The Bread Queen

Being back on Quillisascut Farm is like having a secret treat that no one else knows about. I can't imagine why everyone wouldn't want to pack up their car and spend four days or a week there. This trip was all about baking with whole grains in the wood fired ovens. It was also about a little milking of the girls, making some fresh cheese, doing a little preserving of fresh picked rhubarb, and happily for me, doing a little cooking.

Our group consisted of 8 folks, 6 of which had seen a small snipet about Quillisascut in Sunset Magazine. Two couples came up from Vegas, and two women were up from southern California. There was a woman from Port Angelas, Danielle, who recently married and will be working to transform her family's farm into something similar. Danielle and I were roommates, along with Carina, who was going to be cooking for us that weekend. Chef Don was the instructor and runs the pastry program at Seattle Central- which I found out seems to have a better reputation of their culinary program than some of the more 'prestigous' schools in the area. Greg, a friend of the Misterly's, was also there filming the workshop and the farm for both a future promotional video of the farm's workshops and a montage of the bread baking instruction to be viewed at future culinary workshops.

Chef Don had us making pre-ferments shortly after dinner on our arrival day- baking is all about the planning. Admittedly, this is where I struggle; the planning ahead. We were going to be split into three groups, each group making a different kind of bread. Danielle and I partnered up and our first bread was a Pain Rustique- similar to a ciabbatta. We were using the 'bus tub' technique- which is really ingenius. We mixed our pre-ferments in the bus tub, and in the morning, when we were ready to mix the doughs, we just mixed them right in. We folded the doughs in the tubs two or three times, depending on the recipe. All of this was done in the bus tub, and saved space and clean up. Ingenius. Once the folding was completed, we shaped our loaves and let them proof covered for a few hours. In bread baking, it seems there are bursts of activity, then a lot of waiting. Thus, requiring a pretty open schedule for one to fold, shape, proof, bake..

While we waiting for our breads, we did any number of things. Sat around by the wood oven, talking and getting to know one another. Scouring the farms library of cookbooks. Walked the grounds, helping in the garden (a few people helped to plant potatoes). We made cheese and rhubarb jam with Lora Lea. Carina and I got along nicely, so I got to help in the kitchen a fair amount- which pleased me immensely. The agenda for these 4 days was pretty relaxed, although the 'newbies' thought we were constantly working. I explained the Farm Culinary 101 cirriculum to them and assured them this bread baking weekend was relaxing. I even took a few naps!

Over the 4 days, we baked 125 loaves of bread, and roughly 30 naan. For the last couple of meals, Chef Don whipped up a brioche and made some buns for the Misterly's and sweet rolls for breakfast on our last day. Everyone took home a few loaves of bread each, a jar of jam, and the cheeses we made. I ate so much bread over those 4 days I thought I could float if you were to toss me into a river.

It was gratifying to be back. To permamently etch the images and experience of that special place in my minds eye, and to have a sense of peace in my soul again. It reinforced everything that I know that I love- about food and community, about what brings me joy even when life is challenging. I made some new friends that I know I will see again. My friend H has taken to calling me the bread queen; hardly the case, but I love it!