September is right around the corner and I have a fantastic September lineup for you. If you’re new to the bread list, welcome! The way it works is this: I open orders online on Friday each week for bread pickups on the following Thursday. So, this week, orders are open now for pickup on September 4th.
Every week I offer my house sourdough loaf with freshly milled flour (sliced or unsliced) as well as a bake of the week. Those items are available to order on my website – hillsdsalehearth.com – until Tuesday at the latest, earlier if I sell out. I bake only what has been ordered and then you pick up items either at Hillsdale College (Kendall 413) or at my home in Hillsdale. Orders are then closed from Tuesday night through Friday morning while I prepare orders for the week.
If you’ve paid online, you can just grab your labeled bag and go; if you’re paying with cash, check, or cashapp, you make that payment and then take your items.
For semester or monthly subscribers, your items will be in the pickup location you indicate when you order every week of your subscription. All bags are labeled with your name so you’ll know just which one to take. Both the semester subscriptions and the September subscriptions will close on Tuesday or when sold out.
It’s an exciting time of year! College students are returning to campus, the garden is bountiful, school is starting up again – life is teeming at every turn. Sometimes, in the midst of so much – even so much good – I can feel overwhelmed. Some days, it’s being overwhelmed with gratitude; other days, life just feels like a lot. Baking has for a long time been a good antidote to stress. I think the physical nature of the work has a way of calming my spirit. I often think about how we as created beings were made to create, how the simple act of making something, especially something beautiful, has such a profound effect.
As summer draws to its close, I’m making one last round of sourdough burger buns. Many of you grilling enthusiasts will fire up the grill all winter long, but ours gets tucked away sometime in the fall until the weather warms up again. We were all craving burgers last week so I made a big batch of buns and we enjoyed them alongside sweet corn and garden beans. Good summer eating!
New this week is the semester subscription. With it comes 13 weeks of baked goods – either sourdough loaves or the bake of the week – all matched up with the academic calendar at Hillsdale College. Looking for a gift for a new student? A way to make sure healthy carbs are available every week? Or a treat for a son or daughter – or for yourself?! Semester subscriptions are open in a limited quantity now through September 1st or until sold out. I will also have regular monthly subscriptions as usual, starting Friday, August 29th. The August baking lineup is looking great, so watch for that email next week!
Sourdough house loaves with freshly milled whole grains are always available and make for easy dinners at my house. It’s the bread that most people think of when they think of sourdough – crusty on the outside, tender on the inside. My loaves have a gentle sour tang, more of a depth than a tartness, if that makes sense. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s always a good time to start! These loaves are also now available sliced.
We’re halfway through August and it feels like a mad rush to finish projects before school starts! The garden is going gangbusters: beans, zucchini, pickling cucumbers, slicing cucumbers, and tomatoes are all in full force. I’ve harvested and braided strands of onions and shallots, and there are bundles of herbs drying. The school room is getting a refresh, so staining the remaining bookshelves is also on my list for today. The kids picked and snapped beans, which was a huge help to getting those in the freezer! It’s fun to see them growing into helpfulness.
This past week I ordered a tool for the bakery that we have all been enjoying immensely: a bread slicer! Not a big electric deal, but a hand crank slicer that has turned slicing bread into the most fun household job. It’s something I’ve wanted to offer to all of you for some time, and decided that this was a good time to give the slicer a try. I’ll be offering sliced house loaves weekly for just a bit extra. You’ll see a separate item to order sliced bread. The loaves freeze well this way, and the slices are so even! I definitely get more slices out of each loaf with this than when I cut into them by hand.
In the bakery this week I’m also making a chocolatey, decadent cookie that features rye flour and sourdough. Dark and milk chocolate along with pecans round out the flavors. These are so, so delicious! If you haven’t had the rye + chocolate combination, this is a great week to try it. These flavors are incredible together and make for an absolutely indulgent cookie!
Next week I plan to have the semester ordering plans up on the website. These plans will follow Hillsdale College’s academic calendar and allow for 13 weeks of bread over the semester, taking off when there are no classes (fall break, Thanksgiving, etc.). I will still have the monthly subscriptions for those of us who are here but wanted to make that available for students and others who might travel when there are no classes. If you know anyone who might enjoy that kind of subscription, please send this their way!
