Guest Baker

FLAT STANLEY VISITS

A while back, my old pal Flat Stanley paid one of his periodic visits to Crooked Tree Breadworks. After catching us up on his latest travels, we got down to the business of how he could improve his bread baking.

Stan had tried to bake bread several times but the results had left him flat. He had tried every trick in the book but his loaves always seemed to lack a certain dimension. He wanted to bake a loaf with depth and presence, bread that really leaps off the page. His patience was wearing thin.

I encouraged Stan to remain level-headed and assured him that we would find a way out of this bind. We could iron out these problems. I pressed him for more information; what was the temperature in his flat?

I suggested he may have too much on his plate. Had he tried baking simple breads like focaccia, pizza or tortillas? Now we were on the same page. Since his last visit, Stan’s baking has turned over a new leaf. In fact, his focaccia is flat-out delicious.

Although our planes rarely intersect, it's always good to see Flat Stanley.