In less than 2 weeks from now, we’re going to partake in one of the most random, but surely super cookie-licious SF Food Wars events to date! The Chocolate Cookie Situation promises to (J)WOW(W) your palate to the point where your hair gets blown out without a single blow dryer in sight!

Read on to get a glimpse of the tastiness to come…announcing our 20 official Team Numbers, Team Names, and Cookie Names, plus descriptions!

1. Team Ron-Ron Juice / J-WOWW’s Juice Heads / soft dark chocolate sandwich cookies with a tart & sweet orange filling

2. Sweet Constructions / Chocolate Crackle / rich chocolate drops with a crisp sugar coating and a soft chocolate brownie center

3. Betty Bump-it / Beat Up the Beets / chocolate biscuit with candied beets…so good you might decide to “stalk my whole life” after you try one

4. Steph’s Cafe / Mint Mojo / naughty thin mint of your darkest, chocolatiest green-miniskirted fantasies come true

5. You Wanna Piece of Me? / Israeli Chocolate Cookie Balls / Peace, love, and sufganiyot. Even “The Situation” would sacrifice a pec or two for a taste of these Israeli balls of deep fried chocolate dough & deliciousness

6. Clown Her Out / guidoreos / homemade “oreos” made with high-quality & organic ingredients…bump it!

7. Baby Jo / Pants on the Ground Cookies / These make you want to leave the office and do some GTLB (Gym, Tan, Laundry, Bake) with the smoooothest peanut butter and loaded up with chocolate

8. Deez Nutz are Hot! / Hot Summer Asphalt Cookies / chewy spicy chocolate oatmeal cookie with nuts

9. 10-2-D-27 / Snookie’s Cookie Whoopsies / red velvet cocoa sandwich cookies with cream cheese & white chocolate “teeth” frosting. Snookie got punched in the face, it got red and swollen, and she thought she lost some teeth!

10. The Frosted Tips / Throwing Shapes / New Jersey-shaped chocolate cookie with salted caramel drizzle and a dusting of fleur de sel

11. Chicks with Whisks / The Chocolatey Oatmealicious Cookie Sandwich Experience / two oatmeal cookies and cream cheese frosting sandwiched in between, coated in chocolate ganache

12. Bike Basket Pies / Not Your Mama’s Sandwich Cookie / chocolate cookies sandwiching a lavender creme filling

13. Team Rocket Baby / Mo’ Choco-Latte / chocolate espresso drop cookies

14. MaliNumNum Treats / “Famous” Toffee, Choco Chip, Nut Cookies / chocolate chip cookies with toffee bits & toasted walnuts

15. Team Ready, Willing & Mable / Stumbling Stoners / lightly sweet shortbread filled with toasted walnuts and crushed potato chips dipped in dark chocolate

16. The SnookieMonster / Snookies N cream / vegan homemade gooeyness that mom used to make plus nabisco deliciousness you hate to love…a cookie within a cookie, a serious cookie situation

17. Sweet Nosh / Bump-a-licious Snooki Cookie / oatmeal coconut almond and chocolate chunk cookies

18. Yo! Cookie! / Fist-Pumpin’ Brownie Chunk Cookies / over-the-top cookie filled to the max with chunks of brownie – so good they’ll make you want to beat back the music

19. Bump It / Cuckoo for Cocoa-Nut / “The Situation” would describe these cookies as “panty-droppin”…walnuts, chocolate, coconut (inspired by Snookie’s big coconuts), come together in a sweet and disc of delight

20. Smack and Blue / Happy as a Sam / clam-shaped espresso-chocolate shortbread

Chomping chocolate cookies, gettin’ bizzy on the dance floor at Mighty, fist pumping, sippin’ cocktails, voting, winning…yo there ain’t NOTHING wrong with this situation!

SF Food Wars: The Chocolate Cookie Situation will bring to you 20 top competitors toting all sorts of delicious cookies loaded with chocolate and inspired by clubbing at the Jersey Shore. So whether it’s Snookie Cookies, Cocoa Ron Rons, or Muscle Mocha Sandwiches you crave, there is no doubt you’ll get your fill of clubbin’ & cookies on a Sunday afternoon!

