It’s the end of the year. A brief pause to look back, then to cast my our eyes forward to the coming year.
And what arises immediately is gratitude for what I have and hold in front of me. The Happy Monk Baking Company has occupied much of my time and attention. It has been a big blessing. It has been a time of learning and finding confidence in a new profession. It is a business, yes, but it has also been a path to new friendships, profound conversations, community and celebration.
The joy of work!
It has been hard work, hoisting tubs of dough and hewing loads of wood for the fire. Rising in the darkest hours of night. But if not for that I might have missed the unexpected joys in the first birdsong, the beauty of the night sky or the cheery hum of a brightly lit cruise ship sailing past the front of our property at 3 a.m. The smell of fresh bread gusting out of Mildrith. The never-ending miracle of seeing beautifully puffed chestnut coloured loaves when I open the oven doors.
The business challenges, the website management, the accounting, logistics of delivering the bread. There have been headaches, victories and flops, “bread fails”. And there will be more.
But gratitude above all!
Jennifer and I are in good health. Our lives on Pender Island are blessings! Daily swims in the frigid ocean, a hot tub to warm up in, healthy meals in the evening and love in the dark nights and early mornings. Friends and neighbours all around us, and the bounty of nature in all its splendour!
There is a backdrop of “news” that casts a pall over the times. Climate change, tribal politics, consumerism. We are one step removed from much of it, here on our Island, “far from the madding crowd,” as it were. We do not intend to close our eyes to them, but step in where we feel our actions can make a difference. And live our lives in ways that may bring balance and positivity into the world. Love, in other words.
And so to the coming year!
We will close down operations after this week for a few weeks’ reflection and rejuvenation. We’ll use it well, this one-month hiatus. Seeing what comes forward about the things that have worked and not worked. To make a few modest changes, such as new products, new schedules, new locations.
It’s ironic that the past few weeks have been the busiest we’ve ever been, with bread orders hitting new highs. The work load has followed with new levels of busy-ness. I’ve had trouble seeing straight some days. I’ve looked at the back yard, the property and found things that I’ve turned a blind eye to, and I look forward to looking after some things close to home. Jennifer and I need to get away, maybe a road trip is in order.
We’ll be back in a month, rested, stronger, with new ideas and outlooks. I look forward to the quiet interlude, but also to the return to Happy Monk. To the baking, to the friends.
Thanks be to…
Thanks are owed at this time to many people. To the builders of Mildrith, Jacques Marmen, Tracy Calvert, Ryan Fogarty and Peter Hughes of Oceanside Masonry. Not to mention Bryce Ehrecke of Cré Natural Building and all the folks at Pender Island Home Hardware. To the bakers and suppliers at Nootka Rose Milling, Caitlin, Cyal, Jock and Erika. To Byron Fry of Fry’s Bakery for his passion, guidance and advice. To Pender’s Greenangels Choppers and Al Wilmott of Winter Creek Farm. Ron Henshaw for the delicious Pender Island clay. And Lester Quitzau and Mae Moore for the bountiful bucketfuls of horse poop to make plaster for Mildrith! My great neighbours, who’ve made generous donations of firewood, advice and encouragement.
All of you are in my warmest thoughts at this dark winter season, for your kindness, enthusiasm and support.
And to all the customers, who’ve welcomed the Happy Monk into their lives and who’ve warmed my life. You are deep in our debt.
And lastly, to my darling Jennifer, who has been my muse so often in our time together and who continues to inspire and encourage me on this road of life!
See you all soon!
![Happy Monk Tidings - Baker's Choice: Pender Island Apple Bread; Happy Monk Blog: A Water World; And Please Note: We're taking a Bread Break for Two Weeks! - [ See link in Profile ]](https://i0.wp.com/happymonkbaking.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png?w=980&ssl=1)
Happy Monk Tidings - Baker's Choice: Pender Island Apple Bread; Happy Monk Blog: A Water World; And Please Note: We're taking a Bread Break for Two Weeks! - [ See link in Profile ]
Rugbrød going out Sunday morning, for smørrebrød at lunch! For all to enjoy, but especially for my two Danish friends who have been clamouring for this Danish style rye for weeks! And @ellasharpmorton just back from Denmark, triumphant from her artistic conquests and rugbrød in her tummy!
