No-Knead Artisan Bread

November 12, 2019 by Sarah Blanchard in baking, sarah

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (or ABIF) was something of a revolution when it first hit the market just over a decade ago (in fact, the word “revolution” is present in its very title). It was the bread-baking technique that first got me, and countless others, baking bread on a regular basis. The notion was simple: bread baking shouldn’t be prohibitive; it’s a basic human activity. How can this ancient tradition be reintroduced to the modern home? With a recipe that takes roughly “Five Minutes a Day,” Artisan bread was back on American tables.

Autumn Bread & Cheese Board

October 24, 2018 by Sophie Barrows in baking, sophie

I find shaping bread so much fun. Fresh baked bread is always a crowd pleaser, but with just a teeny bit more time & effort, it becomes an absolute showstopper. This Fall, I dreamed up a harvest themed board with pumpkin and leaf shaped breads.

Adjusting to new pressures

September 21, 2018 by Sarah Blanchard in sarah, life

Today my bread rose up into the puffiest plumpest little loaf you ever did see. It’s the third time I’ve made this recipe (easiest softest white bread) and it has turned out differently each time.

Coconut Chocolate Coffee Sourdough (with regular yeast variation)

May 31, 2018 by Sophie Barrows in baking, sophie

As promised, here is a sweet sourdough bread recipe: coconut, chocolate chips, and coffee all come together for a yummy treat. Special enough to make me smile when we have some for breakfast, but not too sweet to make you feel like you're making an excuse to eat dessert (I'm not the only one, right?).

St. Nicholas' day

December 07, 2017 by Sophie Barrows in sophie, food

Whenever I think about family traditions, I realize some of my strongest and most beloved center around food. Christmas and Easter strongly evoke a Polish breakfast feast (my paternal grandmother is 100%) consisting of Kielbasa, horseradish, babka, and pierogi. Christmas also brings to mind halvah, marzipan, sesame honey candies, and pepperoni sticks -- our stocking staples. On any given birthday, it was an absolute given that the celebrated person got to decide what special breakfast, dinner, and cake that they'd like. Saturdays and Sundays always began with either pancakes, waffles, or crepes. In fact, we never let a special day or occasion (sometimes, even just a hint of one) slip by without ensuring it was punctuated by suitably festive bakes and makes.

Baking for Market: The Last Mad Dash

October 09, 2017 by Sophie Barrows in sophie, home & family

This year was our first year gardening full time and selling at farmers' markets. Markets began in May and end the first week of November. It has been quite a learning experience, full of hard work, disappointments, and more than an equal share of reward and satisfaction. (If you want to read more about our farm, click here.)

To help beef up our offerings at market, I bake breads of various kinds. I have never been and still do not consider myself an expert baker. I simply love bread and always strive to better and perfect my work.