The Univex Floor Mixer

The Univex got fixed a few weeks ago after the motor just stopped running one day. Production went to all the small table top mixers and our customers missed a few of their regular favorites. After a new motor came all the way from New Hampshire and was installed, we were back in business...so far, so good! Here's what the Univex looks like.

Slow Food and Houlton Bakery

Just a short post today -- after taking a look at other blogs I like, it seems a good idea to think about what topics to present and maybe write a story or add our latest specials weekly instead of daily. 

Yesterday, when all that quiet work was supposed to be happening, the big dough mixer, that sits on the floor broke, requiring repair service to be called in.  No fresh bread for today or maybe tomorrow, unfortunately, though Joe will get a day off I think.  A lot of work did get done beforehand and luckily the sticky bun dough was already complete!

Houlton Bakery believes in Slow Food, where great care is taken to prepare foods with all the freshest ingredients by hand and use organic, local produce where possible.  There is a lot written about the Slow Food movement, which originated in Italy. We heart the Orange Snail!

Second Person, Houlton Bakery Life, First Post!

Today, Houlton Bakery is closed as it usually is on Mondays, but inside the ovens are warm and much work is going on.  My sister, Gainor, Houlton Bakery's owner, is preparing doughs for tomorrow, ordering food for the weekly delivery from FSA on Tuesdays and cleaning anything that didn't get done after the hectic closing on Saturday, right before Easter Sunday.  Kellie is helping out today with baking and prep work for the start of business Tuesday.  A lot will be done in the relative calm of a typical Monday.  See our new stools for the bar just waiting for tomorrow's customers...

On Saturday, so many big white boxes of Potato Rosemary Rolls and beautiful braided mini-Challah breads baked by Joe for Easter orders went out the door.  And two beautiful strawberry 4 - layer cakes, decorated with whipped cream and looking fresh as spring. Several trays of delicious lemon bars, chocolate dipped shortbread cookies, pecan sticky buns and of course, traditional hot cross buns.

I was able to help out too on Saturday, and for the first time, was at the sandwich prep counter, sort of "front-of-house", creating one of Houlton's favorite lunch recipes for Smoked Chicken Pasta Salad.  An extra flavorful offering, all fresh ingredients and house-made dressing, one customer wanted to know why we hadn't sent out the word ahead of time!  Oops, that was my job as the email mistress and now hopefully we can do better with a blog in keeping the loyal and new customers informed here in a more fluid manner!

So, stay tuned, we hope this new blog will provide some news from St. Helens, Oregon, Houlton Bakery's town, recipes from the kitchen, cooking class updates and some "back-of-house" tales about bakery life:)