This email is coming to you early as I’m off to an adventure weekend with friends. We’ll be kayaking, hiking, thrifting, and enjoying each other’s company immensely. It’s such a gift to have good friends!
This coming week I’ll be baking a new-to-me bread: sourdough french bread. I packed some along for our girls’ weekend, and we’ll make garlic bread with it. If a baguette married sandwich bread, this is what the result would be. It’s a longer shape, more like a baguette, but not as crispy. It’s squishy, but also still substantial, holding up to anything you’d like to put on it. Here’s one idea: shrimp po’ boys! You won’t go wrong there. Aldi has some shrimp that would work well for that 🙂 Each loaf will make 2-3 sandwiches, I think, depending on how large you’d like them. Our family of 6 went through a loaf for breakfast, sliced up as toast. I hope you’ll enjoy this one as much as we have been this week!
If you see any garden produce on the porch when you come, please feel free to take whatever you’d like! We’re making our way through it, but I love to share.
Always available are house sourdough loaves with three different whole grains. It’s the most versatile bread I make and has been a lifesaver this summer to pull loaves out of the freezer when I have no other plans for dinner! To defrost, I run frozen loaves under water for 5-10 seconds, then let thaw in a warm 300 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until warmed through. This trick also works if your bread has gotten a bit hard after a few days. Get it wet, put it in a low oven until soft. It’s like magic!
August is upon us and I have a great lineup for you! Drawing inspiration from my garden, from my stock of whole grains, and from a favorite cookbook, I hope you’ll enjoy what I’ve chosen this month. If you have a favorite that you’d like to see on the menu in the coming months, drop me a line and let me know! Without further ado, here’s what I’m baking in August:
August 7: Cheesy zucchini muffins. These are perhaps the most fervently requested item at our house once the zucchini start rolling in from the garden, even from the one kid who claims to dislike zucchini. This savory muffin is packed with fresh zucchini, cheddar cheese, and other savory goodness. Lighter than a sweet muffin, these are a delicious start to your day! Each order contains 4 muffins.
August 14: Sourdough French Bread with white whole wheat. Sometimes, you just want a good, hearty white bread that will hold all the delicious sandwich fillings you can think of. Squishier than a baguette, but sturdier than sandwich bread, this loaf hits all the right notes. I’ll mill white whole wheat to add in for extra flavor and nutrition. The long fermentation means it’s easier on digestion, as well. Just in time for tomato season we’ll be eating BLTs on this bread for weeks!
August 21: Double chocolate pecan cookies with rye. If you haven’t had cookies with sourdough before, consider this a sign to try them! The freshly-milled rye flour makes the chocolate really pop, and the flavors shine in this cookie. Decadent, yes. But flavorful and not simply sweet. If you’re feeling extra indulgent, pair two of these with ice cream in the middle for the ultimate ice cream sandwich! Each order has 6 cookies.
August 28: Sourdough burger buns. One last time this summer, sourdough burger buns are hitting the menu. With Labor Day just around the corner it’s a great time to put a few more burgers on the grill. What better way to enjoy them than with homemade buns? These freeze beautifully and thaw much faster than regular loaves. If you’re grilling into the fall, stock up on these – it’s the last time I’ll make them until spring!
Crusty house sourdough loaves are on the menu weekly. I make these with 25% freshly milled grains – red and white whole wheat as well as spelt. We named this ‘house’ bread because it’s on our table in some form nearly every day. Whole grains provide a host of nutritional benefits, from fiber to minerals and essential nutrients. But it’s the flavor of freshly milled flour that makes this bread the one that I make weekly.
I’m considering offering bread slicing as an option for a small fee. If that’s something you’d take advantage of, let me know. The slicer is an investment, but one I’m glad to make if there’s interest!
We’re getting ready to host my brother and his family this weekend and it’s been a flurry of activity to get ready. We live 12 hours apart and so there’s often a good stretch of months between our time together. Everyone is excited to play with cousins and to show them around Hillsdale. Both of our oldest girls start high school in the fall and I sense that these visits with all the kids are fleeting. I’m hoping to bake some fun things while they’re here for us all to enjoy together!
