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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
This sounds like such a cool experience. Yay to Gold Medal for doing it right with the food bloggers!
That dessert table looks sooo good! Prize is not bad, either!
Wow… How interesting to see where our wheat comes from. Do the trains really come into the warehouses to load up/unload? Do the warehouses look like a subway station?
Always fascinating to read your posts Jeff and Zoe. Thank you!
Gratefully,
Algis
looks delicious
Wow that looks like so much fun, and so delicious!
What an awesome experience. I wish I was there too. So, thanks for sharing.
Would love to win this fun prize pack to make some of my favorite desserts.
Wow! What a great collection of baking supplies! I use Gold Medal flour, too
A three tier cooling rack? What more could a girl want?
Looks like a fun adventure.
Sounds like a fun experience!
What a great experience that was! It’s good to see where our food actually comes from and to appreciate our farmers. Thanks for sharing that.
Sounds like a great experience with lots of good treats!
I love how the raspberries bring a splash of color to the desert table. Inspiring!
What a wonderful prize package! Thank you for all the wonderful videos and recipes…Many Blessings to both of you…
I so love your giveaways on this site! It’s always full of things that I either want or need!
The photos were inspiring and even though I feel sick, I’m suddenly hungry for the first time in hours. Well done!
Good luck to all
Wow! What a fantastic experience to go behind the wheat production scenes! Looks like you had a memorable time!
I love visiting farms. It reminds me of my grandfather.
I bought the Pizza Dough & Flatbread book a few weeks ago. My family loves the olive oil cornmeal recipe. It makes a really flaky crust. I even made some rolls and sprinkled them with cheese and home-grown jalapenos. Yummy!
Great job, guys!
You appeared to enjoy the event and if you got to taste all those delicious looking treats it must have been as tasty experience as well. Great posting!
A fun excursion!
Wow! You mean flour comes from somewhere before those bags appear in the grocery store?
What a wonderful giveaway! Gold Medal is my go to flour too!!
It isn’t called the Heartland for nothing. Glad to see where our food comes from and the farmers who make it possible for us to make our 5 minute Artisan bread!
Ah, looks like a great time! Thanks for sharing!
Love your guy’s site and book!! My friend got me hooked on your bread a while back and 2 weeks ago i caved and bought your book and now I’ve been making bread every day! Thanks!!
Glad to see you teamed up with Gold Medal. Have used that brand for years because I can count on consistent resutls.
Thanks for the opportunity to win a great prize package!
That looks like such a fun experience! I bet touring the mill was pretty neat!
Where would we be without our wonderful grains!
Thanks for the opportunity!
what a great give away for fellow baking enthusiast, looked like a fun trip to Gold Metal from field to package.
LOVE your recipes. I need to dive into the summer methods as its hot, hot, hot here in northeast Oklahoma. I taught a group of African women how to make bread 5 minutes a day from your cookbook – they were amazed! I was excited to share your method and showed them your first two books to get their appetites wet.
Wow, that looks like a lot of fun!! To see if from the field right into a bag of flour!! Very kewl!
Thanks for posting that.
That looks like a fun trip
You guys rock as usual! I hope you got a bag of your very own flour!
I’d like to get some feedback after a recent trip to Denmark (used to live there as an exchange student), where they really know their grains and make fantastic bread. My host sister gave me a recipe for easy overnight multigrain breakfast rolls that the Danes typically eat with a little butter, good cheese and jam. Heavenly. I got a detailed recipe and brought it home, but cannot duplicate to a satifactory rise:
Here it is:
5 dl. cold water
15 grams yeast
1 teaspoon sale
1 tablespoon honey
275 grams oatmeal flakes
275 grams flour (whatever kind you like I was told)
Dissolve yeast in water, mix in salt and honey, mix in the rest of the ingredients. Put in refrigerator overnight. In the morning take a spoon and scoop out “balls” onto a baking sheet, put in a cold oven set a 200 C, take a half hour to have ashower and make coffee and presto, you have warm whole grain rolls.
Mine were pretty yeasty, not fluffy. Advice? Figure this is up your alley.
Hi Celia,
I bet it is the difference in the protein content of the flour they have in Denmark. You may want to find out more about how it compares to US flours.
Good luck! Zoë
I never thought of doing your loaves in a SlowCooker! What a great idea!
What a fun trip! Thanks for the contest.
Wow! How cool is that!
The blogging conferences look like so much fun.
Oh wow, wish I could have been there to taste the results.
Comment with hope!
What a cool experience….and also a great giveaway prize..thanks for sharing!!
What a neat opportunity and thanks for all the details on your trip! I went to a mesquite bean harvesting workshop yesterday and we were urged to make sure we taste the pods before picking – a not ripe or bitter pod can ruin (or diminish the yumminess) of your meal. It’s a reminder of the importance of using your senses when selecting food.
Amazing dishes! We compete in Dutch Oven contests all the time, it is just fun to cook and have other sample your dishes.
Thanks for the opportunity to visit GM with you. Thanks!!
It’s amazing how a good flour can make a huge difference. I’ve actually been trying Canadian Flour since I live so close to the border. Trying to figure out why it would be better.
Fun post! Just the motivation I need to get some baking done!!
What a great experience!
Looks fun and tasty!
I’ve been meaning to make that Raspberry Danish. It looks deliciousssss.
Just saw a good deal on Raspberries yesterday. Can’t wait to try the Danish.