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 March 20, 2008
Cafe news: soup's on!
Our cafe has been open for about a month now. Brad and Jeremy have been producing some beautiful pastries and we're told that the coffee and espresso is the best around. We're so pleased that a lot of people are making this a regular stop for meetings. One request we have consistently had since we opened has been for lunch items-- of course, you can not live on sweets (and bread) alone. Today we are rectifying that with fresh soups from Sugar Snap in Burlington. The folks at Sugar Snap are friends and customers (they use our bread) and now we've become a happy customer of theirs. They are making a variety of superb soups using local meats and vegetables. Every day we will have a meat and a vegetable option. Today, for example we have a pumpkin bisque and a chicken vegetable. In two days, it'll be something else, and so on... Of course, you get a slice of bread with your soup. Come in and enjoy a little warm-up!
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December 2007
Hello Middlesex!
We're a little late in posting this because we've been so busy getting settled in our place, but if you haven't already heard, we've now been in our new home for a little over a month. Some of us are still pinching ourselves daily to make sure that this really isn't a dream. If you're passing through Middlesex on Route 2 or I89, please take a few minutes to stop in and say "hello." We're just about 1/4 mile east of exit 9, on route 2. Look for the big new building and, as of Dec. 21st., the sign indicating our new cafe. We'll be doing a "soft opening" starting on the 21st. while the final touches our put on our new retail space. When it opens in its full glory, we'll have a line of pastries, espresso, and of course the bread.
We're just now getting to updating the website, so if you're looking for our new contact info, you can reach us at 223-5200. The e-mail, of course, is the same.
December 16, 2006
Mad River Grain now baked every day
If you go to our bread varieties page you will see that, due to the overwhelming popularity of the Mad River Grain since its introduction last spring, we have adjusted our baking schedule so that we are now making it every day of the week. To do this, we had to move the potato bread to a three day a week schedule. We did the latter somewhat reluctantly, as it is one of our favorites, but unfortunately the sales of potato don't really justify baking it daily. Additionally, the potato bread is one of our best keeping varieties, so if you are a fan and you can remember that it's only available Mon., Thur. and Sat. now, it will keep quite well until the next day it is baked. Along with the above changes, we have added another day to the 100% whole wheat baking schedule. To our surprise and delight, this loaf has been quite popular. You can now find it on Mon., Wed., and Sat.
July 2006
New varieties and rotational schedule
For a few years now, we've been planning to add a couple of new varieties to our offerings. The problem has been that the number of different breads we make was already testing the limits of our racks' capacity, not to mention the fact that adding a couple of new daily varieties would overtax our minds and equipment. The solution, although we were a little reluctant to do it, was to introduce the new varieties in rotation with a few of our previously-existing ones. Although we love all of our loaves equally (depending, of course, on their suitability for the application), we had to take a cold, hard look at sales figures on this one and put some of the lesser-selling varieties onto a two or three days per week schedule. Already we have received a number of calls from fans of the Crossett, Alice's, and Olive wondering what happened to their favorite bread. Well, nothing has gone away completely and a couple of new things have come on the scene that have already developed a following... but we apologize to those of you that can no longer find your favorites on the day that you're at the store. You can find the new bread schedule on our racks in the stores or at http://www.redhenbaking.com/varieties.html
The trouble-makers behind this change are named Mad River Grain (coined by our bookkeeper Nancy Turner) and 100% Whole Wheat. The former could also be described as a multi-grain-- something that people have been requesting for some time. Even with the frequent requests, we never could have anticipated the popularity that this bread is already enjoying. The whole wheat is another one that we've been hearing interest in for some time. Our decision to go ahead with adding this bread to our regular rotation was largely influenced by our access to Heartland Mills flour (see previous "latest news"). Although we remain loyal to local wheat farmer Ben Gleason for all of our other whole wheat needs, Ben's supply would not be enough to allow us to produce this bread on a year 'round basis. Furthermore, the Kansas-grown whole wheat is particularly suited for this application. This bread has quickly become one of my personal favorites. I had almost forgotten how good a simple whole wheat bread can be. You can read more about each of the new breads at http://www.redhenbaking.com/varieties.html
March 1, 2006
New Miller in the House!