Speaking of fun things to bake, soft sourdough pretzels – this week’s bake – are a family favorite both to eat and to make! Even my youngest loves to help roll out the dough for our family and shape it. He’s proud of a job well done, and the pretzels taste even better when you’ve been a part of making them. These sourdough pretzels are the perfect combination of soft and chewy with just the thinnest mahogany-colored crust on the outside. If I had to choose a desert island food, this just might be it. Each order has 3 pretzels, and while these don’t keep as well as other breads, they do freeze very well!
Always available is my house sourdough with freshly-milled grains. This is a wonderful introduction to sourdough bread if you are new to it. Sourdough is simply a term to describe the natural fermentation that gives this kind of bread its rise. I don’t use any commercial yeast in any of my sourdough bakes. Most (though not all) sourdough breads at the grocery store are still driven by yeast with some added sourdough culture for flavor. I let the natural leavening do its work in giving breads a long, cold rise which adds to both the nutritional value and the flavor profile. Give this one a try!
It felt a bit surreal to type out that subject. July already? I have a list of summer projects and while there are some getting checked off the list, the days are passing quickly. And yet, if I only measure the summer in terms of my to-do list, I will have missed all of the joy of everything not on my list. Impromptu games with kids. Summer picnics. Dinners with friends. Afternoons cooling off at the pool (thanks, Mickey!). Reading stories. Bonfires. Long conversations. Baking something with one kiddo. I don’t have a checklist for those, and yet they belong to the essence of the season. They belong to life, to making memories, to building a life in a place. It’s always a temptation to get caught up in the lists, to feel productive, to focus only on what I’ve done (or not done). I’m so grateful for the ability to work at a list, and also for the reminders to ignore it and shift my full attention to the people around me!
July was a fun month to plan for baking. Some of you have had favorite breads you’d like to see again, there’s a holiday weekend, and summer flavors are so bright and cheery. I *think* I rolled that all up into one menu! Thankfully there are five Thursdays, so plenty of room for creativity. Here’s the menu with pickup dates!
July 3: Sourdough burger buns, sold in sets of four. If you’re putting burgers of any kind on the grill, or making pulled pork sandwiches, these are a must have. I’m making two kinds this month – regular, and firecracker, flavored with jalapeño and cheddar. These buns will hold up to all the toppings and the biggest, juciest burger you can throw at them! If you’re subscribing, be sure to indicate what kind of burger buns you’d prefer when you order.
July 10: Sourdough chocolate focaccia. Back by popular demand this sweet take on focaccia is making another round! Infused with cocoa powder and both dark and milk chocolate chips, this light and fluffy bread is absolutely delicious. Chocolatey, not too sweet, and just right for sharing (or not!).
July 17: Sourdough soft pretzels. Salty, chewy, and shiny mahogany these pretzels are just the best. The flavor and the nutritional benefit are boosted by a long, cold rest in the fridge. If you haven’t tried these yet, get some this month! Each order has three pretzels.
July 24: Lemonade scones, four per order and six for subscribers! No summer is complete without gallons of lemonade! These scones will combine tart lemon with sweet scones to make for a delightful summer snack.
July 31: Honey whole wheat sourdough sandwich bread. Whole grains and a little honey make for a sweet and tender sandwich loaf that is the perfect vehicle whatever your favorite sandwich might be.
July subscriptions are open this weekend only, as are orders for burger buns. If you’re traveling in July but want to subscribe, you can give that week’s order to a friend! It’s a great way to introduce someone to homemade sourdough breads 🙂
Also available both as a subscription and on a weekly basis are my house sourdough loaves. I mill a blend of grains for these loaves giving them a good boost of nutrition and flavor. Freshly milled grains mean all the nutrients from the wheat make their way into your bread. A long, cold fermentation also means easier digestibility, especially for those who are sensitive to gluten.