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#rye #ryebread #rugbrød #danishrye #danishryebread #smørrebrød #openfacedsandwich #openfacesandwich #openfacedsandwiches #woodfiredovens #woodfiredbread #woodfiredryebread #breadhead #happymonkbakery #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakingcompany #bbga #southpenderisland #southpender #penderislandbc #penderisland
Today’s grey-skyed, wood-fired bake, the Salish Sourdough and the mighty Seed Feast. Forty-five loaves, bagged and delivered to Happy Monk customers. Tomorrow I’ll make a Danish Rye for this week’s Baker’s Choice … going a bit out on the limb to please two Danish customers who’ve been clamouring for Rugbrød and the promise of smørrebrød, open-faced sandwiches!
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #coboven #Mildrith #Mildriththeoven #woodfiredovenbread #sourdough #sourdoughbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderislands #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
Happy Monk Tidings - Baker's Choice: Danish Rye (Rugbrød); My daughter, Ella Morton's art exhibits; Blog Post: Coronavirus in the Sky; PLUS: Wood-fired Oven Update - [ See link in Profile ]
Happy Tidings from the Happy Monk Baking Company - Baker's Choice: Rye-Currant Pan Loaf; Blog Re-Post: The Island Within; And Mildrith Gratitude - [ See link in profile ]
Whole Grain Spelt Pan Bread for the Baker’s Choice, yesterday. And a bunch of old guys came round to the Happy Monk’s place to collect their loaves. Lots of gratitude for the bounty of the bread, the grain, the oven, the warmth of the season, the great neighbours and the people of Pender Island.
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #coboven #Mildrith #Mildriththewoofiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #spelt #speltbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
Pyromaniacal glee. Firing up Mildrith for a Sunday morning bake. Sprouted Rye Pan loaves going in tomorrow at, let’s say, four a.m. These loaves smelled like cookies as they bulk fermented this afternoon. Buttermilk, malt syrup, Hoyne’s Dark Matter beer, whole spelt and rye flour and tons of toasted seeds! Not to mention the sprouted rye berries!
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #rye #ryebread #speltbread #hoynebrewing #hoynedarkmatter #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderislands #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
Pillowy, sesame-flecked loaves of Harvest Bread, or Struan Bread by another name. You throw in a little of whatever grain and meal you have, in this case oats, cooked brown rice, cornmeal, drizzle some Pender Island honey, lots of wholegrain flour. And make it with sourdough! A glorious, flavourful loaf, tender. Sublime when eaten hot from the toaster, schmeared with salted butter.
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#struanbread #harvestbread #pillowybread #woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #peterreinhart #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #southerngulfislands #southerngulfislandsbakers #southerngulfislandsbakeries #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
Happy Monk Tidings - Baker's Choice: Struan Bread; Happy Monk Blog: Revisiting Rachel Carson and her landmark Silent Spring - [ See Link in Profile ]
Looking for the heart of a Saturday night! Loaves of Rye Buttermilk Loaf emerging from Mildrith, the wood-fired oven, and all the glorious smells. Times have changed! No longer the cutting loose on a Saturday night, but blissful bread-making splendor and appreciation of the startling Waxing Gibbous moon and its reflection off the waters of Boundary Pass!
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #breadhead #ryebread #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #olives #olivebread #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany #waxinggibbous #moon #southerngulfislands #tomwaits #tomwaitslyrics
#happymonkbaking Seed Feast!
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#sourdough #sourdoughbread #bread #breadhead #woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredbread #redfife #redfifewheat #seedbread #realbread #bbga
Thank God for dappled things ... Happy Monk breads do not involve the death of any trees. The wood used to heat Mildrith the wood-fired oven comes from wind-fallen trees on Pender Island which are donated by property owners for a tax receipt. They are then bucked and chopped by volunteers of the Green Angel Choppers and sold to Pender residents for the going rate of $350 for a cord of firewood. Proceeds are then put into worthy community projects, such as funding solar energy panels for the community hall. The Happy Monk Baking Company is just one stakeholder in a chain of community “pay it forward” endeavor!
