Il Panettone vero Milanese

Panettone is roughly translated as "luxury bread" from the Italian. It's a tradition during the Holidays, and we have the authentic version, made with a natural leavening, plus lots of butter, sugar, egg yolks, candied orange peel, and raisins. Pretty much every country in Europe has its own version of what were known as "hearth cakes", breads made with rich ingredients that were not affordable during the year, but were included in these winter treats as a way to celebrate as well as to show off a bit of opulence. As (manufactured) yeast simply did not exist until around 1900, these breads/cakes were leavened with, well, sourdough. Our panettone Milanese is made with the same starter we use for our other breads. And it gives the panettone a unique texture and much better keeping quality than versions made with baker's yeast. It's a 36 hour process, and requires patience and attention to detail. We think it's all worth it. Bohemian Panettone Milanese is available at Hunger Mountain Co op and at Healthy Living Natural Foods. 2 lbs., around $17.00.

Wake up and smell the -

Coffee! It's about time I got back to publishing my blogworthy thoughts on my blog. In May of this year, we built out the back of our humble bakery building and made it into a coffee roastery. With the help of our friend Mike Mitchell, we found a used (but sweet!) Diedrich IR3 roaster, with a 5 pound capacity, and began toasting up the good stuff. Currently we are selling the beans in Hunger Mountain Coop and Healthy Living Natural Foods. And of course, in our Sunday retail bakery, here in East Calais. In the coming weeks, I'll post some thoughts on the current state of the coffee biz, and how it relates to my background and experience on the West coast in the Cradle of Coffee Civilization.