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We’re back from Kansas following a terrific learning, baking, and video-shooting trip with our new sponsor, Gold Medal Flour. Many of you know that we;ve used Gold Medal flours for years. We even tested our books with them–they work beautifully and the loaves always turn out great. So we were thrilled to fly to Kansas with the Gold Medal team to visit one of their wheat growers and see their largest mill, and shoot a fantastic video.
It was hot down in Kansas, and that reminds me– it’s time to re-post the links to our summer outdoor-baking ideas (at the bottom)…
Jay Armstrong…
….is a fourth-generation Kansas farmer, working 2,700 acres with the help of some very cool machines, like this combine…
….which strips whole-grain kernels of wheat from the straw and chaff of the wheat stalks:
Despite all the technology available to him, Jay’s preferred method for testing the wheat to see if’s ready for harvest is to pick a stalk, rub away the chaff in his hands until he has kernels, and then chew them. If it turns to gum in his teeth,he knows it’s got too much moisture to harvest (and he won’t get his full price). If it cracks, it’s ready for the combine…
Don’t worry, he didn’t let either of us drive…
Our two acres harvested, off we went to the KC mill (third-largest in North America)…
…where the wheat’s ground into flour…
… and loaded onto the trains (which come right into the building).
Then off to the Culinary Center of Kansas City for a Bake-Off–the rules were that we each had to bake one of the other blogger’s recipes…
Our workstation…
Jenny Flake of Picky Palate drew our recipe, for Raspberry Braided Danish…
… and she beautifully executed the all-important (but simple) dough-cutting step. We’d mixed the dough for Jenny the night before (and stored it in a hotel-room refrigerator!).
Zoe and I drew Jamie Lothridge’s recipe (from My Baking Addiction) for fabulous Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream and Toasted Coconut, and Zoe adorned them with candied bacon and sugar lace…
The Gold Medal bloggers, from left: me, Maegan Brown of Gold Medal’s BakerMama (link’s not up yet), Jamie Lothridge of My Baking Addiction, Lori Lange of Recipe Girl, Maria and Josh Lichty of Two Peas and Their Pod (plus their adorable baby), Jenny Flake of Picky Palate, and Zoe.
… and our handiwork, from left, Jamie’s cupcakes that Zoe and I made, Jenny’s Oven-Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts, Lori’s Cookie Dough Brownie Bars, Maegan’s Apple Crumb Pie, Maria and Josh’s Over the Top Brownie Bars, and the Braided Raspberry Danish from us.
Maegan Brown of Gold Medal’s BakerMama (link’s not up yet), .
It was an awesome dessert table. But I did say something about a Gold Medal giveaway, didn’t I?
The prize will contain: a Gold Medal Flour apron, a Wilton Elite three-tier cooling rack, a Silpat non-stick baking mat, a Norpro stainless steel cookie scoop, some Over the Rainbow cupcake liners, and some Gold Medal measuring cups and bowl scraper. We’ll be selecting one random winner sometime in the next two weeks (we’ll give a heads-up when we’re about to close the contest on Twitter and Facebook). To enter, just comment below (our usual contest rules apply, US residents only, only one comment per entrant, etc.). We’ve Picked a Winner!!!
Now, the links to our summer outdoor-baking recipes:
- In a Dutch Oven
- Grilled pizza
- Pumpernickel done on the grill
- Rustic fruit tart on the gas grill
- Brioche on a grill
- Bread on a Coleman stove (camping)
- Kohlrabi Greens Pizza on the grates
- Fruit pizza on the grill baked with the stone
- Grilled flatbread, workhorse summer bread
- Whole wheat pita on gas grill, on a stone
- Limpa, in a cloche, on the grill
- Baguette on the gas grill
I use Gold Medal flour so it was neat to see the farm. I have a boule made with GM flour “baking” in the slow cooker as I type!
I could really use those space saving cooling racks. Thanks!
Love the cooling rack!
where can I find that great looking raspberry almond danish recipe. Looks scrumptious!!! I want to give it a try…..
