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CO-OPS

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BUSINESS HOURS

Our regular store hours are M-S, 9-4. The store does not answer the phone on Saturdays. Our regular office (and phone) hours are M-F 10-4

CLOSED for Christmas and New Years 12/23/23 1PM - 1/1/2024

SUE'S HEALTHY MINUTES PODCAST

We are so pleased to announce that Sue now has podcast - You can join Sue each week for Sue's Healthy Minutes on your favorite podcast platform or directly from www.breadbeckers.com Some of the platforms include: Apple, Audible, Spotify, Podash, TopPodcast, Chartable, Google, Stitcher, PodTail

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks it will be the start of a new year – 2024!

Where has the time gone?

This past October, Brad and I had the wonderful privilege of visiting Greece. We travelled with our olive oil salesman, Michael Thomas, who is Greek and his wife Pam. For most of the trip we stayed in the home of Michael’s brother Paul – where we were treated like family. We had a real “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” experience.

Michael imports olive oil, olives and other Greek products to the US. We have been getting our Cretan Mills Olive oil from him for a little more than 20 years because it is some of the best extra virgin olive oil available. And after visiting the 5th generation Cretan Mills olive tree farm and plant we are convinced that it is the best!!!

I did a podcast interview at the farm and plant and will hopefully be sharing that with you on an upcoming episode of Sue’s Healthy Minutes. It is still in the editing process.

But for now, I want to share with you one of our main take-aways from our trip.

Brad and I both love Greek food. And Brad boldly proclaimed to everyone, before we left, that he was going to eat his way across Greece. And that is exactly what we did.

And here is where our “Big Fat Greek Wedding” experience was realized. The people are friendly, accommodating and love sharing their food!

The food was fresh - tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and of course olives and olive oil were in abundance at every meal. And oranges!!!! Fresh orange juice is served everywhere – squeezed right there on the spot – whether it was a restaurant, hotel or street vendor. Never once did I see a bottle of pasteurized orange juice and one day, we had the “privilege” of getting a little lost with our GPS that led us down a narrow one lane road for quite a few miles right through an orange grove – hundreds of orange trees on both sides as far as you could see!

Olive trees and pomegranate trees grow everywhere, even among the ancient ruins. And fresh squeezed pomegranate juice is definitely one of my new favorite drinks.

Now to our meal times.They were an experience in themselves. Lasting at least 2 hours each meal. Food was ordered, starters, main dishes, sides, and drinks. The dishes were brought to the table for all to enjoy, a few at a time, over the course of the meal. We would taste and enjoy each dish as other equally delicious dishes were freshly prepared and brought to the table. We laughed, we ate, we fellowshipped, and we tasted, believing that each dish we tasted was our favorite. We tasted and enjoyed traditional Greek salads topped with Greek oregano, real feta cheese and olive oil, delicious tzatziki made from the fluffiest and most delicious yogurt I have ever tasted, chickpea or zucchini balls, similar to falafels, chickpea hummus, grilled lamb kabobs, grilled chicken and beef on a stick called souvlaki, fried cheese called Saganaki and one of my very favorite dishes – Moussaka (recipe below)

At the end of every meal a complimentary small, simple dessert was brought to the table with spoons for everyone to share. Nothing overwhelming. Often it was a plate of fresh fruit – pineapple, grapes and oranges - with a small bowl or some sort of pudding or small doughnuts with cream to be enjoyed by all, or a small bowl of homemade yogurt topped with a fresh cherry sauce, or a very small piece of a traditional custard like cake or pie. 

But it wasn’t just the food we enjoyed, it was the meal time itself. The conversation and laughs around the table. Such a stark contrast to what most of our meals here in the US have become.

I had the same feeling in Israel last year as we celebrated a Sabbath Meal. The prayers of blessing over our spouses and children and the lingering at the table in conversation and fellowship were a unique experience indeed. I wanted so much to bring this type of meal time fellowship into our lives back here at home.

Brad perfectly captured this experience in this observation. He said in America we go to have a meal before an event. Dinner and a movie, dinner and a concert – a meal before we go to an event. Usually, a little rushed to get to where we are going on time.

But In Greece – the meal together IS “the event”.

So, as I return home from our truly awesome big fat Greek trip, I have it in my heart to make at least some of our meal times THE EVENT.

