At Local Roots January 9-14

Here's what you'll find on my shelves at Local Roots Market this week:

--Apple strudel bread
--Artisan wheat bread
--Cheese crackers (cheddar and pepper jack)
--Cheese-herb artisan bread: feta-oregano, gouda-sage, Lock 21 with pepper, Miami Erie Canal (Swiss-style) with parsley
--Cinnamon-pecan bread
--Cornbread
--Cornmeal bread
--Dried tomato flatbread
--Garlic-herb bread
--Garlic pesto flatbread
--Garlic pita chips
--Honey spelt oat bread
--Maple oatmeal bread
--Pain aux noix
--Pizza crusts
--Pumpernickel bread
--Rosemary cider bread
--Sandwich buns
--Savory apple flatbread
--Sesame thins
--Spelt bread
--Tea rings and pecan rings
--Whole wheat pita
--Whole wheat sandwich bread
--Zaatar flatbread

In the bakery case, you'll find:

--Apple spice streusel cake (probably on Tuesday)
--Espresso chip shortbread to start the week
--Swiss cheese rolls with Green Field Farms baby Swiss

The "Need the Knead?" class at Today's Kitchen Store was great fun, so I'm looking forward to this Saturday's "Wheat vs. Spelt" class. There are still a couple of seats left, so contact TKS if you want to get in on the whole-grain baked fun!

At the Market February 2-5

Crazy weather this week! But it's ideal baking weather, and I will definitely have some fresh bread for you at Local Roots, starting later this morning:

--Baguettes (plain and garlic-herb)
--Cheese-herb artisan bread: cheddar-dill, chèvre-rosemary, and feta-oregano
--Cinnamon-pecan bread
--Espresso chip shortbread
--Homestyle rye bread


--Honey spelt oat bread (I know, it's not "new" any more, but I finally took a photo)
--Maple oatmeal bread
--Pain aux noix
--Pizza crusts (large and personal-size)
--Pumpernickel bread
--Sesame thins
--Spelt bread
--Zaatar flatbread

Vegetable rolls this week will be:

--Spicy Thai pac choi -- Breezy Hill brought the last (for now!) of their pac choi to market last week, so I thought I'd give this favorite an unprecedented third week in a row. Enjoy it now because it might be a while until you see it again!

--Sweet potato chili -- homegrown sweet potatoes, steamed and mashed, combine with cooked Jade beans from The Shepherd's Market, dried red pepper, onions and garlic sauteed with chili powder and cumin, and shredded Cheddar cheese from Ohio Farm Direct.

Stay warm and safe in this week's treacherous weather!

Ready for a Pizza Party?

I've been making homemade pizza for several years, and in my book nothing beats the flavor and texture of a fresh crust using some whole grain flour. I've finally tweaked the recipe to make these spelt pizza crusts for sale at Local Roots, in both personal and large sizes.

Just add sauce and toppings, bake at 400 F for 15 minutes, and eat. What could be easier?

At the Market January 5-8

Happy New Year! I'm going to start the new year with a slightly reduced variety and quantity of breads at Local Roots, but behind the scenes I hope to experiment with some new recipes to share with you when they've met my approval.

Here's what you'll find at the market this week:

--Baguettes
--Cheese-herb artisan bread: cheddar-dill, chèvre-rosemary, and possibly Black Swamp Gouda (from Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese) with sage
--Cinnamon-pecan bread
--Homestyle rye bread -- same general flavor as the artisan loaf, but in a sandwich loaf
--Maple oatmeal bread
--Pain aux noix
--Pumpernickel bread
--Rosemary cider bread
--Rosemary walnuts
--Sesame thins
--Zaatar flatbread

I'm hoping to unveil a variation on the pain aux noix later in the week -- a tender but hearty spelt loaf with no dairy products and no nuts -- something simple to appeal to people who might be trying out new ways of eating for the New Year. Let me know what you think!

Only one item in the bakery case this week: curried cabbage rolls, with Weavers' cabbage, homegrown onion, Indian spices, and no dairy, wrapped in the usual wheat artisan dough. It's sure to fill you up for lunch on a cold day!

