Sinclair's Bakery March Update
So the last you heard, I was picking up my trailer and just about to get the show on the road. Well, I haven't quite been 'on the road' baking yet, but I have been using the trailer as an 'at home' bakery in my warehouse/home. I've sold at the last three Bozeman Winter Farmers' Markets, plus had a couple of other gigs this week. Below are a few photos to give you a timeline of what's been going on here in Belgrade/Bozeman:
Rye boules from the first market I attended back in February. This one's for you Eric.
Who would've known I'd meet an Italian pizza guru here in Belgrade? Friend and top-rate baker Tommaso Damasco spent time both working with me teaching me the proper way to make Pizza Romano, and in turn he learned to laminate and make croissant dough.
A little bit of parmesan to top off the pastries...
Yes, I got out the silver platters and doilies for the Bozeman Film Festival. I made these Spinach Artichoke puffs and other hors' d'oeuvres for the occasion. I even wore a collared, button-up shirt to play dress-up, but you'll see no evidence of that.
This is looking into the trailer from the entrance. The freezer, fridge and ovens are on the left, the sinks are on the right.
Here's a couple of work benches and cooling racks. The near bench is 2'x4' and is attached to the generator compartment. I put flat-iron back splashes (and a side one here) on the wood surfaces to keep flour from getting behind them. The far table is 2'x6' and to the left of the mixer is an under counter fridge with a 2.5'x4' stainless steel work top.
This is my set-up for the indoor market in Bozeman. Hot Cross Bun 4-packs, just in time for Easter, are in the white boxes on the left.
There you go.
If you want to check out bunches more photos, this is the bakery FB page. I think I have all the photos set to 'public view' so even if you don't have a FB account I believe you can see them. Feel free to 'like' the page. That would be nice :)
Happy baking everyone.
-Mark
http://SinclairsBakery.com
Comments
Thanks for the update, Mark! I'm sorry for being so European, but it took me a while to realise that we're talking Belgrade, Montana here and not Belgrade, Serbia... ;o)
Wonderful bread, pizza and puffs, Mark! That pizza crust looks flawless... as do the spinach and artichoke puffs. Lovely golden colour on the pastry there. I'm sure this sold out in no time at all.
Yes Belgrade, Montana - just 9 miles from Amsterdam, Montana and a 10 minute drive to Manhattan, Montana :)
I'm just trying to make sure you're paying attention over there. Thanks for the compliments!
-Mark
"Liked" your page. Great spread.
Thanks and glad you liked the spread.
-Mark
rye.
I'm thinking you need a decorative piece to distinguish your booth.
Too bad you have to bage the breads - they still look great, but it takes something away from their appearance.
Glad to see things are starting to pick up.
Once I'm in the trailer, all the breads and pastries will be on display 'as is' i.e. no packaging. Then when people tell me what they want, I'll place it in paper packaging (stamped with my logo) for them to carry away. It'll be much nicer. Anyway, things are gradually picking up.
-Mark
Mark,
Nice work all the way around, trailer, bakery, and most importantly the baked goods.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff! Soon it'll be getting warmer too and I can bake 'outside'.
-Mark
The Pizza Romano is spectacular and the rye and pastries are very nice as well. Spring is around the corner and new opportunities await - You are just in time.
Happy Baking
Yes, I was very impressed with the pizza as well. It was a mostly-watching experience, but I'll be doing some experimenting and practicing on my own to make it work for me. Thanks.
-Mark
Hi Mark,
Like always your pictures are awesome. (drooling on the keyboard) Looks like your making some real magic happen in your new trailer. Have you gotten the feel for your new work space yet? Getting everything in just the right place has always been a challenge for me.
The new work space is still a bit strange. You know, you go to grab something and it's not quite there, then you turn around a burn your elbow on the hot pan behind you, etc. It's getting better though. Each time I work in there, I make a little refinement and it gets better. Soon it will be second nature and then I'll get busier and have to adjust again. The challenge and pressure is what keeps it interesting and exciting, so I'm looking forward to it.
-Mark
Well you've gone and made me hungry Mark. Glad you're getting into the Bozeman mojo - how about a dress up pick in the colored button up? Don't be shy - remember "they always talk to the guy in the suit"...,
Wild-Yeast
Sorry Wild-Yeast, you'll have to wait for the next 'special event' and then maybe, just maybe you'll get a dress-up photo. Probably not though :)
-Mark
... all of them. Nice to see you're baking again---cool trailer!
Thanks. I'll take a few more pictures of the inside so you can see what the workspace looks like.
-Mark
So shiny and new it sparkles. Love the mobile concept. Lots of food trucks out there, but not too many bakeries on wheels. What possibilities.
Nothing but success,
dw
The bread, pizza and pastries all look fantastic! I am with proth5 - this was my first thought too: what a pity the breads are packed in plastic. As a European we really never, ever see bread in plastic, but I understand the practicality. Plus, a lot of Americans like a softer crust anyway. It'll be great once the set-up is complete and you can package your bread in paper, logo and all.
And what luck to run into such an accomplished pizza baker!