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#community #payitforward #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakingcompany #woodfiredovens #woodfiredoven #woodfiredbread #woodfiredhottubs #woodfiredbaking
Happy Monk Tidings - July 29 - Baker's Choice this week: Rye-Buttermilk Loaf; Happy Monk Blog: The Pandemic is Beginning to Leave Its Mark. Again! [ See Link in Profile ]
‘Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness,—
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.
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#johnkeats #johnkeatspoems #odetoanightingale #summer #poetry
Spelt-Honey loaves get a dose of Barry’s Bees honey for tomorrow’s Baker’s Choice bread. This is really delicious honey and it comes from our fair Pender Isle! Beautiful aroma and subtle flower taste! Can’t wait to start pulling these loaves out of Mildrith, the wood-fired oven!
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#honey #honeybread #spelt #speltbread #sourdough #sourdoughbread #artisanbread #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #baker #bakery #bbga #realbread #breadhead #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
Happy Monk Tidings - This week's Baker's Choice: Spelt and Honey Loaf, featuring Barry's Bees Honey!; And Blog Excerpt: Confessions of a Would-Be Baker [ See Link in Profile ]
Happy Monk Tidings: Baker's Choice: Mountain Rye for the rye aficionados and the Happy Monk Blog: This Living Rock Island - [ See link in profile ]
The signature of a real wood-fired oven, written on the backside of a Salish Sourdough loaf from last week. You can see the rectangular impressions of the hearth firebricks. This is as good as a certificate of authenticity, made by Mildrith and the Happy Monk, South Pender Island!😃 you won’t see it in pan loaves, though. Look for it next time you open up a bag of HM bread!
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
Sourdough Pan Loaf raised on a pedestal.
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #sandwichloaf #panloaf #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
Olive Loaf, with a couple of Kalamatas winking at you from the crust. .
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #olives #olivebread #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
Sometimes seems as if the bake week happens in a hypnotic trance of woodchopping, fire-building, dough-mixing, loaf-pulling (from the oven), not to mention all the “back-end” tasks like stamping bread bags, ordering and bookkeeping. Spent two hours this morning chopping and stacking wood for tomorrow morning’s bake before even starting on the dough-mix, but was thankful to stand up every now and then and listen to the amazing birdsong here on Pender Island.
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #woodchopping #woodchopper #firewood #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany #thirdmanrecords
Inside Mildrith yesterday morning, 11 Salish Sourdoughs risen and baked exuberantly to a luscious golden colour. The oven had baked two loads previously and it’s still just shy of 500ºF in there. She’s my inanimate love with a soul!
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #bread #realbread #naturallyleavened #baker #bakery #bbga #artisanbread #breadhead #sourdough #sourdoughbread #penderisland #southpenderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakery #happymonkbakingcompany
New Blog Post: The Allure of the Tassajara Bread Book, a 1970s classic that seems to be as relevant now as it was back in the day. Also” the week’s Baker’s Choice: Whole Wheat – Spelt Sourdough Pan Loaf. [ See Link in Profile ]
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#tassajarabreadbook #tassajarazenmountaincenter #classicbreadbooks #classiccookbooks #zencooking #zenbaking #southpenderisland #penderisland #southerngulfislands #happymonkbakery #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakingcompany #bread #breadmaking #sourdoughbread #artisanbread #artisanbreadbaking
100% Rye with Currants, a happy loaf to enjoy on this day of rest. .
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#woodfired #woodfiredoven #woodfiredovenbread #sourdough #sourdoughbaking #sourdoughbread #rye #ryebread #ryebaking #ryecurrantbread #southpender #southpenderisland #southerngulfislands #southerngulfislandsbc #penderisland #happymonkbaking #happymonkbakingcompany #happymonkbakery #bbga
David and Jennifer
Enjoy your well deserved break ….. thank you so much for all the heart and soul you put into it all .
Much Peace and LOve …