A Day Out

Still having fun with my youngest nephew, we decided to take in both the redwoods and the beach on his last day here. Sweetie drove as we headed west to Freestone and the Wildflour Bakery. This place is always busy when it's open, with a line up to the doorway where, post-pandemic, you order what you want and they bring it to the door and hand it through after you pay. To help you decide what to order, there is a six foot tall chalkboard that lists the day's offerings...all kinds of bread baked in the wood-fired oven, plenty of varieties of scones, amazing sticky buns and more. 

When it's our turn I mention that my nephew is a professional baker and ask if he can come into the oven area...which he does through the back door. He really enjoyed chatting with the bakers and seeing the production area and that oven. He said that there is a space at least five time larger than what can be seen from the door and that there were something like 80 bannetons for shaping bread all stacked up on benches in that area. It was the final bakery of the trip and a good way to end the bakery visits.

We headed down the Bohemian Highway to the Russian River and then to Armstrong Redwoods, not far outside of Guerneville. We'd been there before with him when he visited as a teen, but it never gets old.

 

It was still a bit foggy and damp but the sun was starting to come through and a brisk walk through the woods warmed us up. Here's a wood orchid we saw on a bank near the Forest Theater.

Once back in Guerneville, we headed west toward the ocean and eventually turned south near Goat Rock.

 We stopped there and a few other places along the coast as we headed to Bodega Bay. 

At Doran Beach we hit the sand and enjoyed the sea air. The tide was out and it was pretty windy but the day had brightened and warmed a bit.

Our last stop was at Blue Water Bistro just south of Doran 

where we had a fantastic lunch and a view of the bay, with plenty of local crab, which is great because it's crab season. I can't have crab...allergies...but enjoyed a wonderful salad.

It was a great day out! 

A Visit From Another Baker

I have lots of friends and family, but most of them are not bakers in the semi-obsessed way that I am. This past week I was lucky enough to spend time with my nephew who is a professional baker. He is even more obsessed than I am. To start out I recommended quite a few books from my collection and he plowed through a big stack of them over the six days he was here. One of his favorites was a book about the science of bread. He does a lot with sourdough at the bakery where he works, so he understands the importance of knowing how and why the yeasts work.

Of course we baked together (see 2/15/26 post) and on his second day here we ate at a local bakery, Sarmentine, where we enjoyed a trio of French inspired baguette sandwiches and a sweet, caramelized kouign amann. The most fun for me was on his next-to last day here when we did what Sweetie called a 'bakery crawl', starting at a bakery supply business in Petaluma, Keith Guisto Bakery Supply.  Central Milling is there, a business that mills a wide variety of grains. They even sell 10 lb bags of some of the flours in their retail store, along with select books and a wonderful selection of baking tools. That was followed by a visit to Della Fattoria Downtown Cafe and Bakery, also in Petaluma, where we bought some naturally fermented bread, including a cinnamon twist that we pulled apart with our hands as we sat outside in the sun...it was gone quickly.

After a peek at the pies in the Petaluma Pie Shop and a quick lunch at a wonderful Mexican place on Kentucky St., we headed to Santa Rosa. Our first stop was at Gougette, a French inspired bakery near Memorial Hospital. No meals or beverages here (although they do have ice cream), just amazing bread and pastries. We were able to see production baking as two of their bakers shaped dozens of baguettes, ready for proofing. We took home a selection of brioche pastries with fruit, and a baguette. Next up was Grossman's a restaurant with great Jewish deli offerings. At the back they have a retail area where we bought hamantaschen that had a savory sesame paste filling, topped with apricot jam and poppy seeds, and an everything bagel that filled the car with a wonderful onion fragrance. By the time we made it to Marla's further along in Railroad Square, it was just 3 pm and they were closing, so we were only able to purchase a baguette, but it was a great one and the owner chatted with us about baking, so it wasn't so bad.

The next stop was in Sebastopol at Patisserie Angelica, located near the movie theatre. We bought a flourless chocolate cake for my birthday (above), plus some baklava. The baker also gave my nephew some baguette ends so that he could taste theirs.

All in all, quite a wonderful day!

The following day we also stopped in Freestone at Wildflour Bakery for some of their famous Sticky Buns, three kinds of scones, and a loaf of their Superseedy Bread. Sweetie also purchased their cheese bread, but it wasn't our favorite. Our professional baker was allowed into the back where the baking happens and had a great time chatting with them about the wood fired ovens and such. As you might imagine, we are still working our way through all that bread (although the pastries and cookies are gone...and there is only a bit of the cake left). Unfortunately I didn't take photos as we went along, but check out the links and you are sure to see many of the things we bought and enjoyed.

Wildflour Bakery breads

A Bread Rich in Oats and Grains

 It's always especially fun to have a visitor who enjoys baking. This time it's the youngest nephew, who is a professional baker in Virginia. He is quite adept with sourdough, but I no longer have a sourdough starter. I bake so infrequently now that I keep the packets of yeast in the freezer.

