 Back when it was cold, back in the beginning of the week, before the rain, when the chill eased through the uninsulated walls of my upstairs bedroom and I slept curled under all my blankets in a tiny island of body heat, the bed a cold sea around me, I woke to frost. The grass was frosted, and the brittle leaves of kale and cabbage in the garden. The fennel, just tufting up between last year’s dead stalks, was wilted and rimmed with white. The gravel in the drive was frosted, and the cars, the garbage cans, the old leaves scattered by the walk. Ice crunched satisfyingly underfoot. The sun is slow to reach us this time of year. It was late morning before light crept all the way to the back fence. When I walked out to the garden at midday to pick my lunch, I found the deep shadows still frozen. The house threw a long, straight frost shadow. The pine and rhododendrons dappled frost across the grass. The trash bins drew precise, frosty parallelograms, the cars, rounded white rhombuses on the gravel. If I had stood in the yard all morning, watching the little puffed up birds flick between bush and fence as the sun warmed my back, I too could have grown a frost twin: a long, cold shadow self, reaching north towards the dark. Sophie Owner | Baker THIS WEEK's WEDNESDAY BREAD Order by Sunday night to pick up Wednesday, Jan 23 Red & White Mountain Rye Baker's Choice: Rugbrød - This hearty tinned bread, made with 100% Whatcom rye, is built on rugbrod recipes sent to me by the Dutch baker Tim van Dalen and French baker Thomas Teffri-Chambelland. The perfect base for smørrebrød (open-face sandwiches). NEXT WEEK's WEDNESDAY BREAD Order this week for pickup Wednesday, Jan 30 Red & White Mountain Rye Baker's Choice: Famer's Bread - a crusty rye & wheat boule, inspired by the Austrian bauernlaib. WINTER BREAD SUBSCRIPTION Sign up to get a loaf every Wedneday through March 6 RED & WHITE subscription MOUNTAIN RYE subscription BAKER's CHOICE subscription: a new rye every week Order ONLINE and pickup on Wednesdays from: Downtown: Cafe Velo, 120 Prospect, 9am - 7pm Fairhaven: Shirlee Bird Cafe, 1200 Harris, 7:30am - 5pm Birchwood: the front step, 8am - 8pm THIS WEEK's WEDNESDAY BREAD Order by Sunday night to pick up Wednesday, Jan 16 Red & White Mountain Rye Honey & Spice (pain d'epices) Baker's Choice: Sweet & Sour Limpa - There are many versions of Finnish limpa. This one is a blend of Whatcom rye and Walla Walla wheat, and balances sweet molasses, orange, and anise, against the acidity of sourdough. Eat with sweet or savory toppings. NEXT WEEK's WEDNESDAY BREAD Order this week for pickup Wednesday, 1/23 Red & White Mountain Rye Honey & Spice (pain d'epices) Baker's Choice: Rugbrod - This hearty tinned bread, made with 100% Whatcom rye, is built on rugbrod recipes sent to me by the Dutch baker Tim van Dalen and French baker Thomas Teffri-Chambelland. The perfect base for smørrebrød (open-face sandwiches). WINTER BREAD SUBSCRIPTION Sign up to get a loaf every Wedneday through March 6 RED & WHITE subscription MOUNTAIN RYE subscription BAKER's CHOICE subscription: a new rye every week Order ONLINE and pickup on Wednesdays from: Downtown: Cafe Velo, 120 Prospect, 9am - 7pm Fairhaven: Shirlee Bird Cafe, 1200 Harris, 7:30am - 5pm Birchwood: the front step, 8am - 8pm  View from the Samish Overlook on New Years Eve. The view outside the cafe was all concrete and cars, but sitting at the window reading Robert Macfarlane as my coffee cooled, I felt the ghost forest press close. Here around me and stretching out in all directions was the memory of trees over a century gone: fir and spruce, red cedar wider than my outstretched arms, with clouds catching in their peaks and the understory open beneath. I could almost hear the wind and creaking wood, almost smell the forest must beneath the coffee and the wet wool of my sweater. “She came to know her chosen place closely, [and] that closeness served to deepen rather than to limit her vision,” Macfarlane wrote of the Scottish writer and mountaineer Nan Shepherd. I would know this place