Thanks for the compliments, chouette. As for the bags, they're perforated plastic, so everything is still crisp. Just like most of the supermarkets in France (not the bakeries, but the stores) sell the bread already packaged (I remember Poilane's is even in plastic), each market has different rules and some require bread and pastries to be packaged. The first year in Kalispell we didn't package any of the pastries, we just sold them from a basket or a display tray. The market told me I would have to wrap each one individually with plastic (croissants, palmiers...) I decided to buy display cases instead to make them happy.
Unfortunately, in some areas to play the game, you have to play by the rules.
Actually, the pizza guru Tommaso is an accomplished baker that knew me from here, TFL from before I moved down to this area. We're both fortunate to have worked together, for sure.
-Mark
Yes, one has to play by them, I totally understand. Perforated bags, I see. Yes, true, in the supermarkets that's how bread would be packaged in France. So the markets impose packaging - tough luck if you want a croissant to shine, plus it's certainly more work for you. Sometimes these hygiene laws seem reversed, like in the case of fruit and vegetables. In the US, customers can typically touch all fruit and vegetables and make their own selections, whereas in France and Switzerland for example, in most open-air markets, the merchants will slap your fingers if you touch their display. They will select and package everything for you.
Wow, how wonderful that the pizza/laminated dough skill exchange was enabled by TFL.
Last year at the market, a customer from Toulouse, France who was vacationing in Montana bought a loaf of bread from me. Seeing how I had an available bread knife, he asked if I could slice it for him since he had just bought some ham and cheese for his family's dinner. I asked him, "Do you mind if I touch the bread with my hands (before I unwrapped it)?" He asked if I was the baker, and when I said I was, he replied laughing, "You've already touched it with your hands many times. " I laughed also and said, "Yeah, I know. But here in America we like to pretend that our bread has never been touched by human hands and is completely sanitized." Meanwhile he was explaining this in French to his family who all thought it was quite humorous.
-Mark
So true! Thanks for sharing. As long as I have been here, I never tire trying to catch these little cultural differences, they just add a bit of interest to the most mundane situations.
Just thinking of you the other day. My son went to an interview in Glasgow....Montana LOL !! It was COLD. He liked the job but was worried about the weather and also being SO FAR from anything. He is single :)
So glad the baking is progressing .It all looks wonderful. Please do keep us posted as you get into the new trailer and outdoors. c
Holy cow, that must be quite the job offer for him to go up there. Even for Montana standards, Glasgow is considered 'in the middle of nowhere'. Well you know, many people who grow up in the prairies feel closed in when they are surrounded by mountains, just like a country boy feeling claustrophobic in a city. As far as him being single, I'm pretty sure there are plenty of women up there. Tough women. :)
Hope all is well with you.
-Mark
I rode the prairies in Canada last summer..it would take tough men as well to live there I am thinking :) Yes I am doing fine. Just pulled 6 boules out of the oven and have 2 dozen of island 66's rolls waiting to go in. I have worked on his formula and am very well pleased with it. If you have a need for a wonderful sandwich roll then his are the ticket. I sub my kefir cheese that I make and they taste so rich...as good as or better than my Challah. Glad to chat with you . Oh and my son took a job in Ft Meyers FL ...started today. We'll see how tough the women are down there LOL ! c
Your stuff looks terrific, and the trailor is purely amazing!
Best wishes,
David
Thanks! I can't wait for things to get busy so I can use the trailer for its true potential.
-Mark
Can't tell for certain, but it looks like you sliced a loaf and have it available for tasting. If so, that's a brilliant idea, Mark, and something I think that all bakers selling at market should offer. Of course, their bread better be pretty good so it doesn't backfire, but that's not something you have to be concerned with.
Just got back from Chicago late last night; on Saturday we went to the Green City Winter Market. There were a couple of bread bakeries there (one was Bennison's Bakery, owned by Jory Downer of Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie fame). While Bennison's sells a lovely rye flaxseed boule, neither bakery had anything on the table as attractive as your rye boules pictured above. Nor did either bakery offer an opportunity to taste their product. Wish they had. I might have bought more.
The trailer looks great - but we knew it would.
Yes, you are correct. That's half of a sliced up Rustic White mini loaf. Thanks for the compliments on the rye. I think some breads really lend themselves for certain shapes and scoring patterns and with the poppy seeds, it really shows it off. Next time I'll cut up a rye early so more people get to try it. It has so much flavor and many people are surprised how much they actually like rye when they get to taste a good one.
I've got a few more things to add to the trailer (some minor, some major), and then it will really be ready to go.
-Mark
What a setup, Mark! Now that everything is set and ready, will you offering apprenticeship?
Lovely breads and pastries btw.
Khalid
I'm not going to be truly busy until the summer is here and the farmers' market season is upon us. I'll wait until then to decide about apprenticeships. Thanks for the compliments!
-Mark
Your beautiful rye boules go very well with your shiny bakery :)
And the bakery looks really cozy...somehow small space filled with wonderful equipments make the whole area looks very cozy. Let us know how the placement of all these items plays out in real action!
Michelle
Yes, it is quite cozy isn't it? Small and cozy = easy to clean and easy to find what you're looking for
I hope you're doing well and I'll be sure to keep you updated on the 'real action'.
-Mark