Ben Benner’s Blog

Just doesn’t have the same ring to it as, “Bad Moon Rising” but all I could come up with at the moment.

I just baked what looks to me to be one of the most beautiful loaves of bread I have baked just far. (I have taken pics, but I need to upload them still.)

I have made a couple of dozen loaves of artisan bread now and feel like I am getting the feel for what a good artisan loaf looks like. Have started experimenting as well, trying to get a feel for what you can do, outside the regular recipe.

I have experiemented with adding more whole wheat flour to the dough, I like it, though Gina only like the white bread (unbleached all-purpose flour). I have even gotten a little adventurous, we had a spare jalapeno and some shredded cheese in the fridge, so I whipped up a half batch of dough and made some Jalapeno Cheese bread. It turned out pretty well.

The Jalapeno Cheese bread turned out well enough for me to ask the folks in the office if they wanted some. I got six takers. In retrospect, I should have whipped up a double batch of dough, but I managed to stretch the full-batch of dough into six loaves (I gave Jeremy the smallest loaf).

I got a few compliments and no complaints, so definitely a good sign in my book. When I was originally taking orders, Eryn asked me if “Is this for profit?” I had not thought about charging my coworkers, though I have thought about trying to perfect a few breads and maybe, just maybe trying to get into a farmers market.

I think I could easily get $3-5 a loaf. I mean for the loaf of bread I just baked I definitely think $4 would be a fair price for a GOOD sized artisan loaf. I think that a decent size loaf of Caraway Rye would go for at least $5. And I am certain that the Jalapeno Cheddar bread could snag $7 for a big loaf and $4 for a small.

Jeremy is planning to delivery some fresh basil from his herb garden, meaning that I will be doing a thing of herb bread this weekend.

After all of the excite of the storm this evening, I am beat. I think I am going to try to read a little then go to bed.

Laterz.

bdbenner baking baking, bread, farmers market

Gina and I will be heading out to the farmers market here soon. I would really like to encourage everyone out there to visit their local farmers market at least once a month. I mean around here there are several different markets, thus far Gina and I have decided that the Sunset Valley Farmers Market is the best one in town.

We have visited a couple of others around town, the one that is in downtown austin, the historic one that is on Burnet, but the Sunset Valley is the one we visit, almost every Saturday. The market is 24 miles from our house, as per Google Maps. We usually grab a coffee on the way down and make a morning of the trip.

I have recently fallen in love with the bread that this one vendor makes. He has been there the last 3 or 4 weeks, though I don’t remember him being there last year. He makes fantastic artisan breads, I favor his Rye breads. He said that he has made pumpernickel on occasion, but that demand for it isn’t really high enough for him to bring it to the market.

From looking at his setup, he bakes probably about 50-60 loaves of bread. I might ask him today, to see if my judgment of how many loaves his setup holds is anywhere near correct. His bread ranges from $7 - $9 (I need to check and see if he has anything more expensive than $9).

Now, we are talking about a circle of small artisan bread. My last loaf of bread could not have had a diameter of more than 7 inches and was no taller than 2 inches. It cost me $7.

Seven dollars of mustard rye goodness. I have to say that while, it is the most expensive bread I have ever purchased (even surpassing the bread obtained at Central Market), the mustard rye is worth every penny.

Today, though I am going to go out of my comfort zone. I am going get something other than a rye from this vendor, I am also going to try and get a name, his or his businesses’, so I can quit referring him to as ‘vendor’.

I have a feeling we will also pick up another cauliflower. We are still good on cabbage, got 2/3 of a cabbage left that I need to turn into slaw. I might try to smoke some chicken and turkey tomorrow, those don’t take too long.

Gina might find some various organs from the meat vendors to feed the dogs. The time before last, she found a lady selling chicken hearts and gizzards. MMMMM, bleh.

But the dogs loved them.

I will have to ask her about the lamb hearts she bought, I don’t remember if she fed those already or not.

If you do plan to get meat from a farmers market, I would definitely advise going early. The meat vendors always seem to sell out. There is this one stand there that sells some sort of goat cheese, milk, and various cuts of pork (not sure if I have seen beef there too), but I know they sell pork.

More often than not, their stand has a line. It seems to be a mix of folks waiting for cheese and meat. But I know the meat sells out.

There is this one stand that sells Basil (when it is in season) for a steal. Like $1 for a decent sized “bunch”. Even if they raised their prices to say $5, it would still be a steal over prices you pay at a regular grocery store for Basil.

Also, arugula is another great find you get at the farmers market. There are several vendors selling salad greens. Mixed spring style greens, arugula, spinach, and bibb lettuce.

I remember that when I was little my dad would take us to the farmers market in downtown Lansing. The experience of walking into a building with lots of hustle and bustle going on. I haven’t been in quite a long time, but I remember there being only one long row of vendors with little alleys at the various entrances on the sides of the long building.

It is kind of funny, all of the markets I have been to here in Texas are more like a traveling bazaar, whilst the Lansing market is in a big brick building. I mean, if the Lansing one wasn’t in a building it would only be able to be open at the end of spring through the beginning of fall.

Next time I am back in Lansing, I will need to swing through the city market and see if I can find myself an artisan rye.

I was poking around for artisan bread references while writing this and ran across the blog for the following book, “Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day…” I have to admit, that the man’s rye bread makes me want to bake. Not so much to avoid paying him that $7, but to hopefully be able to make something so tasty myself, at home anytime I want it, not just after a 30 minute drive on a saturday morning. I say this, because I am pretty sure my loaf of rye ran out on Wednesday. I mean, what am I supposed to do then?

Bake my own maybe.

I need to get ready to go to the market.

bdbenner food austin, farmers market, lansing, lansing city market, sunset valley, tx

My winter vacation is coming to a close. That is not the saddest part (warning, I am going to whine just a little bit right here) I was sick for a good part of my vacation. Gina was sick around Christmas day, I got sick on like Sunday night.

I felt almost normal on Thursday, still a little off. But Friday, except for some coughing I was OK.

And it was on Thursday whilst still recooperating that I saw my favorite culinary master, Alton Brown pay homage to an American Classic, the Spinach Salad.

We are going to be heading out to the Farmer’s Market (something we haven’t done since last Spring and procure some ingrediants for me to attempt to make this salad for a late lunch.

I need to get ready to go. I will post pics of what it all turns out like. I will be suprises if we fine some smoked bacon at the market, the last time I bought bacon there it was not at all what you would traditionally think of as bacon (it was more like fatty pork).

Later today I will do a reflection post on 2008 and what I believe 2009 will hold.

Laterz.

bdbenner Cooking alton brown, farmers market, popeye, salad, spinach