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This Saturday I’m participating in my first market! It’s been a good week of making notes, measuring, scheduling, and of course baking. Gianna Green is doing a wonderful job of bringing unique events to the Dawn Theater downtown, and this market is no exception. I’ll be there with sourdough goods, including soft pretzels, raspberry sweet rolls, whole wheat sandwich bread, my house sourdough, browned butter chocolate chip cookies, rhubarb scones, and sourdough focaccia. It’s going to be great! Other vendors will have water color paintings, handmade candles, flowers, linens and textiles – and many other beautiful things. My girls are even joining in the fun: one is making gluten free chocolate cookies, the other friendship bracelets 🙂 If you can, come on out on Saturday from 11-3! Rumor has it that the steam train will be downtown that day, making for a great way to spend a Saturday.

This coming week, I will be making sourdough bagels. I love a good bagel, and these are the best I’ve had. I’m planning on making a cinnamon raisin version; if raisins aren’t your thing, I can easily make some without! Just let me know when you order. The natural leavening (aka sourdough) adds a good deal of flavor without really being sour. It’s more like a certain something, a flavor that has you returning for another bite. I like to eat these just as they are, but they’re also spectacular toasted with good butter and maybe cream cheese! 

My house sourdough is up for order, as usual. It’s a good time to put a few of these in the freezer for those lazy summer meals with fruit, cheese, and salami (just me?). I have the best of intentions to freeze a few, but then we eat two loaves in a day and my stockpile dwindles. I mix this bread by hand, with my trusty dough whisk and my hands. It has simple ingredients that make their magic with time and care. Bread flour, a mix of freshly milled grains, water, sourdough starter, and salt. I will be taking a break from baking for the better part of July. If you don’t want to be without great bread, be sure to stock up over the next few weeks!

Orders are open until Tuesday, June 18th for pickups on Thursday, June 20th and Friday, June 21st. Be sure to indicate your preferred pickup spot when you order – Hillsdale College or my home in Hillsdale. Payment is by cash, check, or cashapp when you pick up, or by credit card when you order.

If you have friends who are bemoaning the lack of a bakery in Hillsdale, please send this on to them! I would love to be their local baker, too.

The other night, just as the sun was going down, the rain started coming down in sheets. Not being ones to miss an excuse to stay up just a little longer, the kids congregated on the back porch, just out of the rain. As they watched, a double rainbow materialized! A beautiful gift and reminder of God’s faithfulness.

This coming week I’m making a sourdough focaccia with freshly milled white whole wheat. Nutritionally, it’s not much different than red wheat but the flavor is milder. Since I’m milling at home just before mixing, the focaccia retains all of the nutrients in the flour – nothing is sifted out or left to spoil. Excellent flavor, excellent nutrients, excellent bread! Focaccia is such a versatile bread. We make a lot of sandwiches with it, or dip it in olive oil alongside a meal, or top it with cheese and broil it until the cheese melts. I’m topping it with Herbes de Provence this week and a bit of sea salt. So, so good!

On Saturday, June 15th, the Dawn Theater is hosting a vintage market from 11am-3pm. There will be all sorts of beautiful things there – candles, linens, plants, clothing, home goods, handmade items. Oh, and bread! I’m planning to have a table with a variety of items you’ve enjoyed. Some sweet, some savory, all sourdough and delicious. Come on out and support the Dawn, local community, and my little bakery. And see the train while you snack!! 

My house sourdough is available to order every week. My grain mill has been getting a workout this week and is keeping up just fine! I love making these loaves. While I mix I love to think about who ordered and what’s happening with them. Bread is more than just physical sustenance. It’s a way to connect to people around us, something to share at a meal or in a difficult time. It is the stuff of life!

Orders are open from Friday, June 7th – Tuesday, June 11th. Breads can be picked up either at my home in Hillsdale or at Hillsdale College. Your pickup preference can be indicated when you order. Payment is with cash, check, or cash app when you pick up, or by credit card when you order.

It’s almost the start of a new month, and do I have a month of breads lined up for you! I’ve been trying out some favorite recipes with freshly milled grains and I think you’re going to love them. 