CALL FOR COMPETITORS:
Yo. Do you make a fist pump-worthy cookie with chocolate in it?? Is it inspired by clubbing at the Jersey Shore? Word. Email us at with the following info to apply to compete: Your Name, Cookie Name, Cookie Description, Phone Number, Email Address

Your cookie must feature chocolate in some way! Timeliness and enthusiasm are key because we will select our competitors within just a few days.
* Bridge Brands Chocolate will provide each competitor with 2 pounds of top-quality gourmet chocolate discs in the percentage of their choice!

TICKET SEEKERS:
This is a 21+ event! IDs will be checked. Tickets (limited to 200) will go on sale on Friday, March 5th at 12pm noon! Tickets are $14. Just click the “Get Tickets” button on this site, sffoodwars.com, which will appear when they go on sale. Limit 4 tickets per ticket buyer.

- Frickin’ hot nightclub attire is highly encouraged! -

Got questions? Check out our FAQ section or email us at .

Marylene Williams caused many to sprout a smile with her very informative display and tasty “100% Sprouted Grain Bread”! We heard a good handful of people proclaim this bread to be “what [they] would love to have sitting on their kitchen counter every day.” Tres complimentary! Continue reading for recipe…

Marylene Williams
“100% Sprouted Grain Bread”

Ingredients:

3 cups assorted whole grains (combination of wheat berries, rye berries, barley, spelt, lentils, soybeans, mung beans, chickpeas)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

2 tablespoons honey, barley malt, agave nectar, or granulated sugar

1/2 cup water, at room temperature

1/2 cup mixed sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds (optional)

Vegetable oil (for the bowl)

Butter (for the loaf pan, if using)

Whole-wheat flour (for shaping)

Directions:

Two to three days before baking, soak the 3 cups of grains in a container of cold water for 12 to 24 hours at room temperature.

Drain them, return them to the container, cover with plastic wrap, and leave on the kitchen counter. Wait 2 to 3 days until the grains begin to sprout, rinsing and draining them once or twice so they are always damp. As soon as little tails appear, the grains have sprouted and are ready. The mixture should have grown to about 4 1/2 cups. Store in the fridge until you are ready to make the dough.

In a food processor, work the sprouted grains to as fine a pulp as possible, but not to the point of generating a lot of heat. If the pulp begins to feel warm to the touch, stop processing and let it sit for about 10 minutes to cool off before continuing. If you have a meat grinder (manual or electric), it works better than a food processor and doesn’t generate heat.

To mix by hand: In a bowl with a wooden spoon, combine the sprout pulp, vital wheat gluten, salt, yeast, honey, 1/4 cup of the water (and seeds, if using). Stir vigorously. Or, knead with wet hands for about 2 minutes or until all the ingredients are evenly integrated and distributed. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky; if not, add more of the water to form a sticky ball of dough. In a stand mixer with a dough hook: Combine the sprout pulp, vital wheat gluten, salt, yeast, honey or other sweetener, and 1/4 cup of the water. Mix on slow speed for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together into a ball, adding additional water as needed. Continue mixing 2 to 3 minutes, occasionally scraping down the bowl. The dough should form a sticky ball.

Mist a work surface with a spray of water. Place the dough on the surface and knead with wet hands for 1 to 2 minutes. Although the dough will be sticky on the surface, it should have the strength and feel of normal bread dough. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly oil a bowl.

Resume kneading the dough for 1 minute with wet hands to strengthen it. The dough should have strength yet still feel soft, supple, and very tacky. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to the bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes or until it is about 1 1/2 times its original size.

Meanwhile, butter the loaf pan, if using. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form it into either a loaf or a freestanding batard. For the loaf pan, set the dough in the pan. For a batard, place the dough on a proofing cloth, in a willow basket, or on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and dust with flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes or until it is about 1 1/2 times its original size.

Set the oven at 425 degrees. If baking a freestanding loaf, set a pizza stone on the middle shelf of the oven and place a roasting pan on a rack underneath it. Place the dough on the stone, pour 1 cup of hot water into the pan, lower the temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for 20 minutes.

