Abra Kadabra

My newest bread:  Abra Kadabra

I just noticed I didn't publish these pictures of the Abra Kadabras.  Most of my customers have  tried them.  Do you know how they got their name?  My brother, Abra (say "ahhh-brah") wanted a bread named after him.  He was also into magic tricks at the time I was naming the bread.

Most people just call them Almond Rolls.

No matter the name, they're good sweet rolls.  

Enjoy the pictures.

“Where there’s no law, there’s no bread.” – Benjamin Franklin

And

“Where there is Independence Day the night before baking day, there is also no bread.”  - Mr. Mustache

Have a great Fourth of July!

Father's Day

I have a great dad.  He is kind enough to drive me around each week.  He makes Mr. Mustache deliveries possible.  Plus, each Thursday afternoon I get to spend a few hours talking with him while we deliver bread.  For Father's Day I made him this new pastry with almond flavoring.  He loved it!  

Happy Easter!

photo link

Sandwich Sticks

Here is another new bread by Mr. Mustache.

Sandwich Sticks are amazing for........ guess what?  Sandwiches!  An order of Sandwich Sticks comes with four baguettes, almost a foot long each.  Two of the four baguettes are topped with smashed garlic.  This bread is salty and crisp.  I used to be a big fan of subs from Jimmy John's (in Fargo).  I'm pretty sure I'll never eat there again.  I like this bread so much better.  My dad likes it so much he wants me to get it on my website so he can secretly order some.  He doesn't want to share! 

Check out the wonderful pockets of air in these sticks.  

Give it a try, and let me know what you think.  Make a great sandwich, and send me a picture.  I'll put it on my blog!

First Year Bread Anniversary

On November 21^st, I celebrate my first year anniversary.  I can’t believe I’ve been making delicious loaves of bread for a whole year now.  Many of you have turned from customers to friends.  You, my friends, have been so forgiving of my mistakes and have been the perfect connoisseurs of my bread.   Thank you!

When I first started, I barely knew anything about bread.  It was always, "Obey the recipe, and it will turn out all right."  I now understand the chemistry of bread and could probably invent my own!  I gained much of this knowledge through reading about a great baker named James Beard.  He inspired me to become a baker.  I thought that I could be kind of like his successor by having a bread business that had to do with facial hair (his last name was Beard).   That is why I chose Mr. Mustache as my name.  I started off selling one type of bread, a basic whole-wheat loaf that was my family’s staple.  Slowly I expanded to over ten varieties, while avoiding mediocrity.

 I hope that next year my bread taste even better.  I want to continue to make artisan bread that is superior to anything else you can find anywhere.  I hope that each loaf of Bread by Mr. Mustache makes you happy and gives you an elegant feel for fine baked goods.

For the love of good bread,

 Mr. Mustache

For every loaf of Mr. Mustache Bread you buy, fifty cents goes to my Uncle Brad.  He is a missionary in Uganda.  The last few weeks Brad has been visiting his family in the States.  It was great to see him and to hear his stories.  He's sure living an interesting and rewarding life.

Next week I will be giving away five necklaces from Uganda that my Uncle Brad brought home.   If you order the 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, or 50th loaf of bread, you win a necklace!  I wish I had enough necklaces to give every single customer!

Here is a little bit about these necklaces (2 of them are different than the ones described here):

The necklaces are "crafted by women of the Karimojong tribe through Amazima's vocational program, each bead is made of recycled magazine paper, threaded along with mini glass beads, and sealed with a beautiful finish.  Take a piece of Africa with you as you display these vibrant colors around your neck, knowing that your purchase employed a hard-working woman in Uganda. In addition, all proceeds from Amazima's necklace sales support the feeding of 1,600 children.  When you purchase this necklace, you create jobs, feed hungry children, and receive a stunning piece of jewelry--a win/win for all!"  (From Amazima Webpage).  

Happy Halloween, from Mr. Mustache!

NO Bread this week

Imperial is NOT Twisted

I am no longer twisting the Imperial.  Why, you may ask? For some reason my new oven doesn’t always cook the center of the twisted Imperial as well as the non-twisted.  Another reason is that I’ve had a hard time cleaning the Imperial’s sticky goodness off of the drying racks.  By not twisting the Imperial, we can keep the stickiness in.  That stickiness saved is extra goodness for you. It might not look as fancy, but it’s more practical and hopefully, more consistently delicious.   Let me know what you think.   

A Story About Bread

 “Face it Cowboy, everybody thinks I’m the best.” Padre strongly states.  With a huff, Cowboy retorts, ”O really!  I was sold and loved before you were even made, Padre.” 