The only sweet stuff this week will be at Woo's Brews: almond croissants, plain croissants, and two kinds of scones -- orange-mint-chip and lemon-ginger. Stop in for a cup of something warm and delicious to go with your sweet craving!

And stay tuned for new developments this year!

Mill, Baby, Mill

This past Saturday, I got out of the kitchen and headed a few miles east to Kidron and Lehman's Hardware, in order to do a demonstration of their grain mills for customers.

A couple of months ago, Lehman's reached out to Local Roots to see if any producers would be interested in demonstrating equipment and spreading the word about Local Roots, and I decided I could find some time to show off my grain milling skills and to offer samples of whole grain goodies made with fresh flour.


They set me up in the "buggy barn" where they often run movies or have live music, and they pulled out their big Diamant mill as well as the Italian roller mill (both of which I have and use at home). They also brought out buckets of grains, bowls, utensils (including a flour sifter), and other things for me to use.


I brought along fresh buckwheat butter cookies and sesame crackers made with freshly milled spelt flour, offering them as samples of how good things taste when you use fresh flour. I also mixed up a small bowl of muesli once I had rolled some oats -- combined with pecans, raisins, and local honey, it made a simple treat.

A number of customers came in to see what I was doing, and while many looked around, nibbled a cookie or a cracker, and left quietly, others lingered for a demonstration of the equipment, to ask questions about baking with whole grains, or simply to talk about local foods (which then gave me the chance to plug Local Roots). Some of the more interesting characters I met included a French couple who bake and sell artisan bread at their local farmers' market; a group of older gents wearing leather chaps and Harley-Davidson t-shirts; and an ex-Marine who is so into self-sufficiency and knowing where his food comes from that he talked with me for about an hour total over the day.

I'll do another demo next month, as well as team up with another Local Roots producer later this month for a cooking demo, so I think we'll start to spread the word about the market in another area. A very good thing!

Sesame Thins

Ever since I learned how to make crackers, I've found it really difficult to go back to store-bought boxes of them. The taste just doesn't compare! Here's proof: these sesame crackers, loaded with good local spelt flour (about half to two-thirds of the flour content), are crisper and more flavorful than any store-bought version -- with less salt and no sugar, too!

With a good dose of toasted sesame oil, the fragrance and taste of these crackers will remind you of sesame noodles or similar Asian dishes. (Frankly, the scent of these wafting out of the oven makes me want to whip up a spicy peanut sauce and start dipping!) The spelt flour keeps them crisp for longer than wheat flour alone would, but remember: there are no preservatives in these crackers, and they won't last forever.

So eat up! Where else will you find crackers that taste this good and are wholesome, too?

(Sold by 4-oz bags at Local Roots; also available through the online order system for those members who want different quantities.)

Pain Aux Noix

Taken from a traditional French recipe, this pain aux noix (pronounced pehn' oh nwah') simply translates to "walnut bread." Made with local spelt flour to enhance the nutty taste of the walnuts, the bread uses nonfat dry milk and local unsalted butter to create a tender crumb, and a touch of local maple syrup sweetens it just enough to deepen the flavors. It's not suitable for those with nut, wheat, or dairy allergies, but for the rest of us, it's wonderful!

The bread is not made entirely from spelt flour; I balance the spelt with organic unbleached wheat flour with wheat germ to give it its characteristic tenderness. I try to keep from adding too much flour overall to these loaves in order to let them rise spectacularly and to keep a soft airiness to what could become a brick of a loaf in less gentle hands.

Of my whole grain breads, I think I like this one the best! I especially like this bread in a grilled cheese sandwich (preferably with a sharp cheddar or maybe Muenster). It also makes an excellent French toast, and it's great toasted just with a light coating of butter. Pain aux noix with spelt flour lasts well -- usually a week or more -- and it freezes and thaws reasonably well.

I usually have limited quantities of this bread on my shelf at Local Roots each week. Let me know if you keep missing it!