Glad to hear it is working out for you.

Shelley

I wouldn't take the heat out of the focaccia. I think labeling it is enough. There's plenty of folk out there that appreciate some heat in some of the things they eat.

It's cool to be a town fixture!

Sally

Teresa, I'm so glad the market is going well for you. I always look forward to seeing your report.

jude

Oh, I was waiting for this update! For a quiet morning, you did really well! Sourdough will be a star for you, and adding a big of yeast will not hurt at all. I need to wake my starter up--we need some sourdough down here!

Glad to hear that you are getting more repeat customers.

Glad it's going so well. I was wondering if you had tried any quick breads yet. Pumpkin Bread and an Apple or Pear Bread might sell well this time of year. You could make those a day earlier than the yeast type. They actually improve with a day of setting. They sell very well around here and you should be able to get $6.00 a loaf at least.

Across the street from work is our farmers market and the bread gals get at least $8.00 per loaf for most everything. Then in the last few minutes of the day (9 to 1)they sell whatever is left for 1/2 price.

A new vendor this year is making bagels, both mini and reg. People have been lined up every time and he sells out. I think he's charging $1.25 and .75. I can look more closely if you want me to. Maybe even take a picture...

Nancy

I wish I wass there Teresa. I'd buy everything that YOU made!

Teresa,

Sounds like you are having fun!!

Linda

Teresa, I'm so glad it's going well. Great that they are getting used to you being there. The quick breads sound like a great idea. Maybe make some cinnamon buns our of some of the dough? Bake in foil pie or cake pans. Not trying to push it...well..maybe a little but don't forget about bread pudding too. Down in New Orleans it is traditional to use that butter nut flavoring. Mmmmm... now I want some.

I'm thrilled for you too. I still think Monkey Bread would be a huge hit and here's why: It's sweet, portions are small (portion control), and if you make a tube pan of it, you can charge more. ($15-$18 would not be unreasonable.) Like cinnamon rolls which people love because of their yeasty goodness, I think the Monkey Bread would be a huge retro hit. You already know that offering some sweet breads would fill a niche in your market. If you made some loaf pan sizes to offer samples from (and sell), I'd just about guarantee you'd sell out! Whatever you do, don't just offer sweet quick breads...people love yeasted sweet breads. You can trust me on this!

Another favorite with us is a Cream Cheese Bread. Mine is the same recipe that Ann uses, it makes four big loaves, and it looks more complicated than it is (translating into more $ for you.)

With your sourdough and whole grain breads, that would give you a nice array which would appeal to everyone. Good luck to you...we're all so proud of you! I love hearing about your successes. Please keep on keeping us posted, so we can revel in your triumphs.

Teresa,
Congratulations on being a fixture. It's so cool you have customers looking for you every week. What to offer is a challenge. Finding a customer-pleasing product that is also inexpensive and not time-consuming to make is the trick I need to discover. This week I made herb bread bowls as well as challah rolls (again) that sold out. English muffins sold well. Cookies always and a sweet treat for breakfast always sell well. I need to learn to make sourdough or whole wheat/gain breads.

What would you think about starting a thread on breads and other baked items with the recipe and how well they sell? I know there are others who bake and sell from a home bakery. Hopefully they could chime in too.

Judy

Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement!

If anyone can think of another form for the Monkey Bread, I might really consider that. I could use the refrigerator roll recipe which can be made up ahead. But I don't want to make a large bread in a bundt pan. I would want to make a smaller loaf/bun in the $2-5 dollar price range. Seems to me muffin tin cups would be too small? I have a bunch of mini loaf pans, but how would the Monkey Bread look in those? Maybe what I need is the great big muffin tin cups?
I have large Pyrex custard cups and I have 3 Corningware Grab-its (soup bowls).

Would the monkey bread look better in a round shape?

I'm also considering making mini loaf pound cakes, but perhaps bagels would be too time consuming. I was up until midnight Friday night. Remember those famous words....."but I work full time."

Judy, a thread on breads and other baked goods would be great!

I agree, a thread on breads and baked goods that are quick, popular and sell well would be great.

Teresa, could you do MonkeyBread in those mini bundt kind of pans? I've never made monkeybread, so I'm not quite sure, but that would give you an individual serving, I think.

I guess I'd probably just package up individual cinnamon rolls for something sweet. And that cream cheese Danish that Ann T makes has an overnight dough, they could be individual pastries or make one big one and package the pieces individually.

Going in a different direction altogether, there is the wonderful world of donuts, LOL. Apple cider, pumpkin spice, with or without frosting or rolled in cinnamon sugar. It's that time of year....

Congratultions on doing so well, and mostly on doing something you enjoy.

How much would the dough suffer if you made it in bigger batches and froze some, for later baking? I did note that someone frozen scones unbaked and they were just fine.

Annie

Teresa, I think it would be fine in any form you want to make. It seems like you could use giant muffin tins, small springforms, loaf pans or even a small pie plate (which for some reason seems easiest to me...a small pie plate). I like a round version better than a loaf, but it really doesn't matter. It's a pull-apart item that's meant to be shared, so personally, I would prefer (to purchase) something a bit bigger than just an individual portion. Big enough for two would be ideal!

I have 6 small pie tins that I could do round "pull-apart" cinnamon breads. Then I found a recipe for pull-apart loaves that I plan to try; these would be made in my mini loaf pans. I also have a recipe for an orange and nut coffeecake that uses dairy case biscuits that I can try with homemade sweet roll dough.