If you’re new to the bread list, welcome! Each Friday I send out an email with a description of whatever I will be baking for the coming week, giving you the weekend to decide what you would like to order. Some of you plan meals around the breads I’m making, making for at least one easy meal for the week! Breads are available to order from Friday-Tuesday of each week, with pickup at Hillsdale College or at my home on the following Thursday/Friday.

As we head into the beginning of the month (that’s now!) I make a monthly subscription available. Ordering this way ensures that you will receive fresh bread weekly throughout the month without having to remember to order each week. Subscriptions are available for both my house sourdough loaf as well as the bake of the week. You can order multiple loaves through the subscription, as well!

For the month of June, here’s what I have on tap for the bake of the week:

June 6-7: Whole wheat honey oat sourdough loaf

June 13-14: Sourdough focaccia with white whole wheat and Herbes de Provence

June 20-21: Cinnamon raisin sourdough bagels (or plain, if that’s more your speed)

June 27-28: Sourdough raspberry knots with homemade raspberry jam

There is also a Bake of the Week+ for those who would like a few additional items without ordering a second subscription.

I like to make something special for subscribers as a way of saying thanks. This month, subscribers will receive rhubarb scones with their first week’s order! I love baking with rhubarb at this time of year. These scones were new for me in the last few weeks, and we all loved them! They are sweetened because, well, rhubarb, but as I usually do, I cut the amount of added sugar significantly. The result? Tangy, make something, buttery bites of goodness. You don’t want to miss out on these!

For the first week in June, I’m making a whole wheat honey oat sourdough loaf. It’s a mouthful, I know! This bread is made with 70% freshly milled whole wheat flour and is baked in a bread pan, so it looks more like a sandwich loaf. It’s not dense, like some whole wheat breads, but is so healthy and so full of flavor. I’ve been enjoying this loaf toasted and smeared with peanut butter and drizzled with honey. 

My house sourdough loaf is available every week and with a monthly subscription. This one has a mix of red wheat, white wheat, and spelt, all milled just before mixing. The flavors and nutrition that come with freshly milled flour are just outstanding. If you’ve been disappointed with sourdough from the grocery store, give this one a try!

If you’re traveling in June but would like to subscribe, you can gift your bread to a friend (anyone can pick up for you) while you’re away, or I can freeze your bread until you return. I’m happy to work with you to find the right solution! 

More information about the bake of the week can be found on hillsdalehearth.com/shop, or reach out to me if you have questions or special requests!

June subscriptions, house sourdough, and sourdough honey oat loaves are all available to order now through Tuesday, June 4th. Payment is by cash, check, or cash app (#hillsdalehearth) when you pick up, or by credit card when you order. 

Thanks, everyone! Enjoy the weekend!

Hi all!

What a week it’s been! The hot days have been giving us summer vibes and daily requests for swimming and water gun fights. May feels full of activities and end-of-the-year celebrations. I’m looking forward to a summer routine that has us moving at a more leisurely pace.

This week’s bake was a familiar flavor combination put into a new form. Jalapeño cheddar sourdough has become ubiquitous for many bread bakers. Granted, it’s delicious, but I wanted to take those flavors and do something else with them. Moving into summer, it seems that many people shift their eating habits from loaves of crusty bread to carbs in other forms. While we eat crusty bread all the time (especially with those farmer’s market salads!), it is nice to change up the bread routine. 

These scones are light, almost like a biscuit, and so full of flavors! I made a batch this morning with diced jalapeños that were labeled ‘tamed’ (I’m still pondering that one!) and a few good handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese. Everyone wandered into the kitchen while they were baking, and I barely got a photo of them before little hands snuck a scone or two. If you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around a savory scone, you’re in good company. But these have landed me firmly in the savory scone camp! They would make for such an elegant and easy breakfast alongside a few eggs and some fruit. Scones freeze and reheat beautifully, so nab a few orders to have breakfast options for the summer.

As always, my house sourdough is available to order. I use a mix of three grains that I mill at home: red wheat, white wheat, and spelt. I really like the combination of different grains and the flavors that they bring to the bread, not to mention the added fiber! It ferments for at least 24 hours, which seems to be the magic number for making bread more digestible for many who are sensitive to gluten. 

