Must-Have Products You Will Actually Use for Bread Baking

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To say that I live in a bakery is kind of an understatement. Even though the operations of Aero have gone from our home, we still churn out sourdough loaves, baguettes, cookies, scones and teacakes weekly – if only for ourselves, friends, and family. I have easily baked a thousand loaves in the last three hundred and sixty five days. On top of bread and pastries, discarded starter has gone into pancakes and breakfast items. This is why I wanted to take a moment and share our top, must-have products that you actually use for bread baking!

Even now, as I sit and type this post, I am getting up every thirty minutes to do bread turns. Mike stands behind me making flour tortillas from scratch and I can hear the squeaking of our tortilla press. He’s even wearing a linen baker’s apron! He has gone down a different path from bread, experimenting with ramens, noodles, and tortillas. Still, these are things that I can get behind.

I may have let go of the bakery but the bakery never let go of me.

Far from getting tired of our kitchen floors being covered in flour dust, what we have as a unit (roommate included) is an equal appreciation of jam, butter, and avocado toast, which we connect over cups of coffee in the mornings. We share the justification of munching on teacakes by going on group runs. Japanese ramen and Mexican dishes run rampant on our weekly menus.

There was a time when we were the only ones dishing out gluten products from scratch. But during these troubling months, I’ve seen more and more people turn to bread baking and I can’t help but rejoice on the inside. Visiting the grocery shelves these last few months has shown me that people are hanging onto bread flour and active yeast lately. Hopeful me is standing by the sidelines with jubilee cheering on a healthier reformation around carbohydrates. For those who haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, here’s a bit of pretend. Or for those thinking of starting, a worthy wish list to consider.

Must Have Products That You Will Actually Use for Bread Baking

+ A mill to get the freshest quality flour.

+ A Cast Iron Combo Cooker that’s affordable but also quality stuff.

+ A reliable rolling pin to ease the process (if you know, you know).

+ A linen apron, so that you can do turns right before work.

+ A Kitchen Aid Mixer, a.k.a. a baker’s best friend.

+ A tough bread knife that can cut day old sourdough (arguably the best kind).

+ A decent cutting board.

+ A bread box, for those who don’t freeze their bread (we do).

+ A marble pastry slab to keep dough cool while rolling.

And of course, jam, decent butter, and market avocados.

Any questions regarding bread baking, I’d love to help. Say hi on my Instagram.

My Favorite Things

I am starting a series called My Favorite Things, to showcase a few things a week that have brought joy. And while it focuses on things (sometimes), I hope that the posts translate to how joy can come from a handful of objects, and that fewer is, truly, better. It is also valuable to me that not all things are my own, neither are they all new. Lastly, not all things are physical, such as good mid-day lighting, or the first frosty morning. While it was originally created as a personal project aimed at de-cluttering my camera, always devoid of memory, it is also meant to be a weekly public reflection of my most gratifying moments. Without further adieu, here are this week’s favorites.

This wreath

… for signaling Fall at one of our favorite coffee spots.

2. This sticker

… for re-vamping this phone case into something new.

3. This linen apron

… for always being pretty, even when tossed haphazardly onto a chair.

4. This apple pie

… the first of Thanskgiving pie orders from Aero Bakery.

5. These hardcover photo books

… for a morning of perusing through mems, the makings of which were enjoyable indeed.

A Mother’s Day Gift Guide

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A list for Mother’s Day and last-minute gift buyers. Not because I myself am a mother, but because I know what my mother would want. For the smart, loving, strong, creative, fashionable, busy, stressed, but most importantly, deserving mothers in your life, a few gift ideas below.

– A pasta attachment set, for making fresh, healthy, home-made summer pasta an easy chore on a weeknight, or a creative hobby on the weekend.

– A caftan, for the upcoming summer days, where vacations to tropical areas or pool days with the kids run amok.

– An easy read, when the brain is fried from a long day and needs unwinding. I recently finished this and would highly recommend.

– A pair of reliable kicks, for some quick, slip-on action. Perfect for the park, the pool, the hammock, what have you.

– A tote that can carry it all for the busy mom.

– A light cardigan, for cool evening breezes, on patios watching sunsets.

– An upgrade to her living space, for those with a green thumb.