“But haven’t you noticed that I’m the one that gets ordered the most!”  Padre says with a smirk.  Cowboy sneers, “You’re just a knock off of Sourdough Sam.”  Sourdough Sam  considers getting involved in the scuffle, but thinks to himself, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

 “You’re just jealous, Cowboy, because I’m the perfect bread.  I’m made with an expensive blend of cheeses, including aged Parmesan.  I’m baked in a steamed oven.  I’m refined.  I have European flare.”

 Cowboy says in a harsh tone, “Stop.  Stop.  Stop.  I’m soft and chewy.  You’re hard and rough.  Enough said.”

Mr. Mustache Classic, snuggled up in his afghan, says with a kind old smile, “Children, settle down.  All breads have their advantages and their disadvantages.  We are all loved and respected.  We all have our own unique characteristics, but whole wheat bread is the best.”  

Any of you want to get  involved?  Which is your favorite cheese bread? 

Special Requests

Special Requests I can’t do:

1.     I will not make your bread into a bomb (so quit asking).

2.     For those of you who can’t have gluten, I am very sorry, but I cannot produce gluten-free bread inexpensively or with the same quality as my normal breads.  Also, I am not interested in specializing in gluten-free.  Therefore, after many attempts, I am saying no to gluten-free baking.

Special Requests I can do:

1.     The classic request:  I can make a loaf of Imperial bread without raisins.

2.     I can make a Sourdough Sam yeast-free.

3.     The Padre with peppers is only available if you sign a contract saying that you will not sue Mr. Mustache for making bread too good or too spicy.

4.     I can make a vegan bread using almost all whole wheat flour.   Here is how one customer described it:

   “We love the whole wheat Bumpkin bread.  It is fabulous!  It has an excellent texture that feels rich and chewy when you bite into it.  This bread also makes wonderful toast.  The outside gets warm and crispy and the inside remains soft and almost cake-like.  Very delicious!” 

(I wish I could write this well!)

If you have any more ideas, I would be happy to give it a try.

Brown Bread

 Last week, I took some time off to do a few experiments in the bakery and to  work up a new bread.  The new bread is simply called Brown Bread.  It is made with a dark lager beer and tangy buttermilk.  I add whole-wheat flour and bran.  It taste good, and it’s also good for you. It is a smaller loaf than other Mr. Mustache loaves because it is expensive to make.  I live in a family of seven, and we each get one really generous slice from it and then the loaf is almost gone.  Think quality, not quantity.  Too much quantity makes a person unhealthy, but too much quality?  There is no such thing!

This bread is good with soup.  It’s good with a fancy dinner.  Really, just take a loaf and spread it with butter and there’s a sensational meal!

Speaking of butter…………

Brown Bread comes with whipped honey butter.  Honey butter is AMAZING!   I’m having a hard time describing it because nothing I can say does it justice. 

Try it, and you will know what I am talking about.

  The honey butter is chilled in the freezer before I deliver my bread.  You don’t need to worry about rushing home.   It comes in a 2-ounce portion.   It is just enough for this size loaf. 

Brown Bread is based on Irish breads.  It is a different kind of bread than my other breads.  Welcome Mr. Brown Bread to the bakery of Mr. Mustache!

Apple Cores and Chocolate Cubs

Cubs and Cores are mini-breads.  The Core is a small loaf of Apple Bread and the Cub is a small loaf of Chocolate Black Bear.  They sell for $1.50 each.  I made these in response to my customers.  Many of you told me you didn't like buying a whole loaf of dessert bread because the temptation was too great!  Cubs and Cores are the perfect solution.  Eat them up; it's ok.

It's ok to complain..........

You get your nicely wrapped loaf of Mr. Mustache bread and drool over it all afternoon.  You know you should wait, but you just can’t.   You give into temptation and unwrap your bread.  You take a tiny piece and quickly stick it into your mouth.  But then the unexpected happens, the bread taste funny.  Your Imperial Cinnamon Raisin tastes cheesy with a hint of cinnamon!  What do you do?  My advice is this: Call Mr. Mustache.

I have been baking bread for almost one year, and I've never received a single complaint.  I find it hard to believe that somewhere along the way I haven’t made a mistake.  I think that because I am a kid people don’t want to hurt my feelings, but I'm running a business and I take it seriously.   I may go in my room and cry for a bit (just kidding), but please tell me my mistakes so that I can learn from them.

So if your bread explodes, or if you get a loaf of sourdough and it is too heavy to lift, or if you open your bread wrappings and the bread explodes in your face, please let Mr. Mustache know.   I will make you a new loaf.  

One Amazing Sandwich

Last night we made a delicious sandwich with a loaf of Padre bread.  The Padre is a delicious sourdough cheese bread.  I use exquisite cheese (aged parmesan).  It is a chewy bread with a nice thin crust. 

