Well, I’ve lapsed in my effort to produce a monthly newsletter. Usually I’m elbow-deep in dough. Since you last heard from me, we have received more Forefront from Luke Peterson and have started a relationship with Ben Penner and his Turkey Red wheat. Both growers are less than two hours away, and it sure makes me feel connected to people and place and the flour itself. We’ve had a ball teaching classes and continuing to mill and bake daily.
It’s been the blink of an eye, but we’ve been milling and baking in NE Minneapolis for 12 months now. Like any homeowner knows, maintenance is key for keeping everything humming, and the same is true for our mill.
You know how poets write about a feeling of discontent that settles in as winter gives way to spring? We Minnesotans are acutely aware of this ennui that feels a bit like a hangover from a long winter of being cooped up inside. It’s been like that at the bakery lately. We’re excited about the new grain currently in the ground that in a few months’ time will be milled by us and turned into bread, but the thought of that alone doesn’t quite scratch the itch.
Spring's here. Other than when fall turns chilly and the urge to bake kicks in, it is my absolute favorite time of year. Why? Farmers all over the Midwest are planting wheat that will become Baker's Field flour and bread in the not-too-distant future. So, right now, your bread is--quite literally--going in the field.
Last month was our inaugural Garage Door Pop-Up -- we opened the bakery and mill to sell our breads and all kinds of other goodies. We ended up having a good problem that day—we sold out of all our product before 11 am. To be honest, when I saw the long lines, I was simultaneously elated and terrified.
