Duo of Ham and Cheese Croissants Made With Freshly Milled Rouge de Bordeaux Flour

Hello!

The bakery staff and I are so grateful to have had this opportunity to take a break after the year that we just endured. Rest, recharge and reset were at the top of each of our lists as we talked about how we planned to spend this time.

For me, that meant phone calls to catch up with friends, read books, bake a daily loaf of bread, and spend uninterrupted time with my kids and with Stephen. For the most part I’ve managed to relax into all that I had hoped for. I’ve spent hours gazing at the ocean and taking numerous hikes in Forest Park, including several with my youngest as the dogs excitedly pulled us up the path to Pittock Mansion. There was even a recent afternoon spent snowshoeing at Timberline Lodge that culminated with a whirlwind pizza crawl, picking up pies from three different pizzerias for dinner. And this afternoon I am beginning the fifth book of my vacation as I cozy up in front of the fire. It was the much needed break that I was looking forward to!

Aa for the daily loaf, well… I have baked as many as I possibly could. The loaf that I’m working on now is a 75% hydrated loaf made with a blend of wheat flours including the beautiful, Rouge de Bordeaux. I’ve been enamored with this flour since I began baking with it in late summer. Fresh out of the mill it is fragrant with notes of chocolate, cocoa nib and cocoa powder. The loaves made with it have a blush of red and a tender but hearty chew. The flavor is both sweet and earthy, and whether eaten warm from the oven or days later after being made into garlic bread, they are always devoured ravenously and entirely.

Inspired by this grain, this weekend we are mixing handfuls of freshly milled Rouge de Bordeaux into our croissant dough. After lamination, we will shape the dough into Ham and Cheese Croissants using hazelnut finished Tails and Trotters Ham and Swiss cheese, then bake until crisp and golden. The trifecta of the grain, the meat and the cheese are reminiscent of an evening that I spent on an Alpine mountain, having travelled by snowmobile to a warm chalet, red wine in hand, while toasted bread chunks were dipped into cheese fondue. In these croissants, a food memory of mine is brought back to life, reminding me that travel and conviviality around the table will one day return. Available this week for our newsletter subscribers only, so be sure to join our email list for access to all of our weekly specials.

I hope this note finds you well. We are very excited to see you again this weekend!