To make this sandwich, whip up some Amighetti sauce and spread it on thick.  Add roast beef, ham, garden tomatoes, lettuce, pepperoncini, and a thin slice of onion.  

Amighetti Special Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons prepared hot mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 tablespoon finely minced green onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
(My mom never adds the onion or the fresh dill because we don't have any growing in our backyard.  She uses a few dill seeds instead.)


The delicious sauce for this sandwich comes from Road Food Sandwiches.  There is a copy of this book at the Public Library.  

Bumpkin on the Barbie

How to Make Yummy Bruschetta 

recipe by Mr. Mustache's mom

Go outside and pick as many cherry tomatoes from your garden as you can.  

Halve them and sprinkle with coarse salt.

In a bowl, add 3 parts olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar and whisk.

Add a couple cloves of garlic (minced) and a handful of basil leaves (chopped).

Season with a dash of cayenne pepper.

For a more exact recipe, google it.

Dr. Reed is Customer of the Week

My customer of the week is Dr. Reed, a knowledgeable professor at the Jamestown College, and his happy wife who is also a professor.  Dr. Reed took my bread to the sweet state of Iowa as a gift for his farming family.  This picture was taken on his trip.  Dr. Reed works with my father and has been kind to me since I moved to Jamestown.  I remember when I first saw his big beard and twinkling eyes looking down at me when I was five.

When I read this poem, I think of Dr. Reed and his mighty beard.

Books to the ceiling, books to the sky. 

My piles of books are a mile high. 

How I love them! 

How I need them! 

I’ll have a long beard by the time I read them. 

                                 

 By Arnold Lobel (just the poem--- the rest was written by Mr. Mustache.)

Getting to know the man behind the stache

According to my smart friend Isaac Reimers, my dad's cousin would be my cousin once removed.  My cousin once removed (or as I previously thought--my second cousin-- how embarrassing),  interviewed me for her blog.

Ellie is writing a series of young adult fantasy books and she writes a really fascinating blog too.

Mr. Mustache's interview by Ellie Ann

Nurse Teree named Mr. Mustache Customer of the Week!

Teree is one of my most loyal customers.  Way back in the cold December of 2010 when Mr. Mustache was a wee little baker who made only one kind of bread, Teree was there. She bought ten loaves of Classic whole wheat bread to give as gifts for all her neighbors.  From that time on, Teree has been a supporter of Mr.  Mustache.  She also has supported my Uncle Brad.  He was in the nursing department where Teree teaches before he went to Uganda.  When Brad has medical questions about people he is helping, Teree is there to give advice.  Another great thing about Teree is that she is a grandma, and she shares her bread with her grandchildren.   Thank you Teree for your kindess towards me and others.  

Thank you, FSA!

The ladies at the FSA office are incredible.   They are very nice and sometimes give me candy to give to my brother and sisters.  They are very complimentary and encouraging.  Plus, the FSA ladies like all of my bread.  However, they have been waiting for the Sillies for a long time and so this week I made them Sillies.  This is good news for everyone!  The Sillies are back for the summer.  I am only going to make a few orders a week, so send me an email and let me know if you want an order.  I will deliver them first email, first serve.

If you want to give an order of Sillies as a gift, you can.  For $1.50 more you get a few jokes and a pair of AMAZING silly glasses.  Dute-tu-do!!!!

New Bread

The Captain is cornbread to die for!  {DON’T really die.}  What’s so great about it?  I can’t tell you all my secrets, but here are some of the reasons:  I use the highest quality cornmeal available (called polenta), farm fresh eggs (from the farm), and mouthwatering corn.  The Captain is the superhero of cornbreads.  It’s cooked in an 8-inch round pan which serves the family generously. 

Are you curious why Mr. Mustache is making a quick bread instead of a yeast bread?  My mom and I created this cornbread for a chili feed for Chris and Jackie Kramlich.  They are raising money to move to Uganda.  They are moving to the same town as my Uncle Brad (they knew him in college).   Chris and Jackie will be working for an organization that rehabilitates malnourished children.

Chris and Jackie are good family friends.  Jackie just graduated from Jamestown College with a degree in nursing.  Chris is the manager at Home of Economy.  Chris and Jackie once took my brother and me sailing.  It was really fun and we learned to talk like sailors (no bad words, I promise).

The reason Chris and Jackie are on my label is because I am donating all profit made from this bread to help them with their work in Uganda.  They will use this money to help families in Uganda. 

Here is their blog:  Working Love

The organization they will be working for:

  Serving His Children

Jackie is not just a nurse; she is also a photographer.  Here are some pictures she took for me.  If you need a photographer this summer, you should ask Jackie.  Read more about it HERE!