Challah bonanza

So, the big Challah-baking event happened yesterday at The Bread Doctor and I actually baked 40 loaves of this beautiful bread.

Challah ready for packaging

It took 12 hours to bake all of those loaves, but I was thrilled and on top of the world.  I was so excited, because the ovens were cooperating, the loaves were not burning, and I could see and feel magic happening.  As always, I was learning as the project moved on.

Lessons learned included:

1) The batch of dough that I made actually made 10 loaves each instead of nine...this was good for yield.  And I was able to call a few people on the waiting list and sell them bread.

2) It is awfully hard to have people find 218 Linda Vista when the construction project involved removing the house numbers.  So, I had to have a quick fix that involved particle board and spray paint.  I call it baker's graffiti.

It looks like I have topsoil for sale

3)I actually can bake for 12 hours, go to bed and recover, and show up for work the next day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

4) I must get a bigger oven...lots bigger, in order to bake 9-12 loaves at a time rather than 3.  When I can get the room to create the volume, then I can make more loaves in one day and will not have to restrict the number of orders.

5)After baking and washing my hands all day...all of the skin on my hands split open with tiny micro-cracks.  These felt like 100 bees stinging my hands every time I used hand sanitizer at work today....nice.

I felt like a real baker yesterday and am scheming and planning my next event.  It might include more Challah, biscotti, or some whole grain bread.  I am working on getting the sheeter hooked up to the phase converter so that I can start with croissants up and running.  Each event takes me one step closer to a retail bakery.

How much Challah?....Or in other words, "How to make 30 loaves in one day....and start a business."

 

Well, there it is....Challah!  This is a European egg bread that is of traditional Jewish origin. I am getting ready to bake 20-30 loaves in one day in my home oven as  a sale to "dress up your Thanksgiving table" through my website: www.thebreaddoctor.com.  I took two loaves to the hospital one day and they were gone in less than two hours.  I will have to admit that I was pleased to hear people holler down the hall..."That bread is amazing...it is so light....now I am in trouble, etc"  I have to give all the credit to my teacher, and I still have much more refining to do.  But it was great to know that I could produce a product that was attractive and tasty.

 

This is the second formal sale (the first time on October 25, was just an informal foray into Facebook to see how many people would respond)  that I have done through the website.  The last one was November 8 and 9, "The November Roll-a-Thon," where I baked Cinnamon Caramel rolls and Kaiser Rolls.  I sold over 30 dozen rolls in two days.  I thought of the idea because a friend needed to have those two kinds of rolls for a conference that she was hosting that weekend.  She asked if they could be my first formal customers.  I then began to test bake and to see how long it took me to make and bake them, etc.  I then decided to extend the baking to anyone who sent me an order through Facebook or on my website.  The orders began to come in, I began to bake and package, and I learned some very valuable lessons.  It is sort of difficult to bake two different kinds of rolls in a home oven when they require different temperatures and you can only bake three dozen at one time....hee...hee.  I also realized that the dough mixing and proofing was going well, except I had no way to keep it from rising too fast, and so I was making dough all day long both days and retarding (slowing) it in the refrigerator and performing all kinds of multi-tasking to get everything ready for the oven when it was ready.  It was busy.  Everyone seemed to be pleased with the product and I had gotten some bright ideas for the next time. 

 

First, only one type of product until I get an oven that is bigger and can heat up faster and bake more at once.  (That is why people build bakeries!)  Second, I needed to choose products that can be held for some time and kept fresh so that I can bake starting early in the morning and still deliver at 4-5 pm.  Third, I also need to start with bread that is made from dough that can rest for a while so that I can make some of the dough the day before and then bake it off the day of the sale.   These were all great ideas to make the next time easier.  So....Challah bread it is.  The dough can rest for 24 hours before being made into braids and so I can get several batches into various stages of resting the day before and then braid and bake my brains out on November 20.  It will be great fun!

Who can resist?

Inside of the Challah bread sliced

So, this is where it begins.  I realized when I got home from Bend that I could not rush downtown and just hop into a retail location.  I needed to keep practicing my baking, and in amounts that were bakery style...not just 1 or 2 loaves of something.  So, the germ hatched....why not start at home?  Maybe I will continue like this for a couple of years while I am getting things going.   Then, another germ hatched....Lisa and I were already planning a kitchen remodel.  Why not remodel the kitchen with features that will make it easier to run a home bakery?  Yes this is crazy, but true.

