Really enjoyed this piece, Nancy. It makes me want to jump in the car to tour and support these remarkable bakers and stewards of good bread making. I hope to do so later this summer and will be tucking this list away. I've already made sure my rental will allow me to make the Tinder Hearth line early AM.
Hi Nancy, I am hoping to make it to the kneading conference. I went to their seed event with Maine Grains Alliance, the non-profit end of Maine Grains and they had a great event with corn as the star of the show.
That’s good news, Charlie. It’s a great affair. I don’t go any more because I have such mobility issues but I found it always enthralling, challenging, and provocative. Came home always with plans to grow my own wheat and open a bakery. Fortunately the dreams dissipated when reality struck but I’m still entranced with the whole process, from seed to sandwich, you might say.
So much great information enlaced in such an enjoyable read! Your writing is always so masterful, Nancy. After a recent visit in Maine, my daughter insisted that we make a stop at Zu Bakery on our way to the airport, so she could take some of Barak's amazing bread home to North Carolina with her. It was late in the day, and not much was left to sell, but she bought a seeded rye, a pain levain, and a couple of croissants. When I first tasted Barak's bread at the Brunswick farmers market, eleven years ago, I thought "this is world class bread." It only took a few years for the James Beard Foundation to agree. Barak is a true master of his artful craft.
No, Sonya, I cannot. I’m not able to do that. If you want to know about gluten sensitivity you must be in touch with the bakers themselves. I’m sure they’ll be happy to inform you—they are an obliging and generous lot.
We managed to sample the delights at Tinder Hearth last summer while leaving Stonington after a week's vacation. Younger folk than I stood in line while I sat in the shade, awaiting the delicious feast. Truly a great bakery! I keep meaning to try Zu, and now I will definitely check it out! Thanks, Nancy!
Here, everyone knows what you wrote — a meal isn't a meal without bread.
In Chile, we buy it fresh every single day. At the bakery, the baker comes out dressed in white, flour all over his clothes, and lays each kind into the open wooden drawers where everyone picks their own.
There's a sound to it.
The marraqueta — airy and spongy inside, with the thinnest crust — lands almost hollow as the pieces stack, whispering where they rub. The round hallullas fall heavier, denser, made with lard, no air inside.
Each bread has its own voice.
When something sits at the center of every table, you learn it by heart — the weight of it, the sound, the smell — long before it reaches your plate.
Really enjoyed this piece, Nancy. It makes me want to jump in the car to tour and support these remarkable bakers and stewards of good bread making. I hope to do so later this summer and will be tucking this list away. I've already made sure my rental will allow me to make the Tinder Hearth line early AM.
What a delightful reveal of all things bakery in Portland! I can hardly wait to visit and come home with fabulous bread. As always, many thanks!
Hi Nancy, I am hoping to make it to the kneading conference. I went to their seed event with Maine Grains Alliance, the non-profit end of Maine Grains and they had a great event with corn as the star of the show.
That’s good news, Charlie. It’s a great affair. I don’t go any more because I have such mobility issues but I found it always enthralling, challenging, and provocative. Came home always with plans to grow my own wheat and open a bakery. Fortunately the dreams dissipated when reality struck but I’m still entranced with the whole process, from seed to sandwich, you might say.
So much great information enlaced in such an enjoyable read! Your writing is always so masterful, Nancy. After a recent visit in Maine, my daughter insisted that we make a stop at Zu Bakery on our way to the airport, so she could take some of Barak's amazing bread home to North Carolina with her. It was late in the day, and not much was left to sell, but she bought a seeded rye, a pain levain, and a couple of croissants. When I first tasted Barak's bread at the Brunswick farmers market, eleven years ago, I thought "this is world class bread." It only took a few years for the James Beard Foundation to agree. Barak is a true master of his artful craft.
So true, Zora. And I’d love to get you together with some of the other bakers I mentioned too. Let’s make a bakery field trip in the fall.
Can you provide feedback regarding the breads referenced here in re gluten sensitivity?
No, Sonya, I cannot. I’m not able to do that. If you want to know about gluten sensitivity you must be in touch with the bakers themselves. I’m sure they’ll be happy to inform you—they are an obliging and generous lot.
We managed to sample the delights at Tinder Hearth last summer while leaving Stonington after a week's vacation. Younger folk than I stood in line while I sat in the shade, awaiting the delicious feast. Truly a great bakery! I keep meaning to try Zu, and now I will definitely check it out! Thanks, Nancy!
Here, everyone knows what you wrote — a meal isn't a meal without bread.
In Chile, we buy it fresh every single day. At the bakery, the baker comes out dressed in white, flour all over his clothes, and lays each kind into the open wooden drawers where everyone picks their own.
There's a sound to it.
The marraqueta — airy and spongy inside, with the thinnest crust — lands almost hollow as the pieces stack, whispering where they rub. The round hallullas fall heavier, denser, made with lard, no air inside.
Each bread has its own voice.
When something sits at the center of every table, you learn it by heart — the weight of it, the sound, the smell — long before it reaches your plate.