The Tradition Of Bakeries In Our Region

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2012-10-10/tradition-bakeries-our-region

Guest Host:

Marc Fisher
The Tradition Of Bakeries In Our Region

Does Washington have a bakery tradition? We'll explore the range of vegan cupcakes, artisan breads, French pastries, as well as Vietnamese, Salvadoran and Ethiopian treats to be found around our region.

Washington never had the kind of working-class immigrant communities that brought traditional Old World bakeries to many cities. But some see a unique local bakery culture developing here nonetheless. At area farmers' markets and retail shops you can find vegan cupcakes, artisan breads, and French pastries. Vietnamese, Ethiopian and Salvadoran bakeries offer other sweet and savory options. We explore the evolution bakeries in our region.

Guests

Mark Furstenberg

Bread baker; Founder, Marvelous Market and the Bread Line

Doron Petersan

Owner, Sticky Fingers Bakery; Author, "Sticky Fingers’ Sweets! 100 Super-Secret Vegan Recipes"

Ned Atwater

Owner, Atwater's

Almaz Dama

Owner, Dama Restaurant and Pastry (Arlington, VA)

Related Links

Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats
Atwater's
Dama Bakery
Marvelous Market

Related Items

Image of Sticky Fingers' Sweets: 100 Super-Secret Vegan Recipes
Sticky Fingers' Sweets: 100 Super-Secret Vegan Recipes

Recipes: Doron Petersan, Sticky Fingers Bakery

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Yield: Makes 12 large or 24 small whoopie pies

Ingredients:
3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 cups (14 ounces) brown sugar, packed
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon egg replacer (recommended: Ener-G)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream cheese frosting, recipe to follow

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and allspice.

  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together brown sugar and oil with the paddle attachment until well combined.

  5. Add pumpkin puree and mix until combined.

  6. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer and water.

  7. Add egg replacer and vanilla to the pumpkin mixture and mix until well combined.

  8. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, about a cup at a time, and mix until fully incorporated.

  9. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.

  10. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/3 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (recommended: Earth Balance)
4 ounces non-dairy cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 to 2 drops of lemon oil

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening until smooth.

  2. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined.

  3. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon oil and beat just until smooth. (Frosting can be made in advance. Cover and refrigerate, but let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)

To assemble:
Transfer filling to a pastry bag. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies.

Credit: "Sticky Fingers' Sweets: 100 Super-Secret Vegan Recipes" by Doron Petersan. Copyright 2012 by Doron Petersan. Reprinted here by permission of Penguin/Avery. All rights reserved.

Recipes: Mark Furstenberg, Marvelous Market and the Bread Line

Barley whole wheat bread and breakfast vegetable spread:

Comments

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Pot Pie wrote:

In my region in northwest, we have the wonderful Heller's in Mt Pleasant. Otherwise, through the years, I've seen bakeries that started out great, making and serving fresh products, turn into shrines to plastic: now when I go in to the two bakeries in Dupont Circle, everything, practically every last thing is wrapped in many layers of plastic. I think there is one reason for this: the rent.

Wed, 10/10/2012 - 11:37am
Daybreak wrote:

Growing in DC 1950's; we had quite few 'black run' if not owned neighborhood bakeries; why isn't this noted by these guests!

Wed, 10/10/2012 - 12:22pm
jim.dulicai@cox.net wrote:

For the lady interested in German and rye breads:

Swiss Bakery in Springfield, VA (right off the Beltway), and Burke, VA, has one of the best Euro-styler breads -- Wurzelbrot.

Breads Unlimited in Bethesda has a superb rye called "corn rye" but not to be mistaken for "corn bread" in the Southern sense. It's a REAL rye, not a supermarket approximation

Wed, 10/10/2012 - 12:59pm
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