Birthday Baking Class!
14 June 2022
Happy Birthday to me! Today was one of the days I had been waiting for since we scheduled this trip. It was one of the first and only things we had planned before we left WI. When looking for places to vacation, Vermont had popped up a few times. When I figured out King Arthur Flour HQ was there, that made it an easy choice. I use King Arthur Flour for baking, so it seemed pretty cool to take a class from baking experts!
But before the baking fun could begin, we needed to get out of the house. We stopped at Capitol Grounds, a local coffee shop, for some breakfast. We each built our own sandwich, Ross got his iced coffee, and I stuck with a chai latte. We scarfed it down so we could get on the road. King Arthur HQ is in Norwich, VT, which is an hour south of Montpelier.
The drive to Norwich was lovely. The rolling green mountains make the view great for the entire drive. Even with a little construction, the drive was easy. We arrived about 15 minutes before the start of class, so we had a moment to snap a few photos and hit the bathroom. Ross found us two spots right at the front of the room, which was great. We had 14 people in our class, one primary instructor and a second instructor that helped anyone if they needed it.
Our class was titled Buns and Rolls, Sweet and Savory. We made Sweet Orange Buns and Savory Butterflake Rolls. We started with the sweet buns and while one dough was rising, started on the second dough. It was nice to learn more about hand kneading technique, a little science behind baking, and to see how easy it can be to make something super tasty. The instructor was really great, she made everything easy to follow along with, and the class was very enjoyable. Everyone make successful buns and rolls!
The recipes were each supposed to yield 12 buns or rolls. But you could really make approximately whatever you wanted, especially the sweet buns, depending on how you cut them. The rolls on the other hand, couldn’t go over 12 since they baked in a muffin tin.
Towards the end of class, we asked if there would be time to make it to the gift shop before it closed. Luckily we got about 15 minutes to peruse the goods while our products were baking. I checked off another goal of mine - get a beanie while in VT. I snagged a shirt and hat from the gift shop. We got a 10% off coupon in our folder for joining the class, so I put it to use! We have a second one, so I might buy some things online that I didn’t want to shove into a suitcase.
After our quick purchases, we made it back to the classroom to make the glaze for our sweet orange buns. We didn’t put the glaze on since the buns were fresh out of the oven and still hot. It will be better to apply right before eating. We all got to taste the instructor’s final products so we didn’t have to dive into ours right away. Man, are they both so good! The savory rolls have pizza seasoning in them which would be great for dunking in some marinara sauce. I don’t think we’ll need to buy breakfast for the rest of our trip!
I thoroughly enjoyed the class and would recommend it to anyone! But I enjoy baking, so maybe I’m biased. But now we have a stock of tasty baked goods to fuel us through the next few days!
Our class ended at 5pm, so we were almost ready for dinner. I had already scoped out a place to go, but we wanted to kill a little time first. Norwich is right across the river from Hanover, New Hampshire, which is where the restaurant is, so we checked off another state! Hanover is also home to Dartmouth College. Once we found a parking spot, we wandered the campus for a little bit.
We came across a large gathering, so Ross stopped one of the people walking towards it to ask what was going on. It was a joint class reunion for the classes of 1962, 1970 and 1971. A 60 year reunion and two 50 year reunions. I’m guessing delayed due to the ole ‘Rona. We continued on our walk and found a cool tower and statue of Robert Frost - a graduate of Dartmouth. I also got a small sliver in my hand from climbing up a giant tree stump. I still have to dig it out of my hand…after I’m done blogging for the night. Priorities you know.
By now, we were ready for dinner. We headed over to Base Camp cafe for some Nepalese/Himalayan food. Very similar to Indian, but I ordered a dish called Tarkari and Ross got a “chili” though it didn’t look anything like I was expecting. Ross also got his at a 7 on the spicy scale…I just asked for mild. His was good, but I could only stand a couple bites. Way too much for my weak palate.
Dinner was delicious, but it was time to head back to Montpelier. Opening the car door was great as a waft of baked goods flowed over us. I was thankful since I don’t really like the smell of our rental car. It gives me a headache. An easy hour drive back and we’re relaxing and blogging once more. Looking forward to what tomorrow holds!
Stats for the day:
You two make the name 'Baker' really Come-Alive!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait until you guys bake ME some of those orange delicacies!
What a Great birthday celebration memory for you!
With those smiles I don't have to ask if you're enjoying yourselves!
Love ~ Meem