I am not a conspiracy theorist, but...
Why, in this great, vast land of ours could we face a shortage of the most basic of food staple items. Wheat prices have tripled in the past 12 months. There is not 1 American Family not affected by this. Reasons from the horribly devalued dollar and crop failures overseas partially contributed to the initial increases.
At this point the wheat growers, millers and distributors must be looking at the phenomenal earnings from the gasoline companies and trying to get in on the action.
Volatile markets and speculators are driving these prices so high that many small bakeries will be forced out of business! I guess that will solve the problem – no more shortages if there are no bakeries.
Everyone need to calm down a bit. Forcing the prices higher on staple items will only contribute to the fear and certainly push the reality of a full blown recession, regardless of what the Fed does with interest rates.
90 % of bakers only keep a week worth of Flour on hand. There are no silver bullets out there for us. We have to take the increase and we have to pass it along, unless we are tired and just want to call it quits, close up, take a vacation and wait for the markets to come back down.
What would you rather see in the bakery window?.. Sorry Folks, no bread today, market too high for us! ..or.. Bread sale $5.99/ 1lb loaf.
Life is too short – we cannot give up on the simple bread or scone with your coffee AT HOME. I can only imagine what any of the 7 Starbucks around my house will charge for a single slice of bread – they already get 1.95 or more for most. Latte and a slice of poppy berry bread will be $6.10. Sure goes make gas look cheap. Maybe the oil guys are behind all this?
Friday, February 1, 2008
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Scone of the Month...Club
Due to popular demand, and the underlying idea from the start of Mrs. AppleTree.com, we finaly got around to adding a Scone of the Month . . . Club. Out best selling items are our tea scones, but for some strange reason we all thought the breads would be better online sellers.
Shows you how much we know about the internet....
We are just here to make the best breads and scones. We'll leave it up to all you folks out there to decide which one you prefer best.
Uncle Paul says that our gift to the world is the Cranberry Orange Tea Scones. I think its the Maple Walnut, others still disagree with me. Hard lessons to learn is that what you think may be the best thing ever, may not be appreciated by all. I have to thank Chef Charles Crossley for that revelation, too late into my career to save me, but a devastating realization nonetheless. That's a story for another time.
So, take a look if you have time. Consider passing along this valuable information tho those in need of a quality sugar fix, or a recurring gift for the upcoming holiday season. It works out great for families and smaller offices that need to be reminded that you exist on a monthly basis.
Thanks a GOOD EATING!
Shows you how much we know about the internet....
We are just here to make the best breads and scones. We'll leave it up to all you folks out there to decide which one you prefer best.
Uncle Paul says that our gift to the world is the Cranberry Orange Tea Scones. I think its the Maple Walnut, others still disagree with me. Hard lessons to learn is that what you think may be the best thing ever, may not be appreciated by all. I have to thank Chef Charles Crossley for that revelation, too late into my career to save me, but a devastating realization nonetheless. That's a story for another time.
So, take a look if you have time. Consider passing along this valuable information tho those in need of a quality sugar fix, or a recurring gift for the upcoming holiday season. It works out great for families and smaller offices that need to be reminded that you exist on a monthly basis.
Thanks a GOOD EATING!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
End Of Summer
As we have not posted in some time and Labor day has now passed, I thought it time we chime in again from the Bakery world.
Summer is not the "high season" for sweet baked goods, which gives me more time to develop product, work on the place and visit friends.
Some of the better foods encountered during this summer...
The heirloom tomatoes in July were the best I have had in 5 years. Color, variety and the true flavor were to all be enjoyed with a bit of quality olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Slow roasted leg of lamb that had been marinated in greek yougurt and herbs for a few days.
Seared scallops and risotto from the Enterprise Fish Co in Santa Barbara. This could have been the rare vacation or the company, but memorable nonetheless.
Slow cooked short ribs with apricot-serrano glaze
...but one of the best was a full family style Greek dinner we bought into with friends at an auction. The donating crew went all out with this and it showed! They even brough in dancers from the local greek community to put on a show. But the food...handmade, tradtional recipes that have been perfected over generations. Dolmas and Ouzo to start, salads, pasta, braised beef that was Perfect and tradtional lamb.
We are so fortunate in California to be able to Grill all year round, but the best off the grill tends to show up during the summer.
Let me know what the best outdoor meal you had this summer.
Now that the kids are back in school and it will start to cool down a bit (hopefully), its time to get back to developing pineapple bread (again) and something with teh dried figs I came across.
Let me know if you have any food questions.....!
Summer is not the "high season" for sweet baked goods, which gives me more time to develop product, work on the place and visit friends.
Some of the better foods encountered during this summer...