Rotate the loaf 180 degrees and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes or until the loaf is a rich brown on all sides, sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, and registers at least 200 degrees in the center. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Photo courtesy of Tamara Palmer at SF Weekly

Team BasilBrain brought it fo realz with their sass ‘n class….we didn’t see anyone else drinking beer out of martini glasses! Their Fabulously Flawless French Herb Bread was stuffed to the gills with savory additions like garlic, onion, parsley, and (DUH) butter! This flavor-packed crowd favorite treat had people coming back for seconds and thirds! You can read about their first hand experience on the BasilBrain blog and continue reading for recipe…

Team Basil Brain
FABULOUSLY FLAWLESS FRENCH HERB BREAD

INGREDIENTS

Bread Dough:

1 Tbs active dry yeast
2 Tbs white sugar
1 tsp salt
4-5 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
3 Tbs white vinegar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg

Savory Filling:

1/2-1 cup minced red onion (depends on how oniony you like things—I am of the philosophy that the more onion, the more delicious)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup butter

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, mix the sugar, yeast, salt, vinegar, and 2 cups of the flour. In a small saucepan, combine the milk, water & butter until butter is melted & mixture is steaming. Take milk mixture and stir into the flour mix in the large bowl. Stir until thoroughly mixed, when you should have a soft, wet mixture. Begin to stir in another 2 cups flour to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Somewhere around here is where I start using my hands, instead of a wooden spoon, to mix in the flour.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface; knead for fifteen minutes. Add another cup of flour while kneading. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let it rise for two hours (approximately! this depends on how warm your house is during the winter—the colder it is, the longer you should let it rise).

Punch down the dough, and roll out onto a floured surface. Create a flat rectangle of dough that is about half an inch thick. In the case of the competition, I turned one big loaf into several small loaves so I could create better bite size servings (a strategy that only kind of worked), so I created numerous small rectangles. Set this aside for a moment to create the savory filling.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small pan, melt the butter, and sauté the onions, garlic & parsley. Take this mixture and spread it evenly across the dough rectangle. Then roll up the rectangle (either way works, although I prefer to roll the long side of the rectangle) tightly. It’s important to get it as tightly rolled as possible, or the pieces may fall apart when you cut it later (which they may anyway, but it’s worse if there is too much air between the layers). Place on a greased pan with the seam side down, and use an egg wash to coat the outside of the loaf. Pop it into the oven—it usually takes about 35-45 minutes to bake. The loaf is done when the outside is a golden brown.

Lastly, melt a little bit of extra butter & chop some extra parsley to spread on top of the warm bread. Voila! You’ve got yourself some Fabulously Flawless French Herb Bread!

Team Wild Yeast brought savory/sweet/sour sophistication to the game with “Semolina Sourdough with Fennel, Currants, and Pine Nuts” loaves! This bread, laced with delicious grown-up flavors, garnered many a vote, deeming it a true crowd favorite. Read about this competitor’s experience on the Wild Yeast blog, and continue reading for recipe…

Wild Yeast
Semolina Sourdough with Fennel, Currants, and Pine Nuts

Yield: 1000 g (2 loaves)

Ingredients:

195 g flour
195 g semolina flour
226 g water
10 g (1-2/3 t.) salt
16 g (3-1/2 t.) olive oil
172 g mature 100%-hydration sourdough starter
62 g pine nuts
4 g (2 t.) whole fennel seed
70 g dried currants
50 g caramelized fennel (recipe follows; this is approximately the yield from one medium bulb)

Method:

Prepare the caramelized fennel (see recipe below) and cool thoroughly.

In a small skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, toast the fennel seed until fragrant.

Remove from the skillet and cool.

In a small skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, toast the pine nuts until golden brown.

Remove from the skillet and cool completely.

Just before mixing the dough, soak the currants in cold water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, semolina flour, salt, olive oil, sourdough starter, and most of the water. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are well incorporated, about 5 minutes. As you mix, add water as needed to achieve a very soft dough.

Continue mixing on low or medium speed to a medium level of gluten development. How long this will take will depend upon your mixer.

Add the fennel seed, pine nuts, currants, and caramelized fennel. Mix on low speed just until all the ingredients are evenly dispersed through the dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and ferment at room temperature for 2.5 hours, with folds after the first 50 and 100 minutes.

Turn the dough into a lightly floured counter. Divide into two pieces. Preshape it into balls and let rest, covered, for 20 – 30 minutes.

Shape the dough into batards and place them, seam-side-up, in a floured couche or floured, linen-lined baskets.

Proof at room temperature for 2.5 hours, or until the indentation left by a fingertip springs back very slowly. (Alternatively, the loaves can be proofed for about 30 minutes at room temperature, then placed overnight in the refrigerator.)

