Matters of the Hearth

I will be baking the following breads this coming Wednesday, January 18; please place your orders by Monday the 16th. (katrinagimbel@gmail.com) Thank you!

• Multigrain
• Currant Oat
• Whole Wheat
• Buckwheat Barley

What better way to bring in the New Year than with a fresh loaf of nourishing, whole grain bread?

On Wednesday, January 4th, I will be baking the following breads*:

• Highwood Crossing Whole Wheat
• Currant Oat
• Multigrain
• Sunflower Rye
• Flax Seed (“The Omega”)

Please have your orders in by Tuesday, January 2 at midnight. (katrinagimbel@gmail.com) Thanks!

*based on demand

I am delighted to be back after two months enjoying the warm weather, abundant farmer’s markets, and superb bakeries of central California. Calgary is definitely the place to be if what you desire at Christmas includes chilly, snowy weather that begs you to stay at home, build a fire (literal or otherwise), cozy up with a good book, a mug of tea, and some ridiculously delicious sweet thing you can so much more easliy justify this time of year. “Because it’s Christmas.” The neighborhood is filled with puffing chimnies and twinkling lights, and ovens everywhere are working harder than they do the other 11 months of the year.

Especially mine!

Alongside my familiar whole grain breads I am offering an assortment of special holiday treats. Also, please don’t hesitate to make requests! Do you have a holiday favourite you don’t see listed here? A family recipe you just don’t have time to bake yourself? Let me know!

Seasonal Breads (100% whole grain and naturally leavened)

• cranberry pecan – great with cheese, alongside a festive meal, or toasted for breakfast  $7
• potato herb – moist, savoury, satisfying  $6
• wild rice – wintery, nutty, unique, Canadian… impress your friends! $7
• Highwood Crossing whole wheat – simple and sublime  $6

Holiday Specialty Breads*

• Stollen – a German brioche-style bread studded with dried fruits and almonds  $15
• Kugelhopf – an Alsacian brioche-style bread filled with dried fruit and nuts and baked in a traditional crown ring mold. Stunning!  $15

Holiday Cookies/Candies* all $15/dozen

• Lebkuchen – translated, Lebkuchen comes from the words “life” and cake. Need I say more?
• chewy molasses spice – perhaps the perfect cold weather cookie….
• chaidoodles (like snickerdoodles with an Indian passport) – charming, exotic, and melt-in-your-mouth amazing
• traditional shortbread – perfection  .  (period)
• dark chocolate truffles – pure and divine indulgence

Please place your orders by midnight on the 18th (katrinagimbel@gmail.com). Items will be available for pick up in a central downtown location on Friday the 23rd.

*For some of these ‘exception’al goodies I will be using all-purpose flour and cane sugar. 100% of my ingredients are organic or sourced as ethically and responsibly as possible.

The other night I shared a very special meal with my mother and some very dear friends. We sat outside in the balmy sunset hour enjoying each other’s presence and our very own spontaneous thanksgiving meal. We broke bread together, ate fresh corn on the cob from the Farmer’s Market, the last of the green beans from my garden, and some nice rice and lentils prepared by my friend. Everything with a little dollop of butter on top, it was truly a delightful meal. And to finish it off we had some rather spectacular (if I do say so myself) eclairs I’d made. In fact, we each had two! We had to, you see, because I’d made two different kinds: one with vanilla pastry cream filling, and one with a wild Alberta rose pastry cream filling. Mm, mm, delicieux!

I am filled with gratitude to have such wonderful and dear friends. I will no doubt miss them when I leave, but such is life. I have wonderful and dear friends all over the world! I am so blessed! (I just have to get used to saying goodbye a lot).

And so, too, I must bid farewell to this chapter of Matters of the Hearth Bread Club. I had hoped to bake again this Wednesday, but as I am running out of time to do all the things I need to do before departing, I regret to say that I will not be able to do so. Please forgive me.

I may continue to write in this space – of my travels, adventures in life, the kitchen, and all matters of the heart and hearth. I invite you to stay tuned!

Thank you with all my heart for your support during these past months. I have sincerely enjoyed this adventure in baking, and I intend to continue in whatever way I can wherever I go.

Frost on the garden/Figs on the mind

Come the beginning of October I will be migrating south to see old friends and visit some fig trees in my old stomping grounds of Northern California. I love Alberta – don’t get me wrong, but the Mediterranean climate has made itself very much at home in my blood, in fact – it refuses to be ignored!

So… I will be baking as much as I can before I go! This coming Wednesday (the 21st) I will be baking the following breads (depending on demand):

• currant oat
• multigrain
• sunflower rye
• buckwheat barley
• honey spelt

Please let me know as soon as possible what you would like.

I am also planning to bake on Wednesday the 28th. I will post the varieties of bread I plan to bake closer to the date. Do let me know if you have any requests!