At the end of last week, we received our first shipment of flour from Heartland Mill in Marienthal, Kansas. For close to two years now, we have been working on obtaining Heartland's flour at the bakery. Now, thanks to Tierra Farms (you may have seen their roasted nuts in your local health food store), we’re able to get this flour in our neck of the woods. Since meeting Thom Leonard, Heartland's quality control manager, in 2004, I have been impressed with Heartland's approach to milling. Thom is a long-time artisan baker and personally tests nearly every lot of flour that comes off the mill with a thorough hearth bake test. His findings, together with the information from the extensive lab testing they do is made available on Heartland's website to assist bakers as they use the flour. More importantly, the results of this testing are used as Heartland works with farmers. For the first time on these shores (that I know of), an organic mill is doing the hard work involved with effectively purchasing and milling wheat for superior artisan bread baking qualities. When you come right down to it, the quality of every loaf of bread we bake is dependant on those that produce our basic ingredient—the farmer, and the miller. Too often in our modern world, the farmer, the miller, and the baker are working in isolation and are not aware of each others’ needs as they go about their work. Heartland Mill is farmer-owned, they are expert millers, and they have an experienced baker on their staff. More than any other mill I know of, they are linking these three parties together. The results are impressive. In just a few days of using Heartland’s flour in production, we are very pleased with the results. Currently, we’re using Heartland flour mostly in our baguettes (seeded and plain), ciabatta, miche, and rye breads. In the coming weeks, we will be transitioning to using their flour (along with Ben Gleason’s local whole wheat) in everything we make. We hope you’ve noticed the positive effects. Let us know what you think! --Randy
September 8, 2005
Our First Delivery to Brattleboro Co-op
It feels a little like coming full circle to be finally selling our bread at the Brattleboro Co-op. Some of my most formative time in the kitchen came while earning my keep as a student at Marlboro College. We always shopped at the Co-op in those days ('89-'93) and O' Bread and Baldwin Hill breads, (both still found on the Co-op's shelves to this day) were some of my early inspirations. Thanks to Priority Express, we now make it down there six days a week. Sorry, Saturdays are out for now, and the bread doesn't get there 'till 2:00 p.m., but at least we're there! You'll find us on the shelves in the bread aisle (our late delivery time and lack of Saturday service make our standard display racks an impossibility at this point).
It's good to be back in the neighborhood!
--Randy
July 26, 2004
New Recipes and More!
Check out our latest website additions to the "Our Bread" section, including recipes to use with leftover bread, and insights into our baking methods.
July 26, 2004
Special CSA breads
Red Hen Baking Co., in operation since 1999, is located in Duxbury, VT. We bake and deliver Certified Organic, naturally leavened breads 365 days a year. Randy George and Eliza Cain own and operate the business with thirteen hardworking bakers and drivers.
Last year, for the first time, we partnered with four local farms and created a bread component to their CSA offerings. As with most of our breads, the CSA loaves are naturally leavened. This means that they are made without commercial yeast-- just organic grains, water, salt, and millions of micro-organisms that we "raise" right here on our little yeast farm! Actually, there are also a lot of beneficial bacteria that help leaven the bread, give it its flavor, and improve its digestibility. Think of it as "cultured bread."
The breads that we make specifically for the CSA program are large (2 1/2 lb.), round loaves that are intended to meet the bread needs of a four person family and stay fresh for a full week. They feature whole grains, as many local ingredients as possible, and are suitable for a wide variety of uses‹such as dipping in oil, toasted with jam, in sandwiches, or as an accompaniment to dinner. Every other week, we make a light whole wheat bread, featuring whole wheat from Gleason Grains in Bridport, Vermont. On alternate weeks, we will offer rotating specials. This is a chance for us to take advantage of this unique relationship with our customers and have some fun with different breads. Last year, the alternate-week breads included maple-walnut, fresh corn, pumpkin seed rye, sprouted barley, and apple. For 2004, we plan to repeat some of last year¹s favorites, but you can also expect some surprises as we get inspired! Some of the varieties that we¹re working on for this season are Onion Rye and Steel Cut Oat.
Offering this through a CSA, enables us to make these breads more affordable than the "standard fare" you'll find on the shelves at local stores. For 2004, the price for a bread share will be $ per week. Buying the same amount of Red Hen bread in your local store would cost you between $6.50 and $7.00. This is great way to support your local farmer and your local bakery while saving money and enjoying the convenience of ³one-stop shopping!² We look forward to bringing these special breads to your table.
Thank you,
Randy and Liza and the whole crew.
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