Meanwhile, preheat the oven, with baking stone, to 475F. You will also need steam during the initial phase of baking, so prepare for this now.
Just before baking, slash the loaves as you wish.

Once the loaves are in the oven, reduce the temperature to 450F. Bake for 8 minutes with steam, and another 20 minutes or so without steam. The curst should be a rich golden brown.

Then turn off the oven and leave the loaves in for another 10 minutes, with the door ajar, to allow the loaves to dry.

Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

Caramelized Fennel

Yield: about 50 g

Ingredients:

one medium bulb fresh fennel (approximately 225 g)
1/4 t. salt
1 T. olive oil

Method:

Trim any roots, stems, and fronds from the fennel bulb. Quarter it and cut out the core at the root end. Slice it crosswise into half-inch slices.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the fennel and salt and toss to coat with the oil.

Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the fennel starts to brown.

Turn the heat to very low and cook, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the fennel has caramelized to a very deep brown color and has lost almost all of its moisture. This may take an hour or longer. The fennel’s volume will be markedly reduced.

Cool thoroughly before using it in the bread.

Whoa whoa whoa. Are you sure you can handle this? I mean, it IS called “The Hurricane” for yeast’s sake! Team Fire in the Fornix’s adventurous seaweed, sesame, and brown-rice concoction, inspired by the flavors of Hawaiian popcorn, stole the collective heart of the people, thus grabbing that coveted People’s Choice award. There was a lot of chatter about how crazy delicious a slice-a-dis would taste topped with a fried egg!! Continue reading for recipe…

Fire in the Fornix
“The Hurricane”

This bread is best baked in a deck oven. If you’re making it at home, you’ll get the best results baking in a cast iron pan.

(Yield: 2 loaves @ 1.240kg each)

Ingredients:
water: 0.700
whole wheat: 0.516
bread flour: 0.516
cooked brown rice: 0.268
levain: 0.217
poolish: 0.052
salt: 0.027

Additions:
wakame: 0.015
aonori: 0.002
toasted sesame seeds: 0.175

TOTAL: 2.488kg

Mix everything except the additions and a bit of the water until intense.

Add the additions on first speed just until incorporated.

Let it bulk ferment until it’s grown a bit less than double its size.

Divide and then bench rest 20-30 minutes. Final shape. Bake for about 40 minutes in a 520F deck oven. (Temperature may need adjustment for home oven…).

Jen Rosa took the classic San Francisco loaf and studded it with just enough fresh rosemary to make the judges declare her Rosemary Sourdough #1. Make the day sweeter by making this sourly herbaceous bread! Continue reading for recipe…

Jen Rosa
“Rosemary Sourdough”

Yields 5 kilograms (10 loaves at 500 g each)

To reduce the recipe adjust amounts and note that I baked in a professional oven and put my shaped loaves in the refrigerator overnight.

This recipe calls for a sourdough starter (which you feed twice a day) and a liquid levain (which needs to ferment for at least 12 hours before you mix your dough). The liquid levain is part of your total formula (you will make this by combining sourdough starter with flour and water-see below). Purchase sourdough starter from your local bakery, if you don’t have your own or make your own and feed twice a day.

Liquid Levain
.465 kilos of flour
.025 kilos of rye flour
.490 water
.196 liquid starter (this is the sourdough starter)

Process for the levain-mix all ingredients until well incorporated (use your hand) with a temp of 70 degrees F, allow to ferment 12-16 hours at room temp (65-70 deg F).

TOTAL FORMULA INGREDIENTS

2.35 kilos of flour
1.41 kilos of water
2.5 grams of dry instant yeast
59 grams of salt
1.176 kilos liquid levain
25 grams chopped rosemary

1. Add sourdough liquid levain, flours and water into mixer and hold back a little water. Mix on low for about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed to make sure the flour is incorporated well (within the first 2 minutes add some of your reserve water to keep dough sticky)

2. Pull a piece of dough to look at your “gluten window” and see if your dough is transparent (no webs and no clumps). Move to 2nd speed on the mixer for about 2 to 3 minutes. Check gluten window again. Then move to 1st speed and add in the chopped rosemary until its incorporated (30 sec to 1 min)

3. Place the dough into a well oiled covered tub and let it rise in a warm place. After 45 minutes, fold the dough on top of itself. Allow it to rise another 45 minutes.