closely, though it will take me a lifetime of stolen Sundays to learn the landscape, and years of baking to know the fruits of our land. This winter my studies range from rainy runs through the Chuckanuts to an exploration of Whatcom-grown rye through the Bread Subscription. I look forward to every day. Sophie Owner | Baker WEDNESDAY BREAD Order by Sunday night to pick up Wednesday, Jan 9 Red & White Mountain Rye Baker's Choice: Potato Rye Honey & Spice (pain d'epices) WINTER BREAD SUBSCRIPTION Sign up to get a loaf every Wedneday through March 6 RED & WHITE subscription MOUNTAIN RYE subscription BAKER's CHOICE subscription: a new rye every week  Recipe testing: on the right, Belarusian and Lithuanian potato ryes for this week's Baker's Choice. On the left, sweet limpas for the following week. After the holidays, after the lights, the rooms warm with friends and family, after the gifts, after the tamales and pozole, the roast beef, ragu, and rugelach, the gingerbread and gingersnaps, after eating and eating and eating, I step out into the world. It’s mid afternoon. Damp cold. The sky mottled gray. I start slowly, moving awake after days glutted on food, books, and sleep. The muddy track along the lakeside is quiet. Under the car rumble, I can hear the waves lapping. They roll towards shore from two directions, crossing at a wide angle. Each facet of the water’s surface reflects a different sky. For a while, I stand watching the water, trying to catch the shifting pattern; it eludes me. I run on, under the gray sky, along the gray water, through the lowering dark. I cross a hillside of waterbirds probing the grass. The ducks lift off before me in waves. The geese keep eating, unperturbed. I take the long stairs up from the lake two at a time. One flight after the next. I reach the top gasping, sweating, calves tingling, thighs trembling, face flushed, cold fingers fisted, feet fumbling for the last step. I am wholely alive. Every corner of my body is awake. This is a gift I try to remember: legs and lungs that move me through the world, arms that lift and carry, hands as competent to mix dough as they are to hold a pen. I am glad to have work that demands mind and body both, glad too to live in a community whose support lets me turn that work into a livelihood. Thank you. The bakery is growing steadily, straining the seams of the shoestring operation I’ve been running for the past four years. I have you to thank for that, as well. Because of that growth, I’ve been able to double my donations this year from one percent of sales to two percent. A small change, but a step in the right direction. And because of that growth, I’ll spend the winter planning how to build my bakery dreams into brick and mortar reality. I’ve passed enough hours staring out over the water, watching the light and writing stories in my head. It’s time to run. Happy almost New Year. Sophie Owner | Baker WEDNESDAY BREAD Order by Sunday night to pick up Wednesday, Jan 2 Red & White Mountain Rye Broa Milho Honey & Spice (pain d'epices) WINTER BREAD SUBSCRIPTION Sign up to get a loaf every Wedneday, January 2 - March 6 RED & WHITE subscription MOUNTAIN RYE subscription BAKER's CHOICE subscription: 10 weeks, 10 ryes Good morning! Today, the not-quite-shortest day of the year, is the last farmers market of the season. Come for the company, the crafts, and, of course, the beautiful food. Until the market starts again in April, you'll need to order bread online through the Bread Subscription (you don't have to sign up for the whole season, though I'd love it if you did!). I'll be back to rambling my sky dreaming and kitchen sink philosophy in this newsletter next week, after I've gotten some sleep. See you at the Market Depot, 10am - 3pm! Sophie Owner | Baker  TODAY AT MARKET Red & White + Oat & Honey Mountain Rye + Vollkornbrot Orange Chocolate Babka Honey & Spice (pain d'epices) Bittersweet Chocolate + Chocolate Malt Chocolate Chip Cookies Quince & Walnut Rugelach Brown Butter + Nibby Buckwheat Shortbread Gingersnaps + Gingerbread! WINTER BREAD SUBSCRIPTION