While in Greece, one other observation became quite clear. The lifestyle in Greece is much more relaxed. As we would get into our American rut of feeling like we had to stay on a schedule, our Greek friend Michael would often say – “Don’t worry about it” or “Forget about it”  Another habit I hope to implement in my all to hurry up lifestyle.

So, as we approach this holiday season maybe we could all benefit from less hustle and bustle and take time to not only be thankful for our good food, family and friends but also take the time to linger at the table and enjoy their company. 

And perhaps say to all our busyness, “Forget about it” and to all our to do lists, “Don’t worry about it”.

From all of us, here at Bread Beckers we want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. May you enjoy the company and fruits of your labors as you gather with family and friends.

RECIPE

Michael’s brother, Paul owns a restaurant. And his Moussaka was the best. So he let me in the kitchen with the cooks, to get their version of this dish, first hand.

Moussake – A Traditional Greek Dish

One of my very favorite traditional Greek recipes. Moussaka is layers of potatoes, eggplant, zucchini and a uniquely seasoned ground beef topped with a creamy bechamel sauce, Devine! And in Greece, leftovers are often packed for lunch and eaten cold. For a large casserole dish 

Base ingredients:

• 3 eggplants
• 3 zucchini
• 5 potatoes
• Flour
• Bread crumbs

For the meat sauce:

• 1 ½ lbs ground beef or lamb
• 1-2 red onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 6-8 ounces red or white wine (I used red)
• 1 teaspoon honey granules or sucanat
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or one cinnamon stick
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ cup olive oil

For the Bechamel Sauce:

• 32 ounces warm milk
• ½ cup butter
• ¾ cup flour (I used soft white wheat)
• 2 egg yolks
• 100 grams or about 1 cup of your favorite hard cheese – Parmigiano-Reggiano or Kefalotyri, finely grated
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Begin by preparing the eggplant, zucchini and potatoes.

Remove the stalks of the eggplant and zucchini and cut in ½ in slices. Season eggplant with salt and place in a colander for about 30 minutes.

Dredge the zucchini in flour and place in baking pan. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and bake in 400F for about 20-30 minutes, until lightly browned.

Drain and rinse the eggplant. Pat dry and place on baking sheet. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and bake at 400F until softened.

Slice the potatoes about ¼ inch thick. Fry them or bake them as the zucchini and eggplant. Drizzled with oil and lightly salted.

Prepare the meat sauce:

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Stir in the chopped onions and sauté, until softened and slightly browned.

Stir in the ground meat breaking it up with a spatula as you brown it. Add the garlic and tomato paste and sauté until the garlic starts to soften.

Pour in the wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the salt, sugar, cinnamon, bay leaf, allspice, and cloves. And a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Set aside.

Prepare the bechamel sauce:

In a medium pot or saucepan, warm the milk slightly.

In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat, melt butter. Add the flour, whisking continuously to make a paste.

Whisk in the warmed milk in a steady stream. Continue whisking while heating to prevent the sauce from getting lumpy until the sauce thickens. The sauce should resemble a thick cream. Increase heat slightly, while continuing to whisk, if the sauce needs to thicken more.

Remove from heat. Add a small amount of the hot sauce to the egg yolks to temper the yolks. Then slowly whisk the yolks into the remainder of the sauce. Add salt, pepper and pinch of nutmeg. Add most of the cheese reserving some to sprinkle on top.

Assemble the Moussaka:

Butter a large casserole dish (about 9x13 inch). Layer the potatoes, eggplant and zucchini evenly. Sprinkle with a little cheese and breadcrumbs.

Add the meat sauce. Top with the bechamel sauce. Sprinkle lightly with the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake at 350F for about 50-60 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Let the moussaka cool slightly before serving.

This dish can easily be assembled ahead of time and baked when ready to serve.

It is also delicious cold.

Serve with a refreshing traditional Greek Salad.

BREAD CRUMBS

"Bread Crumbs" is a collection of short videos on our Youtube channel highlighting products, quick tips, tools, and techniques that are proven to be useful in the kitchen and for making "real bread". For more information or to purchase any featured product, simply scan the QR code located in the video, or go to breadbeckers.com

JUST THE BASICS

Friday January 5, 2024

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Taught by Sue Becker

In Store Registration $20 Click here to register

You spoke and we listened. For those overwhelmed by the longer Getting Started class, this will be a scaled down version, covering just the “essentials” of home flour milling. Sue will show you how fast and easy it is to make wholesome and delicious bread, cinnamon rolls, muffins and cookies. And of course you will be sampling what is made during the demonstration.