4. On a well-floured surface, dump the dough on surface and divide into 500 gram pieces. Shape each into a ball/boule and allow to rest again covered for put the dough divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and allow to rest again, covered. After 30 minutes, shape each piece into a tight batard. Retard or put in refridgerator overnight (about 17 hours), covered, seam-side up on a floured linen cloth.

5. * Note these directions are for at home baking vs in a professional oven. In a professional oven bake 450 degrees for 25-30 minutes steaming prior to baking and venting for 10 minutes or until color is achieved after the bake. Note to score deeply ad the dough is cold from the overnight retard. Cool time is 5 hours.

6. If baking at home (which I did not do) at least 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone or pizza stone in the oven. Place a metal baking pan on the oven floor. Score the loaves and load them onto the stone. Pour a cup of hot water into the pan to generate steam. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool at least an hour before slicing.

Team Rocket Baby snagged the Judges’ 2nd Place prize with a snazzy loaf studded with cherries and walnuts, appropriately named “Cherry Poppin’ Walnut.” Just in time for V-Day, make somma deez for your sweetie pie, or if you’re solo now, make it all for yourself and eat bread all day! It’s win-win, people! Continue reading for recipe…

Team Rocket Baby
“Cherry Poppin’ Walnut”

Baker’s Notes:
This requires stiff sourdough starter with 50% hydration. A google search will yield various recipes that will work well.

I have also given the formula with baker’s percentages and exact weights in kilos, for those who measure by weight or use baker’s math.

Yield: 2 one pound loaves.

Ingredients:

All-Purpose White Flour (King Arthur or Whole Foods Organic brands work well) — 1 2/3 cup
Whole Wheat Flour — 2/3 cup
Dark Rye Flour — 1/4 cup
Warm Water — 1 cup + 1/3 cup
Instant Yeast (optional) — small pinch
Salt — 1 1/2 tsp
Dry Tart Cherries — 1/2 cup, packed
Toasted Walnut halves or pieces — 2/3 cup
Cardamom (ground) — 1/2 tsp
Stiff Sourdough Starter — 1 cup

Total Flour: 100.00 (%), 0.370 (Kilos)
Bread Flour: 65.00, 0.241
WW Flour: 25.00, 0.093
Rye Flour: 10.00, 0.037

Water: 82.00, 0.304
Yeast: 0.10, 0.0004
Salt: 2.70, 0.010
Dry Tart Cherries: 25.00, 0.093
Walnuts: 20.00, 0.074
Cardamom: 0.30, 0.0011
Stiff Starter: 40.00, 0.148

Totals: 270.10, 1.000

Procedure:

Place flours, yeast (optional), salt, and cardamom in a stand mixer with a bread hook. Stir briefly to ensure that the ingredients do not clump. Add the sourdough starter.

Add 1 cup of warm water (about 80 degrees), but hold back an additional 1/3 cup of water. Mix on 1st speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed to make sure the flour is well incorporated. Within the first 2 minutes of mixing, add additional water as needed so that the dough is somewhat sticky, not dry.

After 5 minutes, the dough should be somewhat rough and sticky and not yet developed. Switch to medium speed (4 on a KitchenAid) and mix until the dough is smooth and very elastic. The time will vary by mixer and amount of water, but it should take about 10 minutes.
Add the cherries and walnuts. Mix on 1st speed just until they are incorporated into the dough evenly.

Note: this dough may be kneaded completely by hand, but will take a long time! If doing so, reduce the total water to about 1 cup so that the dough is not as sticky.

Place the dough in a oiled covered bowl and allow it to rise in a warm place. After 1 hour, fold the dough to de-gas it. Allow it to rise another hour.

On a well-floured surface, divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Pre-shape each piece into a boule (ball shape) and allow to rest covered. After 30 minutes, shape each piece into a boule or batard as desired. Proof for 2 hours, covered, seam-side up on a floured linen cloth or in a wicker proofing basket. If not using yeast, allow 4 hours for the proof.

Another option is to proof the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after shaping. Bake directly from the refrigerator after no less than 12 hours and no more than 18 hours. This will add depth of flavor.

