The old Transilvania Bakery in Vancouver had an almost cartoonish exterior. Its stained cedar planking stood out on the block of stores along its West Broadway location. Transilvania Peasant Bread was spelled out in roughly sawn wood letters nailed above its front window.… Continue reading
Somewhere, there’s a picture of Anne, my first wife and mother of my two kids. She’s kneeling next to a large basket of sesame-encrusted ring breads. I took the picture in Athens in 1980, our first trip abroad together.… Continue reading
Last week’s Rye and Spelt Loaf scratched a need for me — the taste of rye, that unusual grain that bakes and tastes so differently than wheat. I’m rarely over-the-moon about my bread, as many customers are, but this loaf was beautiful!
The coarse rye flour in this loaf was highlighted by the milder tasting spelt flour, and I tasted that big earthy flavour I love so much about this under-appreciated grain.… Continue reading
by Cheryl Pearson
Up before the hens, my daughter. Just her and the cows in the blue hour. Them tugged of milkweight and loosed to steam like warm loaves in the cold air. Her in an apron, hair pulled into a bun. I know how she works: the way she takes the dough’s wet slack, punches it down into flour.… Continue reading
In the early morning hours, sweeping out the oven, bringing dough baskets down from the fridges … even before the birdsong starts, I listen to bread podcasts to keep my sleepy brain focused.
One, in particular, has become a bit of an obsession for me, The Rise Up Podcast. It’s a celebration of bakers and their bakeries and the communities they serve.… Continue reading