  I had already done some research about Cottage Food Laws in the State of Wyoming.  I can run a baking business at home with some restrictions.  I cannot bake and sell anything that requires refrigeration to stay safe.  So that means no cheesecakes, eclairs, quiche, cream puffs, cream pies, or custards until I can produce them in a commercial kitchen.  I can make myself live with that.  So I am focusing on the myriad of baked goods that sit at room temperature (almost all of them) while I start my business.

So here is the beginning of the remodel, which started by the way, on November 8....the day that people were coming to pick up the first round of Cinnamon Caramel and Kaiser rolls.  Great timing!

Front of the house on November 7

November 8....notice the lovely, graceful walkway that The Bread Doctor customers use to pick up their goods.

Things are getting serious



This lovely November 14 mound of dirt hides a secret.......

A 12-foot deep hole with a surprise gas line!

I will save the story about the water line that they dug into in this chasm for a later blog. Needless to say....there will be roadside service as people pick up their Challah on November 20.  The extra space in the kitchen will be nice and make things great for our family and children visiting home as well as the bakery venture.

The Bread Doctor is in the house...Opening Weekend

Well, we finally did it and declared an official opening for the bakery, The Bread Doctor.  It started Friday, October 25th when we offered our first product, Cinnamon Caramel Rolls.  I woke up and realized that I had the day to bake, and got on the Facebook page and announced that I would bake for anyone who placed an order that day.  We had a wonderful reponse  and I baked 8 dozen rolls.  This is a wonderful initial effort and we appreciate all who are supporting our new venture.  I must say that the rolls are delicious.  The bread is not so sweet (European style) and that compliments the topping well.  These are a hybrid of a great sweet roll dough formula that Marda gave me with her caramel sauce.  I can't thank her enough.  I left out the nuts found on many sticky buns (at the request of the customer), and added currants (not so sweet as dark raisins) and a bit of spice to the caramel topping. 

The house smelled wonderfully, and I had to fight off my 13 year-old who could not understand why I was not baking for him.  He had his share earlier in the week.  I personally prefer pecans, and will be offering them dressed up versions with nuts later.



Here are the rolls cooling waiting to be boxed up

Eleanor and I are so appreciative of those who have shown support and believed in our baking.  We live in a great community here in Wyoming and have enjoyed our time here. Here we are that first day with the first delivery of Cinnamon Caramel Rolls.  Of course, we are looking forward to many more deliveries as the weeks progress.

 

Our first customer!

 Saturday morning, I baked off the last of the rolls and delivered them warm to customers.  I then spent much of the afternoon organizing the baking supplies that I have been ordering.  William helped with gusto and we are definitely getting set up to bake more.  Then we headed to Cheyenne to watch the BYU Ballroom Dance Company perform and they were magnificent.  We met the rest of our family there and ate at a famous and delicious burger joint to begin the celebration of Eleanor's birthday.  Monday, October 28 she will be sixteen years old.  We are a happy family!

 

 

Jupiter has landed....let the baking begin

Well, I drove like mad on September 28 and got to my mother's home on Saturday early in the afternoon and had a wonderful time with my sister, Jarene, and my mother, Nada.  We sampled many of the baked goods that I had packed in the truck and I left them with samplings to tide them over.  They thought the baking was adequate (Jarene said it was just like when she was in France), and they were surprised at how much I had hidden away in the Big Red Truck.  We had a great evening and retired in time for me to head out early the next morning to go home to Torrington.

The Salt River Range on September 28.

A couple of satisfied customers

 I drove across Wyoming early on Sunday morning, and found Towgwatee Pass to be greeted by an early fall snow storm.  The roads were fine, but this was the view that day of the roadside at just over 9000 feet.  It was lovely, and then by the middle of Wyoming, it was sunny and 60 degrees.  The weather in our state is very unusual at times and surprising.

I got home at about 1:30 in the afternoon to see my wonderful family and be reunited once again.  It was a very fun time in Oregon, but I missed them very much.  They were excited about seeing me and all the goodies in the Big Red Truck.:)  Homecoming at Torrington High was a thing of the past at that point, and they had already been attending school for a month.