At least 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone or pizza stone in the oven. Place a metal baking pan on the oven floor. Score the loaves and load them onto the stone. Pour a cup of hot water into the pan to generate steam. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Cool at least an hour before slicing. The flavor will be best when the bread reaches room temperature.

The Fancy Boyz swept the Photog’s Choice prize with their antique-ishly decorated bread display, complete with bow ties and burnt parchment. Their bread du jour, “Pain a l’Ancienne”, was not only part of a great display, but got a bunch of votes and was a real crowd favorite! Bake and enjoy this fanciness, boyz and girlz! Continue reading for recipe…

The Fancy Boyz
“Pain a l’Ancienne”

Ingredients:

- 6 c. (27 ounces) bread flour
- 2 1/4 tsp. (.56 ounces) salt
- 1 3/4 tsp. (.19 ounces) yeast
- 2 1/4 c. to 3 c. (19 – 24 ounces) ice water (sans ice, of course)
- boiling water for baking
- clean spray bottle filled with water for baking

Directions:

Combine flour salt yeast and 19 ounces of water in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Mix for 2 minutes with paddle before switching to dough hook and kneed for 5-6 minutes.
Dough should be sticky on the bottom of the bowl, but release from the sides.
Add water or flour until desired effect occurs.
Don’t worry TOO much about it after about 6 minutes. Baking is a science, but it shouldn’t stress you out.

Park it in the fridge ASAP overnight. (18 – 24 hours)

The next day remove the dough and rest on the counter in a cool place. Let the dough rest until the dough has doubled in size from what it was the previous day. Allow the chill to come off and allow the dough to wake up a bit.

Place a baking or quary stone in the center rack, and a metal jelly roll pan on the lower rack of your oven.
Heat your oven to 500˚, preferably 550˚ if it goes that high. If you can, let your oven stay at this temperature for 15-20 minutes to make sure the stone is heated through.

Gently transfer the dough to a floured counter – put a really good ammount of flour on your surface, becaue the dough will be sticky.
Roll the dough in the flour to coat, stretching it into an oblong shape about 8 inches by 6 inches wide.
Use a metal pastry scraper, or similar utensil dipped in water to cut the dough in half widthwise – Do not saw in half, pinch/cut it in half. You will now have two 6×4-ish halves.
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Cut each piece of dough into equal thirds using the same technique as before. You will now have 6, 6″ length strips of dough.
Take 3 of the strips and gently stretch to fit your baking surface. Place the loaves on a baker’s peal or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment, let the strips rest for 5 minutes. You can bake the remaining three after your bake the first 3.

Boil water and pour out 2/3 c. water for steaming, and prepare a spray bottle with water.

Transfer the loaves to your baking stone by pulling the parchment onto the stone,

Immediately (or simultaneously if you are working with a partner) pour 2/3 cup of boiling water in the jelly roll pan in the lower rack of the oven (it will steam so be careful)
Spray the oven door and sides of the oven with 3-4 sprays from the spay bottle
repeat spraying the oven door and sides every 30 seconds 3-4 more times

Reduce the oven temperature to 475˚ and bake for 8 minutes
Rotate the loaves (again by pulling on the parchment) and bake for 10-15 minutes.

The internal temperature should be 205˚ with a golden brown crust, feel light and sound hollow.

Eaters lined up down the block.
They rushed Thirsty Bear ’round twelve o’clock.
They checked in at the front,
And prepared for the hunt
To find that one vote-worthy snäck!

Competitors younger and older
Presented breads subtle and bolder.
Ready to fight,
They all were polite,
Yet inside wished their neighbors to smolder!

Salt and water and flours,
And other ingredients’ powers
Made for the breads
That boggled the heads
Of loaf-eaters over 3 hours.

In private sat judges three.
They debated and finally agreed.
First, second, third!
Our choice will be heard,
And all the attendees shall see!

Twas finally determined who won!
As for beer and bread, all were done.
Amidst burps and bloats,
Winners cherished the votes
And had a moment under the sun.

And let’s not forget the crew
Who works hard to accommodate you!
They wore pins of toast
And I don’t mean to boast,
But they’re really smart cool people too!

No I’m not Irish nor a leprechaun, but I do take requests for custom limericks. Stay tuned for our winning and crowd favorite recipes!

Also, keep checking back for info on our next event “The Chocolate Cookie Situation” coming up in mid-March!