If you subscribed in May, this coming week will be your last week of May breads. Watch for the June menu to drop with next week’s email, and sign up for a month of delicious baked goods! If you’re traveling and would like to have someone else pick up your order, that’s totally fine. Or, if you’d just like me to put your order in my freezer until you return, I can do that, as well. I’m pretty flexible, as long as I have a bit of notice!

Orders are open now until Tuesday, May 28th for orders that can be picked up on Thursday, May 30th at my house or at Hillsdale College, or Friday, May 31st at my house. Please indicate where you would like to pick up when you order. Payment is by cash, check, or cashapp when you pick up, or credit card when you order.

We’re late to the party, I’m sure, but we wheeled out our grill this past week for the first time in quite a while! My husband, Jonathan, bravely grilled steak for my birthday back in February, but it’s been tucked away since then. This week, he put a few pork chops on the grill for our weekly date night. I sauteed some onions and garlic, and we topped the chops with that – delish! Naturally, we had thick slices of bread on the table, too – a whole wheat sourdough I made earlier in the week. And I’ve been buying the good butter for our bread lately; a bit of a splurge, but it’s so, so good!

With the long summer nights coming our way, and the warmer temps, grilling burgers becomes a regular staple at our house. I love a good burger, and I’m always so glad when the bun can keep up with it! Substantial enough to hold together under all those toppings, but light enough to still be able to bite into it. This coming week, you’ll get my favorite sourdough burger buns – just in time for Memorial Day! I’ve made a lot of burger buns, and these are always a hit. They’re made with bread flour and freshly-milled white whole wheat (giving you the added nutrients but a lighter flavor), as well as just a bit of butter, milk, and egg to keep them tender. If you’re grilling – or making anything that can go on a bun – give these a try!

My house sourdough is available weekly, and is made with a good amount of freshly milled flours. I use a mix of hard red wheat, hard white wheat, and spelt in my house loaves. They all have different flavors, and I find the combination to be a delightful mix. I can’t seem to make this fast enough to keep up with my family!

Which baked goods would you like to see on the menu more often? Are there items you’d like to be able to get every week? I’ve been thinking quite a bit about how to offer more choices for you each week. If you have favorites, or staples that you would like to get regularly, please do let me know!

Orders are open now and will stay open until Tuesday, May 21st for pickup on Thursday and Friday, May 23rd-24th. Most of the sourdough breads I make take about 36 hours from start to finish; I close the orders on Tuesday since by that evening I’m mixing up what I need for Thursday breads! Breads can be picked up at my home in Hillsdale, or at Hillsdale College – just indicate your preference when you order.

Payment is by cash, check, or cashapp, or by credit card when you order at hillsdalehearth.com. 

Hi all!

This week you’re in for a treat: white chocolate sourdough. It’s a sourdough riff from a recipe out of The Baking Bible. I wanted to make something similar (that recipe is yeasted), but with all the added benefits of sourdough. I think this has hit the mark! The bread itself is soft, squishy, and tender; it’s enriched with just a bit of milk, butter, and brown sugar. But it’s the white chocolate chips that really send this one over the top. It’s so, so good on its own, and we’ve also been enjoying it toasted with butter and strawberry jam. Any jam would work well, I think, as it will balance the lovely sweetness in this bread.​

It’s the end of the school year for the college, and our own school year is drawing to a close. Sometimes, having a little pick-me-up is just the thing to give a boost to a difficult day. This bread has brought all sorts of smiles at my house this week!

I made a few big loaves of my house sourdough for our family this week. As an experiment, I made them with just bread flour instead of adding in the freshly milled grains. Lo and behold, my kids noticed, and wondered why the bread tasted different this week! The verdict was that it’s good, but that they prefer the version with freshly milled flour added. Of course, that didn’t slow down their bread eating at all!

As always, orders for white chocolate sourdough and house sourdough are open now until Tuesday. Payment is by cash, check, or cashapp, or credit card when you order. 