The heirloom tomatoes in July were the best I have had in 5 years. Color, variety and the true flavor were to all be enjoyed with a bit of quality olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Slow roasted leg of lamb that had been marinated in greek yougurt and herbs for a few days.
Seared scallops and risotto from the Enterprise Fish Co in Santa Barbara. This could have been the rare vacation or the company, but memorable nonetheless.
Slow cooked short ribs with apricot-serrano glaze
...but one of the best was a full family style Greek dinner we bought into with friends at an auction. The donating crew went all out with this and it showed! They even brough in dancers from the local greek community to put on a show. But the food...handmade, tradtional recipes that have been perfected over generations. Dolmas and Ouzo to start, salads, pasta, braised beef that was Perfect and tradtional lamb.
We are so fortunate in California to be able to Grill all year round, but the best off the grill tends to show up during the summer.
Let me know what the best outdoor meal you had this summer.
Now that the kids are back in school and it will start to cool down a bit (hopefully), its time to get back to developing pineapple bread (again) and something with teh dried figs I came across.
Let me know if you have any food questions.....!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Weekend add-ons
We forgot to include those who give us some of the joy in our celebrations
Wine Stewards and the trained Bartender. Those that can work a crowd, keep the drinks flowing, listen to our stories and make a meal complete with the perfect suggestion.
Thanks to you all and your craft!
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mrsappletree
Wine Stewards and the trained Bartender. Those that can work a crowd, keep the drinks flowing, listen to our stories and make a meal complete with the perfect suggestion.
Thanks to you all and your craft!
Technorati Profile
mrsappletree
Memorial Day
Happy Memorial Day. . . Weekend
For those of you not in the baking or hospitality industries, enjoy your hard earned time off.
For all of us, Let's not forget those who made and continue to make this day possible. Regardless of politics, brave men and women sacrifice DAILY for our ability to live in freedom. The freedom to live, love, laugh and learn. The freedom many cherish, but all should appreciate. Thank you to all our troops, wherever you may be.
For those of you in the baking and Hospitality (service) industries.. well, you won't be getting a three day weekend. We get to serve all those who do. We don't whine or complain, we just go to work, thankful that others have the time and money to buy our products and services. So hold you heads high and be proud of our chosen fields. Chefs, Sous', line cooks and pastry artisans that have vowed to make the best food possible in some of the worst working conditions - 365 days a year. Thank you!
....Off to make a batch of zucchini bread from the awesome, plump zucchini that just showed up on the dock. Should go well with the salds and tangy ribs we plan to share.
Have a great Week!
mrsappletree
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For those of you not in the baking or hospitality industries, enjoy your hard earned time off.
For all of us, Let's not forget those who made and continue to make this day possible. Regardless of politics, brave men and women sacrifice DAILY for our ability to live in freedom. The freedom to live, love, laugh and learn. The freedom many cherish, but all should appreciate. Thank you to all our troops, wherever you may be.
For those of you in the baking and Hospitality (service) industries.. well, you won't be getting a three day weekend. We get to serve all those who do. We don't whine or complain, we just go to work, thankful that others have the time and money to buy our products and services. So hold you heads high and be proud of our chosen fields. Chefs, Sous', line cooks and pastry artisans that have vowed to make the best food possible in some of the worst working conditions - 365 days a year. Thank you!
....Off to make a batch of zucchini bread from the awesome, plump zucchini that just showed up on the dock. Should go well with the salds and tangy ribs we plan to share.
Have a great Week!
mrsappletree
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Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Fruit For Baking
I do get a few questions on fruit in the baking process and notice that there are more than a few breads and scones out there that are made with much less care than ours.
Our concern is the flavor first. That is, after the baking process, will there be any flavor left in the fruit? did it transfer enough to the product? Did it break down and make a mess?
When using fresh or fresh frozen fruit, make sure it tastes great before you put it in your batter. Secondly - KEEP OR MAKE IT FROZEN. A bit of time in the freezer will firm up even the freshest berries and give them enough structure to hold their own in the mixer.
Most importantly - Add them LAST and mix long enough to properly disperse them throughout the batter and then shut off the mixer. Over mixing will cause the fruit to 'bleed' all over and ruin the presentation of the bread or scone.
With Dried fruit, keep the flavor in mind as well, but there is more to consider. Dried fruit can be very expensive - over $10/lb for a good dried blueberry. Size does matter: if you put a huge dried cherry chunk in a 1-2 oz scone, you may end up with so many in one scone that the batter can't hold together and run the risk of some scones having only 1 or 2. Either way, consistency is key. When using larger, plump dried fruits, we take a few minutes to chop the berries to get a better distribution throught the batter. Because the fruit is dried you don't have the 'bleeding" problem.
Keep the balance of flavors to get the right result - a nice flavorful blend with no one component over powering the rest.
Eat well!
