was very hard to do, but we waited until Saturday morning to actually cut a loaf.
The smell was amazing. The Rye flavor was very much there and the taste was
wonderful. 

Saturday morning was going to be the real test. To offer this bread to our loyal customers and to give part of a loaf to the very person who coaxed me into making this wonderful bread, my Swedish customer, Inge. She was so pleased to be chosen as the official taste tester. I told her that she needed to follow up with me, good or bad, and let me know what her thoughts were. 

I received a call on Monday. Inge gave the Cottage Rye an A+! And she thanked me over and over again for bringing this very special bread to Las Cruces. She again shared with me how it was this type of Medium Rye that was a staple bread in many homes throughout Europe. I was so grateful for her experience with this bread and for her encouragement. And to confirm that this bread was needed, the BakeHouse Cottage Rye was the first bread to sell out!

It is a privilege to be able to make these wonderful breads. As our customers come and purchase their special loaf of bread each week, I can't help but watch them walk away, hugging their loaf, wondering if they realize that they are carrying a little piece of history. 

To all of you, our friends, our family and our customers

We wish you a Very Merry Christmas!

Thank you ~ Kath

Three years ago today . . . September 26, 2009.

Today marks the day three years ago that our last bake took place in New Jersey before we moved to Las Cruces, NM. I've been thinking about what I would post today regarding this milestone and I realized that what I posted on October 9, 2009 still resonated in my heart today.

As I look over our blog and all that's taken place to rebuild the BakeHouse here in New Mexico I am awestruck, deeply moved and overwhelmingly grateful.

So with that said, I redirect you to the post on October 9, 2009. It's been and continues to be, an amazing journey.

Thoughtfully
Kath