We are SO excited for our upcoming conference next month. The Creative Connection is going to be 3 amazing days full of art, cooking, learning how to build and further businesses and connections with other amazing women, speakers, classes, panels, shopping in our huge market and so much more! (You can still get tickets and come join us in St. Paul in September if you register now! We so hope that you do!)
One of the things we at Where Women Cook are MOST excited for is MaryJane’s Farm Day, which is full of indepth cooking classes brought to you by some extremely talented teachers. Namely, that of it’s namesake, MaryJane Butters!
MaryJane Butters was instrumental in creating the present-day organic movement in America. She was chair of one of the first state-sanctioned organic advisory boards and is proud to say her first organic inspection certificate listed her as “grower #8.” Born to a large, self-sufficient family in Utah, she was raised on homegrown food and knew from the tender age of five that she would grow up to be an organic farmer. But her real passion is that of teacher. Featured in The New Yorker in 2004, a lengthy article stated, “MaryJane Butters, a natural teacher, has a gift for simplification, and makes it seem that everything she does is easy and attainable.” Those who’ve attended her non-profit Pay Dirt Farm School, now in its 14th year, all agree.
So, come and join us as she teaches us to make bread “The MaryJane Way” (and scroll down for her delicious sourdough bread recipe! Yum!)
Bread the MaryJane Way
Not so very long ago, bread was made using only two ingredients: flour and water. Naturally leavened bread, without chemical rising agents and baker’s yeast (one variety of yeast singled out) was the authentic staple of our great-grandma’s generation. MaryJane’s SUPER-SIMPLE 1 minute a day, 5 minutes on Saturday method, using equipment you probably already have on hand, will revolutionize your bread making.
The idea behind Bread the MaryJane Way is one of good health. Baking bread using your own sourdough starter is better for you because the starter pulls in wild yeast spores familiar to your body from the air and plants that surround you. Sourdough enhances your immune system. Here’s how: Phytic acid (phytin) in grain needs to be neutralized in order for the nutrients to be absorbed by the human body. In naturally leavened bread (sourdough), the phytin is neutralized by natural bacterial action and, to a lesser degree, by baking. But in yeasted breads, about 90 percent of the phytin remains. Perhaps this is the reason for the modern-day ground-swell of gluten intolerance. Furthermore, in naturally leavened bread, complex carbohydrates are broken down into more digestible simple sugars and proteins are broken down into amino acids so that your body has access to vital nutrients.
Using techniques that MaryJane has taught to hundreds of people, you’ll leave her workshop empowered (kits will be available for purchase) to create mouth-watering artisan sourdough breads in dozens of different styles and shapes, including bagels, baguettes, flatbread, ciabatta, fougasse, pretzels, panettone, pizza crust, focaccia, and more. And the best part? You’ll spend only minutes a day in your kitchen. If you think you know something about homemade bread, forget it—MaryJane’s approach takes bread-making to a whole new rise. In MaryJane’s chatroom (www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz), “Bread the MaryJane Way” has close to 2,000 posts from women nationwide who are discovering the secrets to MaryJane’s sourdough magic.
MaryJane’s Sourdough Bread
1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups purified water
2 teaspoons sea salt
3 to 4 cups organic flour*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
Place starter, water, and sea salt in a large glass bowl and whisk for 1 minute. Stir in enough of the flour to make a firm dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes, working in flour as necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Shape into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl, turning dough once to coat the top with oil. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 4 to 6 hours, until doubled in bulk.
Punch down and shape into one large round loaf or two baguettes. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, and cover again with a damp tea towel. Let rise again for 1 to 2 hours, or until nearly doubled in bulk. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Make slits on the top of each loaf. Beat together the egg yolk and milk, and brush on the tops. Place baking sheet on center rack of oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 450 degrees F and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until crust is a rich golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the top.
Yield: one large round loaf or two baguettes