Our concern is the flavor first. That is, after the baking process, will there be any flavor left in the fruit? did it transfer enough to the product? Did it break down and make a mess?
When using fresh or fresh frozen fruit, make sure it tastes great before you put it in your batter. Secondly - KEEP OR MAKE IT FROZEN. A bit of time in the freezer will firm up even the freshest berries and give them enough structure to hold their own in the mixer.
Most importantly - Add them LAST and mix long enough to properly disperse them throughout the batter and then shut off the mixer. Over mixing will cause the fruit to 'bleed' all over and ruin the presentation of the bread or scone.
With Dried fruit, keep the flavor in mind as well, but there is more to consider. Dried fruit can be very expensive - over $10/lb for a good dried blueberry. Size does matter: if you put a huge dried cherry chunk in a 1-2 oz scone, you may end up with so many in one scone that the batter can't hold together and run the risk of some scones having only 1 or 2. Either way, consistency is key. When using larger, plump dried fruits, we take a few minutes to chop the berries to get a better distribution throught the batter. Because the fruit is dried you don't have the 'bleeding" problem.
Keep the balance of flavors to get the right result - a nice flavorful blend with no one component over powering the rest.
Eat well!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
What is All Natural
As we try to keep our breads and scones as 'natural' as possible and still be able to sell them, we are confronted with the under-regulated problem of what could be considered all natural.
We see that it is a HUGE search term for both Google and Yahoo, but how many people use it and do not produce natural products.
Is all natural flour only whole grain? Some say yes, but have you had a whole grain baquette? - most likely not as they are horrible and un-natural. French artisan bakers did not develop this fine, crunchy, tasty staple of their diet to be all natural and healthy. It was made to perform and sell. Are fortified flours un-natural? My grandma made all her luscious cakes with conventionally refined sugar - good old C&H cane sugar. Now there are beet sugar blends available, but what made the cake sweet was not considered un-natural for the past 60 years.
So off we go into the dark wilderness of 'social responsibility'. Since the goverment cannot regulate - even if they did define - all natural. So, keeping with the guidelines of common perception in an educated market place, here is how we work to keep our breads as natural as possible.
1) no artificial preservatives - sugar is enough
2) no conventionally refined sugar - only Evaporated Cane Juice
3) Only unbleached or whole grain flour (bleaching artificially ages the flour)
4) all outside ingredients may not and we will never add high fructose corn syrup.
5) any flavors added (as our vanilla) must be real vanilla extract
6) we maintain certifications that not items are genetically modified (no-GMO's)
7) whenever possible we use only fresh produce (apples, bananas, oranges, lemons)
8) frozen and dried berries, if infused, must follow these guidelines
Is this enough to satisfy everyone as all natural, NO. But it's the honest truth that we stand by. Most people to cut corners will not keep a close eye on ingredient statements to make sure this happens. You can, unfortuantely, claim to be natural and still use gum emulsifiers as they are plant based.
We are committed to doing things right and doing what we can to help people understand the realities of the Bakery and restaurant world.
Feel free to send us comments or questions at info@mrsappletree.com
Eat well!
We see that it is a HUGE search term for both Google and Yahoo, but how many people use it and do not produce natural products.
Is all natural flour only whole grain? Some say yes, but have you had a whole grain baquette? - most likely not as they are horrible and un-natural. French artisan bakers did not develop this fine, crunchy, tasty staple of their diet to be all natural and healthy. It was made to perform and sell. Are fortified flours un-natural? My grandma made all her luscious cakes with conventionally refined sugar - good old C&H cane sugar. Now there are beet sugar blends available, but what made the cake sweet was not considered un-natural for the past 60 years.
So off we go into the dark wilderness of 'social responsibility'. Since the goverment cannot regulate - even if they did define - all natural. So, keeping with the guidelines of common perception in an educated market place, here is how we work to keep our breads as natural as possible.
1) no artificial preservatives - sugar is enough
2) no conventionally refined sugar - only Evaporated Cane Juice
3) Only unbleached or whole grain flour (bleaching artificially ages the flour)
4) all outside ingredients may not and we will never add high fructose corn syrup.
5) any flavors added (as our vanilla) must be real vanilla extract
6) we maintain certifications that not items are genetically modified (no-GMO's)
7) whenever possible we use only fresh produce (apples, bananas, oranges, lemons)
8) frozen and dried berries, if infused, must follow these guidelines
Is this enough to satisfy everyone as all natural, NO. But it's the honest truth that we stand by. Most people to cut corners will not keep a close eye on ingredient statements to make sure this happens. You can, unfortuantely, claim to be natural and still use gum emulsifiers as they are plant based.
We are committed to doing things right and doing what we can to help people understand the realities of the Bakery and restaurant world.
Feel free to send us comments or questions at info@mrsappletree.com
Eat well!
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