Regardless of your feelings for Netflix’s takeover of “The Great British Baking Show,” the popular competition baking series formerly broadcast on PBS, you will love the Mill City Farmers Market’s upcoming Bread Festival on Sept. 22.
Running 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Mill City Farmers Market, 704 S. 2nd Street, the event kicks off with a bread baking showcase emceed by Minneapolis’ version of GBBS host Sue Perkins: chef Heather Meyer of Farm to Fork.
The showcase is open to yeasted, sourdough or quick breads and beginner to experienced bread bakers. Everyone is a star baker at Bread Festival! Plus, all showcase bakers will receive a gift bag that includes two free mimosas or cappuccinos at Spoonriver restaurant, one free admission ticket to the Mill City Museum, $5 off at Lakewinds Co-op and a free dough scraper from Sunrise Flour Mill.
To enter, simply fill out a showcase entry form (online at millcityfarmersmarket.org or on-site Saturday) and drop your bread off between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. in the market’s train shed kitchen demo patio. Showcase bakers will sample their breads for each other and the public from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The bread baking showcase is followed at 10:30 a.m. by mini-lectures starting from local baking experts: Darrold Glanville of Sunrise Flour Mill discussing heritage and heirloom grains; Jonathan Kaye of Heritage Breads sharing his experiments with sourdough pita bread; and Arie Preisert of Northern Fires Pizza teaching the basics of sourdough pizza dough.
Throughout the day you can also take a stab at seed art using a variety of local grains, shop the market’s 50-plus local food vendors (including three bakeries, handcrafted wooden baking tools, farm-to-table sourdough pizza and fresh artisan pasta) and stop inside the Mill City Museum to learn about Minneapolis’ flourful history.
Get inspired by the English-inspired recipe below from 2017 Bread Festival showcase baker Mickey Dogotch or by the bakers dozen of bread recipes at millcityfarmersmarket.org.
On your market, get set, BAAAAKE!
Norwich seeded bread
Recipe by Mickey Dogotch, 2017 Bread Festival showcase baker
Ingredients
- 900 grams all-purpose flour
- 120 grams rye flour
- 2 teaspoons diastic malt powder
- 360 grams sourdough starter
- 600 grams warm water
- 23 grams salt
- 50 grams each: flax seed, sesame seed and hemp seed; toasted then 175 grams water poured over
Method
Mix the flours and diastic malt powder with the starter and water for approximately 1 minute, until well combined. Let sit 30–60 minutes until you see growth.
Add salt and mix 3–4 minutes. Place in large oiled plastic container. Add cooled seeds. Stretch and fold dough. Rest dough and repeat the stretch and fold after 50 minutes, 100 minutes and 150 minutes. Seeds will eventually mix in.
Divide dough into two and proof 1 ½–2 ½ hours. Bake covered at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes until bread reaches 200 degrees with an instant read thermometer or until brown.