 

 I have spent the last three weeks trying to get my head out of the clouds and think about the bakery idea and how it was going to work into being a full-time physician.  The answer is this...it is going to be tricky...but fun.  I worked as hospitalist for a week, did two clinic days and worked in the ER 72 hours in the first 17 days back.  Then I finally had time to put my head to the baking question.

 

 Well, after consultation with the accountant, lawyer, family, and friends, it has happened.  I founded The Bread Doctor, LLC on October 21, 2013.  I have already had someone request baked goods for a conference being held here in Torrington in November, and I have been test baking all week.  I am making the rolls below for breakfast and the Kaiser rolls for sandwiches.  I have had to work out all kinds of kinks with my pans at home and the oven, that has hotspots and quirks.  Not to mention the fact that I am flying solo and making the breads without the wonderful tutelage of Marda.  I keep thinking of all that she told me as I am going through the preparations.  I have spent the last week on the phone, in between baking, trying to locate suppliers that will deal with a business as small as I am and have been stocking up on supplies that will let me expand into more products in the next few months.  I have meetings with two suppliers tomorrow to see if they have the right sugar and flour and I will be consulting with Marda, as the correct flour is imperative to make baked goods of the quality that I want to produce. 

 

Today, I actually broke another "absolutely I will never do" resolution, when I opened a Facebook account for The Bread Doctor.  I have a page for the business that will feature the goods that I am currently offering, and anything else pertinent to the business. People really can change...I now have a blog and a Facebook account....I think the end of the world is near.  I plan on having baked goods ready for pickup on Wed afternoon through Saturday mornings.  Details about ordering and contact information will all be on my Facebook page....well there it is.  I am excited and it will be fun to work with my family as much as they want to be involved.  William and Eleanor both talk about working in the bakery at times.  Right now, school is the main priority.  Here are a few snapshots of the things I have been baking.  I am starting with simple and accessible baked goods that I hope will be attractive to my community.

Cinnamon sticky buns

Knotted Kaiser Rolls with poppy seeds

Knotted Kaiser Rolls with Sesame Seeds

 

One last note.....Jupiter has landed and it appears that the space mission was successful.  Here is a piture of him, and now some of the serious baking can commence....once I get him hooked up electrically.

 

Jupiter the sheeter

Peace, love, and baking!!!

A Brave New World

Well, the final day of class came and went and we spent the day discussing the equipment, business, layout, organizational issues, supplies, and anything else that might be useful for the bakery to be able to open.  Marda actually gave me a diploma to show that I had completed a Complete Breads and Pastries course, in case I need to prove it to someone later.   I took some quick photos of the space that I spent the last month in which is just off of her kitchen and all of the equipment.

20 quart mixer

60 quart spiral mixer

Sheeter and oven (holds ten full sheet pans and is gas-fired)

Industrial refrigerator and proofing cabinet next door



Industrial freezer with a blast chiller (-60F) on the top half

I also include a photo of the bakery where I spent several nights learning to work in a real setting.  This experience was invaluable and the owner, Di Long, was very accommodating and a great person.  Her bakery was very fun and also takes the space next door where she has extra seating.

Marda and her husband David were such wonderful hosts during the month.  We shared many wonderful lunches and had dinner out together one evening, and I felt that I had made new friends in them.

 I could not have asked for a better teacher.  Marda was patient and supportive, which was a perfect environment for me to feel free to ask questions and soak up as much of her knowledge as possible.  I had a lovely day, and then spent the night packing up my belongings and the frozen goods and the truck so that I could travel home.  My roommate, Lin, cooked Chinese food and it was amazing and then I visited the Sauter's to say goodbye.

 I left very early this morning to stay with my mother, Nada, and my sister, Jarene, in Thayne, Wyoming for the night and I will finish driving home tomorrow.  The fall colors were out in full force on the way, and the mountain tops are getting their first dusting of snow this week.

 

So, now I enter a brave new world of baking and medicine.  I will update the blog when there is progress with the bakery project.  I am currently planning to test bake at home and sell limited bakery products from home before the end of the year...maybe for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I will be working on my business plan as well.  I had a wonderful month learning the best way to make many wonderful bakery items and hope to share them with my community as I am able to implement them.  I need to get the bakery organization up and running.  I will also start using Facebook to advertise for The Bread Doctor.

