The Traveling Baker
Traveling baker Byron Fry taught himself to bake 3 years ago before apprenticing at the Italian Bakery in Victoria BC. During the summer of 2010 he rode his motorcycle 16 000km around North America, visiting bakeries in Montreal, New York, North Carolina and Portland. In NC he met the baker Richard Miscovich who inspired him to come home to BC, build an oven, and bake bread. The historical name and logo of Fry's Red Wheat Bread was passed down from his great-grandfather whom owned and operated a bakery in Victoria at the turn of the century.
This is his first year farm-based operation in Metchosin. You will find him at the James Bay Community Market Saturdays 9-3 and the Metchosin Farmers Market 11-2 as well as the Oak Bay Night Market, third Wednesday of the month.
Honey Rye-
Fresh Stone-milled Organic Rye, Water, Island Honey, Salt.
Frontal view of Craigflower/Raynor building from original 1913 architects drawing. Found while rummaging through City of Victoria as built drawing archives. This is where I’ll be building my new oven and baking bread for this next stage in life.
Working on a formula for a Habitant Loaf, the traditional bread of the Quebecois peasant farmers. The photograph shows a habitant baking bread in early Quebec.
http://www.westernlivingmagazine.com/FD/0312.40-foodies-under-40-2012.html
Whole Wheat Country Loaf made with Metchosin grown wheat and rye and Saltspring Island Tomme D’or raw milk cheese.
We are the only bakery in town using this butter and it makes all the difference!
Pretzel shaping yesterday morning for Niagara Grocery and Fairfield Market.
Hello Folks,
Just wanted to put a slightly ambiguous note out there and encourage you to send as much goodwill our way as possible. We may have found a new home for the bakery but there are still many hurdles to go so keep us in you thoughts and I’ll update you all as soon as I know what is happening.
This weekend you will find our bread and pastries at Niagara Grocery and Fairfield Market on Saturday and Sunday, and bread at the Broken Paddle and Tom Henry’s Farm Store on Sunday.
Fairfield Market and Niagara Grocery have been so fantastic with us over this fall and now into the New Year, demand is really picking up. Saturday you’ll find pretzels and pastries made with local red currants, along with an expanded range of breads including our Whole Wheat Country Loaves, baguettes and a new olive ciabbatta that we are really proud of.
Thanks again for your continued support!
Border Guard: “What’s your destination sir?” Me: “The Kneading Conference” Border Guard: “The what conference?” Me: “The Kneading Conference, I’m a baker.” Border Guard “Sir, please step out of the vehicle.”
After a short rummage through my delivery Vanagon the US Border Patrol was convinced that yes, they really do have conferences for bakers. The white powder strewn all over the carpets wasn’t really that suspicious after all.
Also note, that this baker’s conference rocked.
Pictures Below depict some awesome scenes from this last September’s Kneading Conference West held just outside Mt. Vernon, WA.
Just some baker’s talkin’ bout bread.
The man himself, Jeffery Hamelman. His book, Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes taught a generation of bakers about great bread.
Piper Davis giving a workshop on fruit pies in a sweet little mobile brick oven from Portland built by Mark Doxtader of Tastebud.
Roger Jansen teaching dressing mill stones with an air hammer.
I brought this wicked mill home. Built by Roger Jansen of Jansen Mills it’s been a pretty killer purchase, churning through bushels of local grain to make great bread.
Le Madre, the leaven of Italian holiday breads, bound traditionally in linen canvas. This natural yeast dough will ferment until the package becomes so stiff it can be bounced off the work surface. The ripe leaven will then seed the extended process of my first ever batch of panetonne, the famous italian christmas bread.
