Baking Bread: Back to Basics

There is no better time than the fall and winter to try your hand at baking bread or explore a new baking skill! Join us throughout the cold months for three bread baking workshops covering the basics of ingredients, techniques, and variations for distinct bread-making styles. Each workshop will include bread samplings, hands-on instruction, and the comraderie that comes with an evening in the kitchen. We'll also reflect on bread-baking as an exercise in reconnection: with ourselves, our history, our ingredients, and the land. Participants will leave with ingredients and recipes to continue baking at home. 

All classes will take place from 6-8pm at the Horn Farm Center. No prior bread baking experience required. 

Wednesday, November 16th: White Bread and Wheat Bread

This class will provide a general introduction to bread-making by covering basic ingredients--yeast, flour, water, salt--and ways to turn them into dough. We'll also talk about no-knead dough recipes, discuss questions, and enjoy conversation. At the end of the course, you will take home your own prepared loaf of bread dough along with a recipe and instructions. 

Thursday, January 19th: Sourdough

Get to know your way around a sourdough starter and mix one up with us to bring home, along with recipes and inspiration. We'll discuss different ways to use sourdough and practice baking using a prepared starter. A pizza crust may be in store, or waffles, or pancakes ... we'll see!

Thursday, March 16th: Flatbreads

Flatbreads include pita, naan, and foccacia. Come learn how to make these simple, versatile, and delicious breads while discussing different variations, pairings, and ways to get creative! 

For all classes: please wear closed-toe shoes, tie hair back or wear a hat, and bring an apron if you have one. Space is limited on account of the small size of our kitchen, so register today while spots remain! 

About the instructor:

Ellen Gibb is a longtime friend of the Horn Farm, serving in various roles as a volunteer, class instructor, and board member between 2010 and 2020. In 2018, she oversaw the renovation of the Horn Farm's Summer Kitchen, designing the space to serve as both a commercial kitchen and welcoming classroom space. She grew up on a dairy farm in southern Minnesota where she learned to bake breads and desserts. After 43 years in the food industry, she started studying 19th-century cooking traditions and honed her skills at using a wood-fired brick oven, soon becoming a regional expert on the German-style Squirrel Tail bake oven. This rare style of oven is an original fixture of the Horn Farm's Summer Kitchen, and Ellen has fired it up to facilitate many classes over the years. In this way, she hopes her teaching will inspire people to reconnect with their roots. In her classes, she enjoys “watching people become passionate about food, the land and each other!”