 

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

Who can argue with cookies?  We had a cookie festival today at the International School of Baking and it was great.  Marda's goal was for me to have a reptoire of cookies that would appeal to various tastes.  I think that she did a great job.  These formulas serve as jump-of points for other variations.  She has also given me formulae for chocolate chip, quadruple chocolate, peanut butter...etc.  I am so grateful for her thoughtfulness in planning the breadth of the curriculum.  It has been a perfect month for me and has been the best start to this project that I could have wished for.  I know that I have an ally in the baking industry and she would do anything to help me be successful.  That is a great thing.

Well, despite my many years of adamant disdain for sugar cookies, I baked the best tasting sugar cookie today and am now converted.  I just felt before that they were always unacceptably large and sweet for no reason and with no flavor.  But I had no been exposed to French sables.  These just mean sugar cookie, but are light and nutty.  And in this case, they have the added benefit of an icing made with cream, almond and a special powdered sugar.  I think that I have been convinced of the honorable place of sugar cookie in a bakery repertoire.

Marda's decorating philosophy is that you pick a color palate and all the cookies should share that palate.  We decided that summer was definitely not over yet, and I decorated more of a celebratory cookie.  The fall colors just seemed too depressing right now at the end of such a great month.  Also, you need something colorful in the pastry case or everything is just beige and brown.

 

Speaking of brown, I have also learned that 46% of people who walk into a bakery are looking for chocolate of some kind.  This is a good thing to know.  We made double dipped chocolate wafers that we dipped the rest of the way today, and they are a great chocolate cookie.  Here they are along side the Florentines that we dipped yesterday and are amazing.

 

 

These are chocolate-dipped hedgehogs

 

We also made Scottish shortbread that actually has cocoa nibs in it and chopped up vanilla beans.  My teacher says that they need up to a week to develop the flavor of the chocolate and vanilla.

 

 

 

We also made soft lemon cookies (the bomb) with a lemon glaze that are truly bright and delicious.  Next to the lemon cookies you will see Ranger cookies which are oatmeal cookies with coconut, cranberries and raisins.  They are chewy and delicious.

 

 

 It was a great day and I am feeling better about my cookie skills.  I hope that they travel well to Wyoming.  Bend is a beautiful town and has been a good experience for me.  My roommate has offered dinner tomorrow which will be great because he is a good cook.

Pièce de Résistance

Well...we did it.  Today we unmolded the Opera Torte which turned out to yield 56 pieces of luscious mocha buttercream, cake, chocolate truffle....well....I will let you be the judge

It is called Opera Torte because it was served at intermission at the opera houses in Paris.  And it was an amazing feat to create.  I am very glad that I did it.  I had this piece for supper that I split with the roomies.....it was very tasty....and very reminiscent of Tira Misu.  It is renowned for being difficult to make and now I know why.  We had to cut it frozen as you can see from the condensation on the pieces.

After this, we made three types of cookies.  The last one has yet to be dipped in chocolate, which will be tomorrow.  First, we made a piped cookie that was like a shortbread and it was done in two halves, which are then sandwiched together with raspberry jam and dipped in chocolate.  The cookies are called Strassburg cookies and are German.  However, when you sandwich them like this and dip them in chocolate, they are called hedgehogs.  You can see the resemblance to our mammal friend.

 

Then we proceeded to make Florentines.  These are an Italian cookie that is really like almond toffee with citrus peel in it that is baked in the oven after cooking the batter on the stove.  After they cool, you cover one side with chocolate in waves.  They are very thin and super tasty.  I had never made them before and was totally impressed.

 

 

The last cookie of the day is a chocolate almond wafer that still waits its chocolate dipping tomorrow.  It has ground almonds and tiny micro chocolate chips.  It had a very wonderful aroma while it was baking.  I think it will be great. 

 

 

Tomorrow we pursue more cookies and decorating.  It has been a wonderful and fulfilling month.  I spent three hours this morning at La Magie bakery shaping and grilling English Muffins, and making Babka and Baguettes.  Kevin has been a great sport to have me there and entertain my questions and I think I actually helped a little take away the mundane chores which are great learning for me.  He is a meticulous baker and makes great loaves.