Short Night

not quite 3 am, saturday morning. a true double edge sword situation. the aroma and glisten of a bakery full of "real", baked items vs. the cool reception from my men. i really enjoy getting here, while it's still the dark of night. the bakery is just a swarm. all 4 of the "night guys", are a little edgy, at this point. the pace has been furious since around 7pm friday. right now, breads and breakfast pastries are being counted and sorted. trucks are being loaded; mike the driver has emptied his truck twice since midnight. the first of several day bakers has just arrived. by 8 am the store will be full of customers, and both of our farmer's markets should be rolling.

saturday, another good day to shop here. mark always makes bienenstich on saturdays. bienenstich, or "bee sting" as americans call it, is truly what is served in heaven. we take 5 pounds of rich yeasted dough, and roll it to fill a sheet pan. we boil creme, butter, honey and sugar. let that syrup cool for 5 minutes and add sliced almonds and a bit of coconut. we spread that on the dough and let it rise for an hour, and bake it. once it cools, it is split thru the middle. we blend pure unsweetened cream with cooled custard, spread it on about 3/4 inch thick, and slide the top back on it. we cut it into pieces, and it goes to the store. it's another one of those items that is usually in the store during the week, but always on saturdays.

gotta get upstairs, big day today and a bigger one tomorrow, mother's day. lots of brunch orders from country clubs and restaurants. saturday night's gonna be a short night.