If you know someone that would enjoy freshly made sourdough breads, please send this along to them! My June lineup isn’t quite set yet, so if you have any special requests, please send them my way.

Thanks, everyone!

Warmly,

Rachel

This week’s bread is one that I have avoided making for far too long. Having eaten my share of good ones – and not so good ones – they have always felt intimidating to get right. Most baking recipes speak of baguettes as one of the most challenging breads to make, which did not help my intimidation! Recently, I had a chance to take a leap with baguettes for a sweet friend’s party. They do take some practice, but I was really pleased with how they turned out! This week, I’m making baguettes for all of you. These are a sourdough version, so all of that great flavor and nutrition is wrapped up in baguette form! I’ll make these with a good portion of freshly milled whole wheat flour, adding in some extra flavor and fiber. Baguettes go with everything, from a charcuterie board, to bruschetta, to garlic bread, to just tearing off hunks and smearing with good butter! These sourdough baguettes will be about a foot long.

My house sourdough is also available this week, as it is every week. I picked up flour this last week from a bakery that orders the kinds of flour I like to use. I’ve experimented with a number of different flours and always come back to King Arthur Baking Co. This bakery goes through A LOT of flour, so for me to pick up ten 50lb bags is no problem for them! Thankfully, we can put some seats down in the minivan and load it all in without any trouble. I’m so grateful for a community of bakers who like to support small businesses!

The changes outside in late spring always feel so dramatic. All winter long, everything lies dormant. I grow impatient in early spring when I’d like to see buds and color again! Then, it seems like the grass turns a vibrant shade of green from one day to the next, and the flowering trees are suddenly full of leaves. These are such good reminders for me of God’s gifts, that he is not slow in keeping his promises but keeps them in his own time.

Sourdough baguettes will be available on Thursday and Friday, May 9th-10th for regular pickups at my home on both days and the college on Thursday. 

Graduation season is nearly upon us! If you’re having a party and would like some special baked goods, please reach out to me. I’d love to help!

We are making good headway on the spring projects on our list! The raspberries, berry bushes, and apple trees are planted, the garden is tilled and raked, and the chickens *almost* have a new home. Not a moment too soon, either – they are getting more cozy than perhaps they’d like in their current home. It’s been good to work together with the kids on these projects as we make this house our home!

I have been working on a delicious lineup for five weeks of May breads, and think I’ve found a great mix of sweet and savory. I’ll give you the rundown, and you can watch for more details weekly throughout the month. Subscriptions are the best way to ensure that you get all of the great breads this month! New for May, In am offering a Bread of the Week + subscription for those who would like a few extra of the individual items like scones.

May 2nd-3rd: Asiago Sourdough

May 9th-10th: Sourdough Baguette (2 baguettes for + subscriptions)

May 16th-17th: Soft White Chocolate Sourdough Loaf

May 23rd-24th: Sourdough Burger Buns (4 buns per order, 8 for + subscriptions)

May 30th-31st: Jalepeno Cheddar Scones (4 scones per order, 8 for + subscriptions)

Asiago sourdough is a long-time favorite for many of you. I use my house sourdough as a base, and add grated asiago to the dough, making for a savory cheesy loaf that’s full of great flavor! It makes the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich, or the base for a fried egg sandwich, or anything else savory you can throw at it. Drizzle it with olive oil, toast it in the oven, then rub a cut clove of garlic on a slice for a cheesy spin on garlic bread!

All of these breads are also available for week-to-week purchase as well. My house sourdough, with 25% freshly milled flour, is for sale every week as well as for a monthly subscription. 

Every subscriber will receive a pack of the cookies that wins my husband’s heart every time I make them: oatmeal white chocolate cranberry cookies! He even offered to write a description of them for you, but I wasn’t sure how much you would want to read about his great love for these cookies, so I’ll let his hearty recommendation stand as it is!

Subscriptions and orders will be open from Friday, April 26th – Tuesday, April 30th. Pickups will be on the dates listed above for the month of May, with Thursdays at Hillsdale College and at my home, and Fridays at my home. Please forward this on to anyone who would enjoy fresh homemade bread!