Lots of ideas to try!
Teresa

Teresa, I'm enjoying reading your posts. Sounds like your are having fun and getting lots of positive community exposure and making some good friends. Also sounds like a lot of work. It might be a good idea to develop a potential baking schedule for your clients so you don't have to try to make a large variety available but that they can look forward to. Have you tried the no-knead sourdough. The final rise is not that long, about an hour and a half if I remember right. Of course, the initial resting-rise time is 18 hours but it just sits there. Also, there's a Russian starter that is exceptionallly fast and lofty. Of course, adding a little yeast is an option but IMO it takes away from the flavor.

Yes, I agree, terrapots, that adding some yeast to the sourdough does take away from the flavor. But I just don't have the time to fit in 6-8 hour rises in my work/sleep schedule. This past Sunday I made the recipe with 1 t. of yeast; I'm going to make it again in a few days with only 1/2 t. yeast and see if that works time wise. This month I have a very hectic schedule at work and some days I don't get to go home for lunch.

What do you think of doing the first in-the-bowl rising of the sourdough in the fridge?

Making a refrigerator dough recipe for dinner rolls or sweet rolls helps a lot as I just park the dough in the fridge for a couple of days.

I am listening to my customers and know I need to have whole grain loaves, dinner rolls, and something sweet to sell on Saturdays. Once someone tries one item, they will be back to try something different the next week. But I keep getting those pesky requests for sourdough bread -- LOL!

Terrapots,

I know you and I live in the same town. Do you frequent the downtown farmers' market? What do you think of W of M breads?

Eileen

I know, I know but I have to mention the Cinnamon Rolls on the www.pioneerwomancooks.com website

I made these a few years ago for the first time and the recipe is oh, so easy for how much you get out of it. And it's a refrigerator rise overnight or even over two nights so should fit your schedule.

I gave them as holiday gifts, frozen and with instructions for thawing, rising and baking. I've had recipients BEGGING me for more.

IIRC I had 9 9" pie pans of large cinnamon rolls from one recipe. You could also do two rolls in a mini loaf pan

Here is a link that might be useful: Pioneer woman Cinnamon Rolls

Hi, Eileen! How did you figure this out? I didn't. No, I don't really frequent the uptown Farmers' Market, it meets on my two worst days. What's special about W and M Bakery? I usually buy fresh baked bread at Hanna's Bakery but SIL can be counted on to bring over SF sourdough every time they come over. My home baked bread takes a back seat to that. Have you lived here long?

Teresa here's a link that a farmers' market baker has, it has an interesting technique for effortless kneading.
Check out the other link for a no-knead method that I think the last rise is relatively short. There are videos in both of these.
http://www.sourdoughhome.com/stretchandfold.html

http://www.breadtopia.com/sicilian-no-knead-bread/

Terra,
I've tried the no knead method and the bread-in-5-minutes-a-day but I was not bowled over. For my needs, I think I need recipes that can make 2-4 good sized loaves from the one recipe. I may try boules in the future.

Any Pioneer Woman recipe that I have tried has been really good! I know I have the cinnamon bun recipe printed off around here somewhere. For this Saturday I plan to try a Monkey Bread recipe from Baking Bites.com, putting it in two mini loaves or 3 round pie tins. I'll take pics if I have the time.

Thanks!

Teresa

Just got home from today's market; sold all my loaves of bread and half of the Monkey Bread -- so I called it a day at 11:30 a.m. I probably won't make the Monkey Bread again as it does not do as well in smaller pans. Maybe next week I'll make some of Cindy Mac's cinnamon buns.

It's interesting having some regular customers come back each week: one new friend that I made got there late today and the bread she wanted to buy was sold out....so she bought the remaining loaf (sourdough) anyway. Now that's a good customer.

I lost a sale when I had to decline taking a check. I've had some bad experiences with checks on my Etsy sells so I've just learned to say "sorry, no." The customer understood and said she would see me next week. I just decided on the spot that I would not take a check for a $4 loaf of bread.

It is cool and cloudy here today, so not too much early traffic at the market. More vendors today too; I had to squeeze in next to Sweet Teenager Artist and her mom. Chicken Lady was there and sold out of her eggs. And I made a new friend in Mavis who has an alteration shop and loves to sew as much as I do. Met a nice young fellow, a structural engineer out of work, who is growing winter squash, gourds, and watermelon - I now I have to find room in the fridge for a small "Sweet Crimson."

Teresa

Teresa I love reading your day's report and about your new acquaintances!

I wish you much continued success and many new customers.

hugs,
SharonCb

Great, Teresa, not only on your sales but the new friends you're making, a bonus for sure! I look forward to your reports each Saturday.

jude

What fun! I had not doubts that you would reel them in with your personality and your product. Sounds like a really nice environment.

Teresa, I'm sorry the Monkey Bread wasn't a hit. I was so sure it would be! Ah well, at least I know now (and so do you). I wish you were baking at my Farmer's Market; I'd be a regular!

Teresa, you might try the Cinnamon Rolls from the Joy of Baking site. I've made CR's for 20 years. Four years ago I tried the Joy of Baking CR's and found them to be the best I have ever had. Even the friends that I give rolls to at Christmas told me that these were the best they had ever had. Just a thought.

Already bought my first Holiday Baking magazine today at the grocery store ....and I don't really bake, but with Teresa's new ventures, "Dirt Bomb" pictures and all the talk about cinnamon rolls the magazine from Cuisine at Home caught my eye. Seems to be full of all sorts of goodies, many that can be done ahead so naturally I thought of you all and the Farmer's Markets.

I'm so glad the weather is cooler since talk about fall foods seems to be rampant. I'll be looking for more reports about baked goodies.

jude