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Just in time for home bakers to experiment over the holidays, entries for the 2025 National Festival of Breads will open on November 1. The biennial competition invites amateur bakers to showcase their baking skills with original recipes.
“The National Festival of Breads is a beloved tradition that helps to celebrate and preserve the tradition of baking bread at home,” said Cindy Falk, Kansas Wheat nutrition educator and co-director of the National Festival of Breads. “We look forward to seeing the baking skills and creativity of this year’s competitors.”
The Festival of Breads was started 34 years ago by the Kansas Wheat Commission, the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Kansas Wheathearts, a women’s auxiliary group of wheat growers. The contest was designed to honor the art of baking, encourage the use of Kansas products and recognize the Kansas wheat and milling industries. The contest went national in 2009, and has received submissions and had champions from all over the United States.
Entries for the 2025 contest will be accepted online from November 1, 2024, through January 16, 2025. Winners and other awards will be announced online on the National Festival of Breads website and social media on June 4, 2025. Category winners will each receive a $1,000 check and a baking prize bundle. Honorable mention winners will receive a check for $100.
The contest is open to adult home bakers, 18 years or older, who submit an original recipe and photo in the online entry system. Recipes must state the brand and type of flour used and make one or more loaves or at least one dozen rolls, scones, muffins, biscuits, etc. No sourdough recipes will be accepted; all recipes must have 10 or fewer ingredients. Read the full rules at nationalfestivalofbreads.com.
This year’s contest includes two categories — quick bread and yeast bread.
Quick bread is defined as recipes made without yeast and with a leavening agent (baking powder or baking soda), which allows for immediate baking after preparation. Examples include muffins, scones, soda bread, tortillas, coffeecakes, pancakes, fritters, dumplings, fruit and nut breads, waffles, beer bread, biscuits and more.
Yeast breads are made with yeast (instant, active dry, bread machine yeast, etc.) and most often use bread flour, high-protein flour, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or a combination of flours. Examples include sweet or savory breads and rolls, whole grain breads and rolls, Dutch oven breads, holiday breads and fancy braids, sandwich loaves and more.
Select recipes will be baked and evaluated in the test kitchen at the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center by Falk and a team of experts before winners are selected and announced on June 4, 2025.
“The National Festival of Breads is not just a competition; it’s a celebration of the joy of baking,” Falk said. “Whether you are a seasoned baker or just starting your baking journey, the festival is the perfect place to share your spin on a family favorite, try something new over the holidays or just experiment in the kitchen. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!”
Find inspiration from previous winners, read the full rules and enter the National Festival of Breads.
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Written by Julia Debes for Kansas Wheat