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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
The food looks wonderful! And the prize is full of useful goodies.
I use Gold Metal flour for all my baking too and would love this prize!
My sons are jealous of your farm machinery ride but I’m just drooling over that dessert spread!
This looks like a really cool experience! I love how you got to see the process from start to finish. I bet the bread tasted that much better for it,
Love all that Gold Medal schwag. MPLS represent.
What fun! Everything looks delicious
Wow awesome trip. That would be some fresh flour right out of the mill!! Would love some Gold Medal gear. Thanks for the post.
I’m so jealous of anyone that got to eat off that dessert table!
Wow….Devil’s Food Cupcakes. YUM. And a chance to win a silpat mat and all those other goodies – how perfect!
Many handy tools to extend my baking skills!
I don’t know what it is about Gold Medal Flour, but in my husband’s family, the “Roth Apple Pie” (which his mom had to learn to bake before marrying his Dad) is made ONLY with Gold Medal!! They waved the pre-wedding pie requirement for me, but soon after my husband and I had our pie workshop day with Aunt Nancy. Of course, Gold Medal Flour was used!
I just love this bacon with sweet thing that’s going on, but the Danish looked beautiful.
Your blog is one of my favorites. Thank you for your three wonderful books as well.
I am so excited about this giveaway! I would love some new baking supplies!!
I’m a big fan. I impressed my house guests this morning with a Blueberry Lemon Curd Ring — yumm! Think I’ll try a fruit pizza on the grill tonight.
THAT’S a great giveaway! Thanks for the chance.
Thanks for the links for summer cooking–as I’m sure you know it’s kind of hot in the Twin Cities this week! And thank you for the great giveaway!
How fun! The braided berry bread looks delicious.
Looks like you had lots of fun!
Oh how you inspire me to bake! Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite flour to use to make my cakes. My husband won’t use anything else….
WOW! That is a gorgeous dessert table. I’ve always wanted to try making a filled braided loaf and yours looks wonderful.
The prize looks wonderful. It was great to see something about how the Gold Medal flour was made.
Love it!
This is the only flour our household uses, as well as the rest of my family! This would be a great gift to give to my Grandmother when she gets back from vacation – she’s the only who will never (ever) stray from Gold Medal.
I just gave out your traditional white bread recipe out to an older woman who wanted to make it and had lost the recipe.
Looks awesome! Thank you so much for posting all the pics. Even a wild imagination can’t visualize food that looks that wonderful!
Would love to win this! And I’m reminded I need to bake some bread soon!
Looks like an awesome trip! And a great prize!
everything looks delish!
I live your blogs , recipes and the bread too!
I’m a longtime Gold Medal fan. Looks like a fun trip to my old home turf.
How fun! And what a neat giveaway…I hope to win it!!
I LOVE GOLD MEDAL FLOUR!. This will be forwarded. I have had a passion for baking/cooking since I was young and hope everyone can enjoy great food.
Thanks to you and Gold Medal for sharing with one of us. Those are some yummy looking recipes in the bake off.
Only flour I use. Your cupcakes look amazing!
What a fun trip to Kansas. It’s always great to see where our food actually comes from!What a neat giveaway–items that every baker needs.
It looks like you had a great time & met a lot of great bloggers! How fun! (great giveaway, too!)
I use Gold Medal flour all the time it is the best, would love to win the basket of goodies from Gold Medal
Years ago, I used to drive Amish neighbors to the feed mill that sold 50-lb. sacks of Gold Medal “Washburn’s Wheat-a-Laxa” flour. The mill is long closed, and I’ve been able to get it occasionally through restaurant supply companies, but it is getting very difficult to source. Hope your new association with Gold Medal will popularize this wonderful flour, and get them to make it available at big box groceries.
Glad you can spread the word about ABin5 through yet another option!
This looks like a wonderful time and I look forward to making some of my own
Thanks for sharing
You both seem to have such fun! Love your books and cooked a loaf in the crockpot today! Thank you so much for making me a bread baker.
Looks like fine, too bad about not being able to drive the combine!
Love your books but love your bread more!!!
Thanks for making bread simple enough for everyday!
I love your blog and would love to win the giveaway!
Oh, those desserts look so good! I love the sugar lace you made.
I’d enjoy winning the Gold Medal items.
Thanks for hosting this give-away.
I am a sweetoholic! Everything looks soooo good! I love all your books!!!
I love the books, and really enjoy the idea of you two in a bake off! I’d really like to see some of the recipes.
It looks like it was such a fun time! You all look too darn cute in those photos.