We had so much fun with the garden focaccia this week. Miranda chopped and organized all of the veggies, carefully planning out her designs. It was a delight to watch her work, and we both loved how the designs turned out! I hope you enjoyed them, as well. The veg that Suzie brought from Rebel Farm was absolutely stunning. If you’re looking for produce grown with love and attention, please do pay her a visit at her farm stand.
The actual garden out back is offering some of its firstfruits. We’ve had radishes and lettuce so far, and some chives, with snow peas not too far behind. The rain and hot weather this weekend should make it really take off. I like to go out in the morning, when it’s cool and still. It’s such a nice time for prayer, for thinking, and to just be quiet.
This week I’m making a family favorite: sourdough baguettes. They’re one of my favorite summer breads – easy to take along on day trips, great to top with fresh flavors (bruschetta!), and the perfect accompaniment to a big salad. We usually freeze a few of these to pull out for company or just because. Since they’re thin, they also thaw quite quickly!
Always available is my house sourdough, also a good option for stocking the freezer. I came in the house last night after painting the chicken coop, not much feeling like making dinner. Some slices of bread, cheese, and a quick salad later we had grilled cheese with salad. Not fancy, but a dinner within reach of a tired mom! I’m a big fan of meal planning, but sometimes the day takes a different turn and the plans simply aren’t feasible. Having a loaf of bread around means I can change plans quickly when the day throws a curveball!
We have a good-sized vegetable garden in our yard, and it seems like every year the kids grow both more able to help and more interested in having their own sections to tend. As you might imagine, this is met with varying degrees of aptitude and planning. It reminds me of the book “Strega Nona’s Harvest” by Tomie de Paola. Strega Nona plants her garden in tidy rows, and her comical assistant, big Anthony, scatters seeds as the spirit leads him, thumbing his nose at Strega Nona’s order. In the story, and in life, both gardens produce a bounty!
This week’s bread is a partnership with Rebel Farms in Osseo, and featuring our eldest daughter, Miranda. I have made many a sourdough focaccia, often with herbs or cheese, once even a sweet version with chocolate! But for this one I’m turning to the garden. Suzie at Rebel Farms is generously supplying all the produce for this bread, and her gardens are a work of art. You can see them for yourself and pick up produce from her farm stand next week from 9am-dusk at 11081 S Bird Lake Rd in Osseo. Miranda will take that produce (even edible flowers!) and turn it into her own work of art, one that will delight your eyes and your tastebuds! We did a practice run this week so she could test out some ideas, and we both had a lot of fun with it. It was hard to cut into it, but worth it for those flavors!
I’m thinking about changing up my house sourdough for the summer, and offering different flavors for July and August. Let me know if you’re interested in that, or if you would prefer the regular version, available this week. Either way, I’ll make these loaves with a mix of freshly milled whole grains and give it a long fermentation in the fridge overnight, giving you the best of flavor and nutrition!
When we go camping, our meals are usually fairly basic and practical. We think about what we can pack into a cooler and cook easily. In the past, that has tended to be hot dogs and sausages. On repeat. But most hot dog buns don’t travel well and end up a squished mess! We switched to a small griddle this year for our trip and it made cooking for our crew so much easier – and tastier. Now that we’re home, we’ll put some sausages and brats on the grill, not worrying about buns that get ‘accidentally’ placed underneath the bag of potatoes in the camper :/
For this week’s bake, I wanted to take that camping meal to a new level with homemade sourdough hot dog and brat buns. We’ve enjoyed these many times (though I don’t seem to have a photo to prove it!), and they are such a great way to have a quick and easy meal. They freeze well, making them an excellent option for last minute dinners, or taking on the road (frozen = not squished!) If you’ve had my burger buns, these will be quite similar in substance, though not in shape. Each order will have 4 buns.
Always available is my house sourdough. If you’re enjoying salads from the farmer’s market or your own garden, this bread makes outstanding croutons. Cube it, toast it in a skillet with the fat of your choice, and sprinkle with salt and whatever herbs you’d like. Voila!
Orders are open now through Tuesday, or until sold out. Pickup is on Thursday, June 12th either at Hillsdale College (Kendall 413) or at my home in Hillsdale, both after 1pm. Payment is by cash, check, or cashapp when you pickup, or by credit card when you order.