We’ve been busy outside this week getting ready for spring. We planted six apple trees, a crabapple, and a bunch of berry plants and bushes. The rain watered them in! Fruit trees are new for us, and while we have much to learn we’re also grateful for the chance to do so!

The bread of the week brings an exciting partnership with Ad Astra Coffee! If you don’t know about their coffee yet, you are in for a fantastic brew. Ad Astra’s goal is to create extraordinary quality in the cup, value for our producers and customers, and strong local communities. 
Coffee and bread, you might think? The combination in this coffee swirl sourdough, while unexpected, is a grown up twist on a cinnamon swirl bread. The dough itself is infused with brewed coffee, and I’m using Ad Astra’s Hillsdale blend. Then, that delicious coffee flavored, barely sweet dough is rolled up with a swirl of finely ground coffee, cinnamon, and sugar. Plain, toasted with butter, smeared with jam or Nutella, this is an outstanding pick-me-up at any time of day. Even if you’re not a fan of coffee, I think the other flavors in this bread will make it one you’ll enjoy – give it a shot!

All of Ad Astra’s coffee is ethically sourced from premier quality producers – from small family farms directly, or from local co-ops. They take fair-trade as a minimum and always ensure their farmers receive a fair wage. They do specialty coffee which means the quality of the cup comes from the top 20% of coffee worldwide. The Hillsdale blend being used in the coffee bread this coming week is a blend of premium arabica coffee from Africa; a well rounded and smooth coffee that tastes like home.

Always on offer here is my house sourdough. If you’re new to my bread list and haven’t tried this one, this is pure artisan sourdough, made with real ingredients and freshly milled whole grains. I had a slice for breakfast this morning, toasted, with peanut butter, honey, and sliced banana. Just the right thing to start the morning!

By the end of the summer, you can enjoy a cup of great coffee in Ad Astra’s full-service cafe space in conjunction with St. Joe’s Pizza Kitchen in downtown Hillsdale! It’s going to be a great addition to downtown. The good folks at Ad Astra are looking forward to serving the Hillsdale community excellent coffee in a beautiful space. 

For some time now I’ve seen pictures of a bread called ‘fougasse.’ It’s a flat-ish bread (think pretzel), made with decorative slashes, and often made with other flavors in the dough or topped with herbs. To be honest, I’ve wondered what the appeal is of fougasse – why make something in that shape when I could have a whole loaf of bread? Well. I came across a recipe for sourdough olive fougasse and thought I’d make one to see what the fuss was all about. Turns out, there’s a reason for the fuss! 

If you like soft pretzels, this has some similarities. There are thicker, soft and chewy parts, and there are some crunchy edges. Fougasse is great for sharing – pull it apart and dip it in olive oil! Or just devour it like I did. My kids, who are not all big fans of olives, even enjoyed it with kalamata olives. If you’d like to try it but aren’t a fan of olives, let me know when you order and I’ll leave them out of yours. Fougasse is wonderful in all sorts of varieties!

This weather has me itching to plant the garden. My tomato plants are giant but will have to wait until it warms up a bit more to go outside. Since my peppers didn’t all grow the way I’d hoped, I’ll head over to Rebel Farm when they’re selling seedlings to fill in any gaps. Hopefully most everything else will be planted directly, and we’ll hope for the best! Our apple trees and berry plants arrived this week; now to dig all the holes and settle them into their new homes. Phew!

Also available this week is my house sourdough. I make quite a few of these, so I have it down to a good rhythm. If you’re having dinner guests, or if you are a dinner guest, this a wonderful loaf to have on hand!

It’s a normal baking week next week with orders going out on Thursday to Hillsdale College, and Thursday and Friday at my home. Be sure to indicate your preferred pickup day and place when you order! And if you need to make a change to that, just let me know. I’m usually pretty flexible. Orders are open from Friday, April 12th – Tuesday, April 16th and payment is by cash, check, and cashapp on pickup, or by credit card when you order at hillsdalehearth.com. 

Please let me know if you have any special requests or if you would like to order more of something I’ve made and you have especially enjoyed! With a bit of notice, I can usually accommodate most requests.