Let’s Make Bread – Hands On

January 10, 2024

10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Taught by David Becker

Cost $40 per station – limit 2 people/station Click here to register

David Becker ran the Becker’s bakery for many years until it closed. He is excited to help you learn to make bread from freshly milled flour. He will walk you through mixing up bread dough in the Ankarsrum mixer then stirring up your own personalized muffins.

While the muffins bake you will roll out your bread dough into a loaf of bread, basic rolls and cinnamon rolls with icing. While these rise you will have a chance to ask questions, enjoy your muffins and look around the Bread Beckers store.

You will have your own station with an Ankarsrum and all tools and baking ingredients supplied, that you can either share with a friend or spouse or work alone. 

You will leave with all the bread you make and haven’t eaten!

This will be a fun, informal hands on class – just what you have been asking for.

Class size limited to 4 stations.

SOURDOUGH FOR STARTERS

Saturday January 13, 2024

10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Taught by our own sourdough expert Becky Carlin

In Store Registration $30 Click here to register

Come take our sourdough class! We will be covering the basics of sourdough baking using freshly milled wheat. This includes how to keep your starter alive, dough folding techniques and how to bake by weight instead of volume. Learn how to bake with not only an active starter but also how to bake with the discard. Recipes of a traditional sourdough boule will be demonstrated along with a focaccia, muffins, crumpets, crackers and a cake!

For in class attendees, a sourdough starter will be available for purchase after the class.

GETTING STARTED

Saturday January 20, 2024

10:00 AM - 2:30 PM

Taught by Sue Becker

In Store Registration $20 Click here to register

NOTE: In an effort to help you be prepared for this class. We would like to encourage you to go watch our YouTube video "Basic List of Getting Started Items". In this video Sue goes over the different types of grain and other ingredients needed to get started with milling your own grains and making your own bread products. She will be touching on these items in the class but will not be going over them in this much detail. This video is to help you better understand the ingredients being used in this class.

https://youtu.be/8sCDVxxj0gk

Ready to enter the world of milling your own grains and making all your own breads? We will discuss all the necessary baking ingredients and types of wheat and equipment needed to make this lifestyle change not only possible but doable! We will demonstrate milling flour, mixing quick breads, kneading bread dough, and more.

SOUP AND BREAD

Saturday January 27, 2024

10:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Taught by Sue Becker

In Store Registration $25 Click here to register

ONLINE LIVE STREAM $10 Click here to register

There is nothing quite like a bowl of hot soup and warm bread to satisfy one's soul on a cold wintry day or night. Let Sue show you how quick and easy it can be to make your favorite soups using a pressure cooker. No need to cook all day to intensify those flavors. Cooking under pressure will do it for you. And Sue will find the perfect bread to compliment that hot bowl of goodness.

Let’s Make Bread – Hands On

January 31, 2024

10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Taught by David Becker

Cost $40 per station – limit 2 people/station Click here to register

David Becker ran the Becker’s bakery for many years until it closed. He is excited to help you learn to make bread from freshly milled flour. He will walk you through mixing up bread dough in the Ankarsrum mixer then stirring up your own personalized muffins.

While the muffins bake you will roll out your bread dough into a loaf of bread, basic rolls and cinnamon rolls with icing. While these rise you will have a chance to ask questions, enjoy your muffins and look around the Bread Beckers store.

You will have your own station with an Ankarsrum and all tools and baking ingredients supplied, that you can either share with a friend or spouse or work alone. 

You will leave with all the bread you make and haven’t eaten!

This will be a fun, informal hands on class – just what you have been asking for.

Class size limited to 4 stations.

Real Bread - The Staff Of Life Presentation

With guest Sue Becker from The Bread Beckers

Harvest Pointe Fellowship

326 N Belair Rd, Evans, GA 30809

Saturday, February 3, 2024

10:00AM to 1:00PM

Registration: $5

Contact Person: Ines Hourani

Please text to rsvp or email with any questions or concerns.

786-229-7677 / [email protected]

With all the negative information concerning grains published today, Sue will bring a timely message on the truth about wheat and grains. She will share the history of white flour and its effects on our health, as she dis-cusses the correlation of the bread we eat and common health issues that plaque most of us. The facts given are Biblically based and scientifically proven. Sue’s presentation is both informative and encouraging.

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