Just click on the blue-highlighted link in the post above…
Zoe that looked like such fun! I love that you added the beautiful candy lace and bacon to your cupcakes! And thanks for sharing the summer outdoor baking recipes! We are going camping in another week and we are doing lots of fun cooking at our campsite like Girl Scout Gumbo, beer-battered fish and making one of your recipes would be a great addition! Thank you
Sounds like you had a great trip. Everything looks wonderful!
What a wonderful experience.
I would really love to have a Silpat. Great giveaway!
Who got to eat all the treats from the bakeoff?
I have been using Gold Medal flour in your recipes since buying your first book. (I have the other two books and print-outs from your web posts in a notebook, as well.) I agree that Gold Medal flour does work great in your recipes. Thanks for bringing me lots of fun and yumminess! Would love to have that apron and the Silpat.
Looks like a great trip!
just used the very same flour to make grilled flatbreads for friends and family at my house last night! margarita flatbread was the clear winner, bit the prosciutto goat cheese with herbed olive oil was my personal favorite.
I love the sugar lace! Yum!
Looks like a wonderful time. Love reading your updates and love your books. I have all three books now. Working my way through the flat bread cookbook.
Love all three of your books and the joy you both put into everything you do! Your trip sounds so fun and I’m glad you had the experience of harvesting the grain to savoring the final product!
Love the story and especially the pics! Now I need to go check out all the recipes…
I love your site and visit often. I bought a grill just so I could grill pizza! Thanks for all the great recipes and thanks for the chance to win some great Gold Medal goodies!
What a great generous giveaway! I’m keeping my fingers crossed you pick me.
I always use Gold Medal Unbleached All-purpose flour when I bake. What an awesome post to see where it all comes from. I think I’ll use this inspiration to grill some pizza tonight! Thanks!
Just got the book and hubby loved the bread on first try! I can’t wait to try the other recipes and eat good homemade bread as a staple. Thanks so much! and fingers crossed.
Love your books. Keep up the good work and thanks for inspiring non-bakers like me to try your recipe. Zoe I enjoy reading your blog too!!
Those cupcakes look great (actually everything on that table does) I’ll definitely have a look out for that recipe and the others on this site.
What a great trip and opportunity for you! Personally, I would LOVE to have a Silpat mat. I’m gearing up to try your bread in a Dutch oven on the grill. Been looking for a recipe for this since summer has turned up the heat a bit early. Thank you!
Just finished a delicious dinner accompanied by some Boule made w/ GM Flour!
My family loves this method of bread making soo much my Kindergartner listed it as his favorite recipe!
Gold Medal has always been the flour of choice in my house. Generations of my family have been wheat farmers, feeding the masses.
I grew up on a Kansas farm. Drove the wheat truck to the local elevator for my Dad. My brothers just finished up another harvest season a couple weeks ago – our first one without Dad. Thanks for the pics. Was nice to go home for a moment.
I’ve always used this flour. It’s a bit too hot to bake now though, come on cooler weather!
So if I use Gold Medal Flour I can make all those beautiful things that are shown in the excellent article I just read? That would be a magic trick for me and it would be a gift I’d never want to lose!
Thanks for being here to everyone.
I never have enough cooling racks (although I have 7 or 8 already).
…great…more recipes to try. Wait, who am I kidding…more like awesome!
What a cool prize! I love that the cookie scoop is good for a lefty or a righty. I have two left-handed kids and the kind that you depress with you thumb is definitely geared towards righties.
Looks like a fun time. I am totally going to try your raspberry braided danish!
I just saw this post. My husband and his parents grow wheat. It’s a really neat thing to watch it go from green grass like to the end.
If you have healthy bread, does Gold Medal have organic flour? As I saw the fields in KS, I was wondering how much pesticides were on that wheat. Seems no one ever answers this.
Hi Gail,
Great question. Yes, they have an organic all-purpose flour and I think it is widely available. Here is an image of the bag http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/gold-medal-flour/products/all-purpose-organic-flour
Thanks, Zoë