New Vendor!
Laughing Tree Brick Oven Bakery of Hart
Owned and operated by Charlie and Hilde Muller. We live and bake outside of Hart, Michigan in Elbridge Township in the heart of Oceana County.
What makes our bread unique?
Organic and Locally produced ingredients: All of the grains and flours with which we bake are grown organically and quite a few of them are grown right here in Michigan! . Our breads have no added oils, no dairy products, no added sugar (the Griff’s 8-Grain does have a touch of Michigan honey). They are simply flour, some cracked and whole grains, well-water (from our own well), and sea salt. The ingredients we use are simple, but the process by which we turn them into bread yields loaves of extraordinary and complex flavor!
Naturally Leavened using a traditional, slow process: Nearly all of our breads are naturally leavened which means that rather than using commercial yeast to make our bread rise we use a starter called a levain which we carefully cultivated right here in our kitchen. Our levain provides the leavening power for our breads as well as a great deal of flavor! Levain also acts as a natural preservative so you will find that our breads easily keep for five days. We leave them naked on the cutting board (cut side down) for three days. Following that (if there is any bread left!) we transfer it to a plastic bag. Two of our breads (Oceana Round, O’Batta) are made using a yeasted starter called a poolish. This pre-ferment contains about one teaspoon of commercial yeast for every 25 loaves! So while it is a very small amount of yeast in these loaves, we do find that it affects their keeping capacity. Our breads take an average of 20 hours to develop from start to finish.
Handcrafted: All of our breads are made by hand! The only mechanized part of our process is the initial phase of mixing which takes place in our Hobart mixer. Even during this initial mixing process we are continually feeling the doughs to check that they are developing appropriately. Once our doughs come off of the mixer they are touched by our hands during multiple foldings, shapings, and in the oven loading process. Presently all of our breads are free-standing hearth loaves—this means, each one is shaped either by Charlie or Hilde, or by both of us (our loaves go through two shaping processes).
Baked in a wood-fired brick oven: Undoubtedly, our wood-fired brick oven steals the show in our bakery. Constructed by Charlie, it is made of nearly 15,000 pounds of masonry and is heated to nearly 1000 degrees (farenheit) before we load it up on a bake day. The oven-firing process begins 24 hours before we even place the first loaves in to bake. We slowly feed the fire and bring it up to 1000 degrees over the course of 12 hours. For the next 12 hours we let the fire burn down to ashes and then rake out the ashes just few minutes before loading our first loaves. This masonry stove provides very powerful, radiant heat that quickly penetrates the loaves placed inside. This intense heat contributes to an unbelievable crust flavored with the carmelized sugars (starches) from the wheat itself. Our first ovenloads can be in and out of the oven in as quickly as 12 minutes—the heat is that intense!
Michigan’s only 100% solar-powered bakery: The fact that our mixer, our fridge, and our lights are powered by the sun doesn’t change the flavor of our bread—but we sure appreciate all the energy that our panels gather for us that makes the whole process possible! We have six panels that power both our home and our bakery and we are living proof that solar electric systems can work in Michigan!
Please visit our website to read the full descriptions of our breads and to learn more about what we do here at Laughing Tree Brick Oven Bakery in order to bring you fresh, naturally leavened breads! www.laughingtreebakery.com
Breads available at Sweetwater Market at the Maple Moon Farm stand for Saturday August 7, 2010:
West Michigan Wheat: An everyday, light wheat bread with a creamy flavor and the subtle sweetness of Michigan red spring wheat. An incredibly versatile loaf, this bread is equally great for French toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, or the old standby—peanut butter and jam. $5.00 a loaf. Organic wheat flour, organic Michigan-grown whole wheat flour, water, sea salt, malted barley flour.
Finn’s Pecan Raisin Pecan: We are raisin’ our son Finn on Pecan Raisin Pecan…a bread so rich you won’t believe it’s not cake! No sweeteners added—just a quarter pound each of pecans and raisins in every loaf. Who needs butter? Simply amazing. And yes, this is Finn’s favorite. $7.75 a loaf.
F.P.R.P. INGREDIENTS: organic wheat flour, organic Michigan-grown whole wheat flour, water, organic raisins, pecans, sea salt, malted barley flour.
Griff’s 8-Grain: A hearty 8-grain, 3-seed bread named for our big-hearted neighbor Jim Griffin. This rich, chewy loaf is made with all organic grains and is sweetened with just a touch of West Michigan honey. Try it as fuel for your next sojourn or, enjoy it as we do, as unparalleled toast. $6.50 a loaf.
G.8.G. INGREDIENTS: organic sifted wheat flour*, organic wheat flour, organic whole wheat flour*, organic cornmeal*, organic millet, organic buckwheat groats, organic steel-cut oats, organic cracked wheat*, organic cracked rye*, organic cracked barley*, organic cracked spelt*, water, Michigan honey, organic sunflower seeds, organic sesame seeds, blue poppy seeds, salt. *Michigan-grown grains.
Elbridge Parmesan Olive: The cheese does not stand alone in this loaf! Generous hunks of mouth-watering parmesan and glorious Kalamata olives in every bite—this sumptuous boule is not for the faint of heart. We recommend sharing it with a loved one—lest you eat the entire loaf by yourself in one sitting! It is that good. $8.00 a round.
E.P.O. INGREDIENTS: organic wheat flour, organic Michigan-grown whole wheat flour, water, parmesan cheese, Kalamata olives, sea salt, malted barley flour.