Pick up a loaf every week, January 2 - March 6 RED & WHITE subscription MOUNTAIN RYE subscription BAKER's CHOICE subscription: 10 weeks, 10 ryes TODAY AT MARKET Red & White Oat & Honey (limited supply- come early!) Mountain Rye + Vollkornbrot Chocolate Malt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bittersweet Chocolate Cookie Brown Butter + Nibby Buckwheat Shortbread Gingerbread Honey & Spice Bread - A traditional pain d'epices made with Skagit-milled rye + Beeworks Honey + spices and aged for 8 months. Orange Chocolate Babka - Is babka a bread or a cake? Rich, and wildly delicious. Skagit-milled flour from Walla Walla wheat, Whatcom eggs + cream, Theo Chocolate. Quince & Walnut Rugelach - Because what's a Jew to do at Christmas but bake like it's still Hanukkah? Walnuts from Broadleaf Farm, membrillo from gleaned quince, Skagit-milled flour from wheat grown in Lynden! WINTER BREAD SUBSCRIPTION Pick up a loaf every week, January 2 - March 6 RED & WHITE subscription MOUNTAIN RYE subscription BAKER's CHOICE subscription: 10 weeks, 10 ryes. The lineup is still a work in progress. Requests welcome! Holiday Special + Stock Up orders can be placed online or, to avoid the credit card surcharge, at market with check or cash. Order by Dec 16 to pick up at the Dec 22 Farmers Market HOLIDAY SPECIALS Chocolate Orange Babka Honey & Spice Bread Quince & Walnut Rugelach Gingerbread Bundt with Pear Caramel STOCK UP FOR WINTER! The last Saturday Farmers Market is Dec. 22. Fill your pantry (or freezer) with your market favorites to hold you over till the weekly market starts again in April. Red & White Sandwich Mountain Rye (uncut) Vollkornbrot (uncut) Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies Brown Butter + Nibby Buckwheat Shortbread Gingerbread I've been working on holiday recipes for the past weeks and I think I've finally mastered them all, and just in time. The Great Honey & Spice Bread Collapse was a disaster that lasted many bakes; if you have a favorite rum ball or rugbrødslagkage recipe, send it my way! I'm going to be bringing recycled test loaves to potlucks for a long time.
I'm excited to share the end results of all this experimentation with you. Come try the holiday specials at market today, or just take my word that they're excellent and place your Christmas order for pickup at the last market, Saturday the 22nd! See you soon. Sophie Owner | Baker TODAY AT MARKET Red & White Mountain Rye + Vollkornbrot Chocolate Malt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bittersweet Chocolate Cookie Gingerbread Brown Butter + Nibby Buckwheat Shortbread WINTER BREAD SUBSCRIPTION Pick up a loaf every week, January 2 - March 6 RED & WHITE subscription MOUNTAIN RYE subscription BAKER's CHOICE subscription: 10 weeks, 10 ryes! Holiday Special + Stock Up orders can be placed online or, to avoid the credit card surcharge, at market with check or cash. Order by Dec 9 to pick up at the Dec 15 Farmer Market Order by Dec 16 to pick up at the Dec 22 Farmers Market HOLIDAY SPECIALS Chocolate Orange Babka Honey & Spice Bread Quince & Walnut Rugelach Gingerbread Bundt with Pear Caramel STOCK UP FOR WINTER! The last Saturday Farmers Market is Dec. 22. Fill your pantry (or freezer) with your market favorites to hold you over till the weekly market starts again in April. Red & White Sandwich Mountain Rye (uncut) Vollkornbrot (uncut) Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies Brown Butter + Nibby Buckwheat Shortbread Gingerbread No essay this week, but if you're curious about the bread world buzz, check out this article in Eater on bread bros. There have been a cascade of conversations on social media as the article's made the rounds about gender, values, the technicalization of craft, and the power of storytelling to shape our perceptions of a community. You can read a few such responses in these Instagram posts by the California Grain Campaign, Humble Bakehouse, and farmer Mai Nguyen. I also made a short post, sparked by the article if not in direct response, which you can see/read here.
