Thursday, February 24, 2011

How to Order Mr. Mustache Bread


Mr. Mustache make one type of bread a day.  It is much easier to make a lot of the same rather than making a variety of breads.   Making one type of bread a day keeps me from going crazy.  How do I decide what type of bread to make?  The first few people to order for the week get to decide.   When all my days are planned, I send out a weekly email that tells my customers my baking schedule.  If you would like to be on my weekly email list, let me know.

This is my weekly chart my mom and I make so I know where all of my bread is going.


Order ahead to get the bread you want on the day you want it.

Things You Should Know About Mr. Mustache Bread:

1.     It freezes well.  If you get a loaf of Sourdough on Wednesday and want to wait and eat it on Saturday, you have a lot more self-control than Mr. Mustache!   If you do have this kind of self-control, unwrap the loaf, put it in a freezer bag, and freeze it.  My family does this all the time.  On the day you want to use it, thaw it out.  Then right before your meal, pop it into a hot oven for a few minutes and it is just like getting it fresh from Mr. Mustache.
2.     The reason I bake my bread the morning I give it to you is because then it tastes fresh and warm and good.  After day two, be creative with your leftover bread.  Sourdough Sam is good for tuna melts.  Cowboy bread makes excellent panini sandwiches.  We slice it and add hard salami and prosciutto and a tiny bit of mozzarella to hold it together.  Then we put in in our press.  This is my dad’s favorite sandwich.   My friend, Tonya, makes amazing french toast with her leftover Imperial bread.  Think outside the box and be sure to email me your great ideas!

Cowboy Bread Panini 




3.  Always know that it is possible for me to make an exception for an important event, like President’s Day or Groundhog’s Day.  If you really need a particular bread on a particular day, email me.  If you or members of your family have facial hair, consider it done!





Friday, February 11, 2011

Mr. Mustache and His Assistants

Lots of people ask me, “Do you run your business all by yourself?”  My answer, “Of course not, I’m only twelve-years-old!”   I have lots of help from my parents.  My dad is my number one driver.  He comes home from his office at noontime and takes me around town so I can deliver my bread.  He also carries all the bread. This week Dad has been gone and I miss him.

 My bread dough is made at night after my little brother and sisters go to bed.  My mom and I do it together.  I do ninety percent of the kneading and most of the mixing.  Mom usually does the dishes for me while I work and she keeps me organized.  In the morning, it is time to shape the bread.  Both my mom and I are learning how to do this.  We are improving every time we do it.  The other day, Mom was reading history to me and I was playing with play dough with my sister.  My mom looks up and says, “You just formed a perfect baguette!”  Shaping the bread is fun, but after that, I go do my schoolwork and my mom bakes the bread.  She temps every loaf to make sure it is just right.    When the bread cools, we wrap it.  It is an awesome feeling to have a dozen loaves of beautifully wrapped bread sitting on the table ready to sell.

Creating new breads is a team effort.  We look through cookbooks and try new recipes.  My mom has a good feel for what will work.  I care about taste.  I don’t want to make bread that I don’t like.  We are working on a 100% whole wheat bread and we haven’t found anything that works for me.  It might just be because ALL whole wheat is a little too healthy for Mr. Mustahce.  When we have a good recipe, we come up with a name and packaging.  This is fun to do.  It is nice to give each type of bread its own personality.  I really like the Cowboy Cheddar theme.  My mom usually looks on-line to find the right packaging. 

My mom is also my Red Plum.  She designed my blog and lots of my labels. On my blog, I do the writing like what I am doing right now.  Sometimes it is based on school assigments I am given.  Mom reads what I write and always makes suggestions.  We type it on the computer, my dad reads it, and then we publish it.

There is a lot of work involved in running a business.  There is a lot of work involved in baking bread.  I work hard, and my mom and dad help.