Autumn is here! Rosehips are becoming brilliant red heralds amid the changing colours of the forest; what Saskatoon berries remain are shrivelled on their branches and oh so sweet. Wool sweaters can be spotted all over town.

And, alas! I have been too busy to bake! But I am attempting to change that. I hope to bake this Friday (tomorrow). I know it’s short notice, but if you are interested in bread or other treats (elciars, anyone?), do email or call me to let me know what you would like! It would be available for pick-up on Friday afternoon/evening, with a possible delivery to Black Diamond as well. If I do not bake tomorrow I hope to bake next Wednesday.

I hope to bake the following breads, if demand allows:

• multigrain
• currant oat
• whole wheat
• buckwheat barley
• sunflower rye

I’ve returned from a lovely family reunion in northern Idaho and am happy to be back in ‘the bakery’ (home) again.

This week I will be baking the following breads:

• multigrain
• currant oat
• sunflower rye
• barley buckwheat
• cinnamon raisin swirl
  

I will also be selling some delicious Black Mission Fig Wafer Cookies (by the dozen or half dozen)

Please let me know what you would like as soon as possible. katrinagimbel

Hooray for summer! I hope you are enjoying the preciousness of this season as much as I am. I am house-sitting in Sunnyside this week and am enjoying walking the neighborhood and taking in the many beautiful gardens filled with brightly coloured lilies, roses, bleeding hearts, daisies, and even vegetables!

It worked well for me last week to bake according to what people pre-ordered, as I hope it did for you. (Any feedback would be appreciated). The only thing I’d like to do differently this coming week is request all orders be placed by Monday, (July 18th). This will ensure I have enough time to prepare for the big baking day, which actually begins on Tuesday.

*Here is what I hope to bake:

100% Whole Wheat, a.k.a. The Cowboy ~ A simple but versatile loaf – the essence of Alberta wheat!
Currant-Oat, a.k.a. The Breakfaster ~ Still holding strong as the best-selling loaf!
Multigrain ~ Vieing for 1st place as the best-seller, this hearty, wholesome loaf is many people’s favourite
Wild Rice ~ A unique loaf studded with grains of cooked wild rice, this is a perfect way to showcase this amazing local food!
Potato Herb ~ A surprisingly light loaf with the earthy flavours of potatoes and herbs
Sunflower Rye ~ Nutty and delicious!
Flax ~ Super healthy, super moist, and super yummy!

*I would like to mention that I bake in batches of 6 loaves. I will do my best to accommodate your requests, but varieties will be available only on a first-come, first-serve basis. Likewise, if I only get an order for one loaf of a particular variety, that variety may not be available. I appreciate your understanding. When you place your order (by emailing it to me at katrinagimbel@gmail.com), I will reply to confirm your order and let you know the pick-up details.

Thank you, and until we meet again, enjoy!

It has been far too long since I baked bread! I am eager to begin again and am hopeful you are just as eager to receive the fruits of my vocation!

I would like to experiment by baking according to what is needed/desired in my community (determined by pre-orders).

I will be baking the following breads on July 6th*:

• Mill Loaf – a simple loaf with the subtle flavours of wheat, spelt, barley, and rye flours (everything the miller milled in a day!)
• Currant Oat – a pleasant, not-too-sweet loaf perfect for breakfast – or anytime!
• Potato Rosemary – a delightful bread made surprisingly light and moist by the potatoes
• Multigrain – a hearty loaf loaded with nutritious seeds and whole grains
• Sunflower Rye – an earthy loaf perfect for any occasion

Please email me (katrinagimbel@gmail.com) your requests/orders and I will reply to you with a confirmation and pick-up details. (For your convenience, I may offer multiple pick-up locations and times.)

* subject to change based on demand

I hope you are all enjoying the wonders of spring. I have been enjoying walking and cycling through the city and smelling the intoxicating sweetness of lilacs and mayflower. Hooray for sunshine and many-coloured flowers!

For many understandable reasons, attendance to Bread Club has been somewhat unpredictable and I may choose to restructure it to better meet the needs of my customers (and myself). I am considering modelling like a CSA*. Individuals or households could subscribe to a certain number of loaves per month, which would be baked and picked up/delivered to a central location every other week. I am still brainstorming different options and would love to hear your thoughts. Please post a comment or send me an email with your ideas.

Until the next Bread Club event or restructuring, I have some frozen loaves of bread available for sale. Contact me if you’re interested.

Also, I just started working part time at Janice Beaton Fine Cheese on 16th Avenue (right next to Caffe Beano). Do come in and say hi if you’re in the area. Buy some cheese to go with your bread!

*CSA = Community Supported Agriculture provides a structure of support for farmers. Farmers (producers), in essence, are partnering with their customers (consumers). They receive the financial support they need to run their farm, and subscribers receive fresh, local produce on a regular basis. I would attempt to create something similar with fresh bread.