So many incredible bakers converged on Asheville this year to bring their bread and their art to the community. It's always a great time to gather together and see what everyone has been working on since the previous year! We ate a lot of products made with our flour and saw old friends like City Bakery, Unionspecial Bread, Ninth Street, Underground Bakery, Sprout Momma, Backwoods Bakery, OWL and Flatrock Bakery. We also saw some new faces, Brennan at Walnut Schoolhouse, Paradis Bakery, and many more. Here are just a few photos of their creations that weren't immediately scarfed down.
Ninth Street in particular had a loaf of L'il Sprout Bread that contained our Super Sprout™ Wheat, Super Sprout™ Spelt, and Super Sprout™ Rye flours. We were right across from them at the bread fair and it was such a wonderful opportunity to see people's faces as they tasted that bread for the first time. The team at Ninth Street are doing great things and if you are over in Durham, we suggest making a stop!
Another highlight of this trip was the opportunity to get to taste Super Sprout™ Einkorn waffles made by Chicken Bridge Bakery. Done up just right, either with strawberries or pecans, these light, fluffy, golden einkorn waffles could not have been better. We brought several stacks home for our team and they made great breakfasts the following week. If you go early enough-sometimes you can catch them at the Carrboro Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings, they sell out fast!
We also provided flour for the Master class taught by Sarah Owens and Sharon Burns-Leader. Our Whole Grain Einkorn made its class debut and everyone who attended got to bake with it. They made pastries and breads and even some sourdough doughnuts! As millers, we always get excited when bakers are trying something new together and sharing their knowledge! The Whole Grain Einkorn and Super Sprout™ Einkorn are both available online in 2# bags and at the Mill or through your regular wholesale source in 20# bags.
Caroline wrapped up the day as part of a panel of grain innovators moderated by Amy Halloran. Many bakers and interested community members came to hear their discussion of how we are growing the regional grain economy here in the Southeast, and in North Carolina in particular. Read our blog here about the farmer, miller, baker and consumer connection.