We decided to make a bread based on cooked oatmeal, which also have rolled oats in it and around it. Because we can, we added multi grains which add flavor, texture, and nutrition. This one is a two day process, so plan accordingly if you are going to make it.

This is a fairly dense bread, moist and delicious, especially if you like oatmeal and a mixture of grains and seeds. Be sure to grease the bread pan if you do the final step of rolling the shaped dough in milk and then the rolled oats as we did. Makes great toast!

Triple Oat and Mixed Grains and Seeds Sandwich Bread

recipe by Elle

Poolish:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup steel cut oats, cooked for 5 minutes in 3/4 cup boiling water, stirring constantly, then cooled to tepid
1/2 cup quick style rolled oats
1 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt

Dough
1/2 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg, beaten slightly
all of the Poolish
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup + bread flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup King Arthur Baking Harvest Grains Blend (four grains (whole oat berries, millet, rye flakes, and wheat flakes) and four seeds (flax, poppy, sesame, and sunflower) 
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Wash and topping:
1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tablespoon warm water
2-3 tablespoons old fashioned rolled oats

Whisk all the ingredients for the Poolish together. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in cool place overnight, or for at least eight hours.

In a heatproof measuring cup or bowl, mix together the buttermilk and honey. Warm slightly in the microwave. Cool if needed so that it is no hotter than 110 degrees F. Mix in the egg.

Take all of the Poolish and put into a stand mixer bowl. Using paddle attachment, mix in the buttermilk mixture, the rolled oats, and 1 cup of the bread flour. Remove the paddle and using the dough hook, incorporate the remaining flours and seeds (which have been combined in a bowl). If needed, use more bread flour, a tablespoon at a time, to make a dough that cleans the side of the mixer bowl. Knead with the mixer and/or by hand for 8 - 10 minutes until dough is elastic and somewhat smooth.

Place dough in oiled bowl; turn dough to oil other side. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Punch dough down and turn out onto a floured board. Knead lightly a few times to release trapped air. Divide dough in two pieces. Shape each piece into a loaf shape. If desired, roll in milk (I put enough in a baking pan to barely cover the bottom with milk) and then roll in rolled oats (a slightly thicker layer of rolled oats in another baking pan) and put into a greased loaf pan. (If you prefer, just put shaped loaf into the greased loaf pan.) Cover and let rise until almost to the top of the pans, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. about 15 minutes before bread is ready to bake.

If loaves have not been rolled in oats, brush egg wash over the top of each loaf and sprinkle liberally with the rolled oats. Cut slashes in the top of the loaf. If you rolled the shaped loaves in milk and oats, just cut the slashes. Either way, bake in a preheated oven for about an hour, until top of bread is golden and loaf sounds hollow when bottom is tapped. Cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing. Makes 2 smaller loaves or one large loaf and a baby loaf.

Gingerbread and Lemon Sauce

 

Winter is a great time for warming spice-rich foods and also for citrus. This dessert, which made a great birthday cake for a friend, has both of those, plus molasses. I guess some folks don't like molasses - it does have an assertive flavor - but everyone at the table were fans, so the plates of gingerbread squares topped with glistening lemon sauce were enjoyed by all.

If you have a favorite gingerbread recipe, feel free to use it instead of this one, but do make the lemon sauce. It really makes the dish! Somehow the spiciness of the gingerbread is matched well with the zestiness of the lemon in the sauce, each enhancing the other. It doesn't hurt that it's an old family favorite sauce, plus it's easy to make. I made mine the day before and re-heated it at dessert time. I made the cake the same day, but allowed time for it to cool.

For serving you can either place the squares of gingerbread on a dessert plate or in a shallow cereal size bowl. Don't forget the lemon sauce!

Spicy Gingerbread
Based on a recipe from Williams-Sonoma Muffins

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (7 ½ oz/235 g)
½ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
¼ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground ginger 
1 ¼ teaspoons grounds cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon stem ginger, syrup drained, finely minced
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (4 oz/125 g)
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar, light or dark (3 ½ oz/105 g)
2 large eggs
2/3 cup molasses, light or dark (4 oz/125 g)
2/3 cup buttermilk (5 fl oz/160 ml)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C.) Grease and flour an 8 or 9 inch (20 or 23 cm) square baking pan or dish. If using a glass baking dish, use 325 degrees F (165 C) for oven temperature.

On a sheet of waxed paper, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Beat in the molasses. Add the dry ingredients in 3 increments, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat well until fluffy and smooth yet thick.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake until the top is dry to the touch and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, 35-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Serve the gingerbread warm or at room temperature, cut into squares. Can be garnished with Nancy's lemon sauce (recipe follows) or lemon curd or whipped cream.

For a treat, serve with Nancy's Lemon Sauce.
Nancy’s Lemon Sauce

½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice (I used Meyer, but any lemon juice and zest is fine.
Zest from 1 lemon

In a saucepan, mix the sugar and cornstarch thoroughly. Gradually add the boiling water, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil at full boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and stir until well blended. Serve warm. If using on top of the gingerbread, use a generous amount, perhaps 2-3 tablespoons per serving, or more.