– A gift card, for the self-sufficient, or particular.

In an effort to ground Mother’s Day to something a bit less material, an organization which you can support to help local mothers and women who are in need.

– Grandma’s House of Hope in Orange County serves uniquely challenged women who fall between the cracks of existing programs. These invisible populations include human trafficking victims, breast cancer patients, and women with severe mental and physical diasabilities, mothers included. Consider a donation, for Mother’s Day.

Getting to Know: Molly Acord of Fair + Simple

Molly Acord is the founder of Fair + Simple, a company created around the act of gift-giving. Desiring to give people a simpler way of gifting products that are fair trade and that have a humanitarian impact, Molly created a gift card that can be redeemed for any item in an ethically sourced collection. “Gift giving is my love language, handmade is close to me, and serving others is a privilege. This is where I fit.”

What inspired you to start Fair and Simple?

There was a point when I realized that my buying practices were likely having a negative impact on the world, and I began to educate myself on how to change. It is so overwhelming, and almost paralyzing, at first. I was inspired to start Fair+Simple from a desire to make it simple to give a cause-based, socially-conscious gift.

Where does the name Fair + Simple come from, and what does it represent?

The idea for a simple gift card fell from the sky, and I knew immediately it was a calling. I called my husband, a school-teacher, and right away pitched the idea. He also received an equally excited call a few minutes later with the idea for our brand name. Fair means that every gift in our collection is fairly-traded and cause-based. Simple represents this idea that a recipient of a F+S card can redeem it for any single item in the collection. When you don’t know what to get someone but you want to shop ethically, you can give a card and let them choose their own gift.

Fair trading | Simple giving.

What values do you want your company to represent?

We desire to offer a meaningful gift that simplifies our customer’s life, while positively impacting the person behind the product. We value sustainability which involves both ethical manufacturing and intentional design.

What do you hope to change in the way we as a society consume products?

Gift giving is a unique time to make a difference. Instead of defaulting to a Starbucks gift card (no offense to Starbucks!) every time someone isn’t sure what to give, I want customers to use that opportunity to support fair-trade artisans around the world who have need. Instead of careless and easy, it’s careful and simple.

What is the humanitarian impact of the companies F+S supports?

We seek to benefit those in high need. The gifts in our collection support a series of impact including clean water initiatives, a recovery house for women, fair paying jobs for impoverished people, vocational training, micro-loans, and educational sponsorships. While I love culturally rich and highly skilled artisan products, my heart is more geared for the marginalized people who have nothing: no skills, no startup money, no market access.

Does Fair + Simple look into eco-friendly products as well, or do you focus more on the social impact primarily?

To me, environmental and social responsibility are inextricably linked. I believe social impact starts at the supply chain. If you are using natural fabric, that means it starts at the seed and the farmers who grow it. This extends to how a product is made, how it is used by customers, and how it ends its life cycle. People and planet are all over these steps. We have also noticed that the fair trade world is a bit inundated with items like jewelry, scarves, and leather goods. We will always have these items in our collection where impact is the greatest, but we are currently making strides for some products that support our values for simple living and high impact sourcing.

How do you go about choosing which companies to partner with?

We look for companies that have both a beautiful mission and product. I believe women and education are the main catalyst for change in a community, so we primarily work with companies that support these two initiatives. We also need to have a well-rounded collection, so this plays a factor in which companies are in the collection. No matter what, the cause of the company must be the main reason why they exist and they need to align with our developed standards of production. I have a deepening desire to connect customers with the person behind the product, so I have started to work directly with groups where there is a high need. This includes single moms weaving coop in Peru and a sewing coop in the Philippines! These products are scheduled to launch in the Spring. I only have so much buying power, so I make it count.

In a perfect dream world, what is your ideal future in terms of the way consumers and makers interact and trade and purchase goods?

In my dream world, consumers are intentional about purchases. Over-consumption is obsolete, and people buy what they need and take care of what they have and give where there is need. Less disposable, less carelessness, less disconnect. More reuse, more intention, and much more connection.

To help with your gift-giving endeavors, Fair + Simple is offering TheDebtist readers 15% off with the coupon code “debtist15“. As always, every item in the collection gives back to a partner company’s mission. Offer valid until March 31, 2018.