See you soon. Sophie Owner | Baker TODAY AT MARKET Red & White Mountain Rye + Vollkornbrot Chocolate Malt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bittersweet Chocolate Cookie Gingerbread Brown Butter + Nibby Buckwheat Shortbread HOLIDAY SPECIALS Chocolate Orange Babka Honey & Spice Bread Quince & Walnut Rugelach Gingerbread Bundt with Pear Caramel STOCK UP FOR WINTER! The last Saturday Farmers Market is Dec. 22. Fill your pantry (or freezer) with your market favorites to hold you over till the weekly market starts again in April. Red & White Sandwich Mountain Rye (uncut) Vollkornbrot (uncut) Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies Brown Butter + Nibby Buckwheat Shortbread Gingerbread Holiday Special + Stock Up orders can be placed online or, to avoid the credit card surcharge, at market with check or cash. Order by Dec 9 to pick up at the Dec 15 Farmer Market Order by Dec 16 to pick up at the Dec 22 Farmers Market WINTER BREAD SUBSCRIPTION Hold your horses! I'll have the details and dates sorted by next weekend. What I know so far: I'll be baking three types of bread throughout the winter—Mountain Rye, Red & White, and a rye-based Baker's Choice—which will be available as a season-long subscription and as one-off orders. Have you spent time eating your way across Northern and Eastern Europe? Did you grow up on home-baked black bread? If you have favorite rye breads, tell me about them! I'll be researching and pulling together the lineup for the winter Baker's Choice Subscription all week. I'd appreciate your help. See you soon.
Sophie Owner | Baker Here we are, poised between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the high holy days of capitalism. I suppose it’s further proof that I will never be a great entrepreneur—as if the bicycle and brick breads didn’t give me away—that I find this celebration of rampant consumerism macabre. Because it’s not really the great deals and free shipping we’re celebrating, is it? It’s not a holiday about corporate generosity. What we’re celebrating is our ability to take without question. To take from the poor and give to the rich. To take while the fires rage and the seas rise. To take and take, no matter the cost. Does the act of giving balance the taking? Can we really, without irony or acknowledgment, take blindly from the world, and then turn around with a smile and hold out our plunder to the people we love? Look! we say in plastic and packaging, Here is my devotion in planned obsolescence. Look! Here, is my caring in pit mines and clear cuts. Look! Here is my adoration in poisoned rivers and lost species, my gratitude in child labor and exploitation. Look, my dearest, I love you more than the world itself! In a speech she gave near the end of her life, the old-left dreamer Ursula le Guin said, “We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable – but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.” See you soon, if my early morning politics haven't scared you away. Sophie Owner | Baker TODAY AT MARKET Red & White Mountain Rye + Vollkornbrot Chocolate Malt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bittersweet Chocolate Cookie Gingerbread Brown Butter + Nibby Buckwheat Shortbread The Wednesday Bread Subscription is over for the season. The next subscription, starting in January, will be a survey of rye breads (though there will, of course, be wheat breads available as well). Sheltered on the north side of the house, our maple holds onto its last blaze of leaves. If the sun is up, if the single pane windows aren't fogged over with condensation, it's my first outdoor sight of the morning. Good morning! the maple calls in orange. Good morning! in happy yellow. Good morning! in deep red, against the lightening sky.  See you soon. Sophie Owner | Baker TODAY AT MARKET Red & White Turkey Stuffer (rosemary, garlic, olive oil, cornmeal) Mountain Rye + Vollkornbrot Chocolate Malt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bittersweet Chocolate Cookie Apple Quince Galette* Gingerbread* Brown Butter + Nibby Buckwheat Shortbread THANKSGIVING ORDERS (Order online with a credit card or at market today with cash/check for pickup Wednesday, Nov 21, at 1313 N State St.) Apple Quince Pie (serves 8 / $28) Gingerbread Bundt with Pear Caramel (serves 12 / $42) Rosemary Potato Bread (720 g / $8) *Sample the Thanksgiving sweets today at market before you place your order! |
