King Arthur Flour Baking Demonstrations

I attended two separate classes in Palatine, Illinois held by the King Arthur Flour Company on Thursday. This was not a hands-on cooking class but rather a Demonstration where we all watched and listened to the more than able baker Carolyn, do her thing. They had a video screen and a camera set up for those of us who were not fortunate enough to get a front row seat; we could see everything that was being done projected on the screen, so it was the next best thing.

None of the items that were demonstrated ever made it to an oven in front of us, but rather, just to the point where they would have gone into the oven. It was the first time I ever attended such a class and I came away with a new appreciation for flour, yeast and working with dough. The class had something for everyone no matter your level of expertise; we all came away with some new baking tricks and good basic knowledge regarding bread dough and pie crust.

I did not know that the King Arthur Flour Company was founded in 1790 (When the FIRST George W was in office!) but I have always used their products when I could find them in the market, because I always seemed to get the best baking from it. Turns out there is a reason for that! They have very high standards for the levels of protein that must be maintained in each of their many flours. If the miller does not produce the right product, King Arthur sends it back; there are no artificial anythings, no bromation and no bleach in ANY of their products.

Anyway, the two classes were free, there were lots of door prizes (I unfortunately did not win any..but I still came away a winner with my new baking tips) Everyone got a $10 gift card for the online store, pie crust scraper, some yeast packets and two recipe booklets for some really great stuff.

Here is a look at the group from the first bread demonstration that I attended at mid-day
Here are the door prizes, many bags of flour, some special mixes for scones, popovers etc. along with a cookbook and some bread baking gadgets...and some classic aprons.
This is a shot of some display bread that they had on an exhibit table


Yes indeed...a successful day if I do say so myself!

Plus...if I find myself in the Vermont area I know I can stop by, visit their really cool store and maybe even take in a class or two right there on site...would that be special?!