Do you like to bake bread? Do you know of someone who does? You should enter the National Festival of Breads in Manhattan, Kansas! This competition is for bakers that love to make bread and experiment in the kitchen.
There are two categories, youth (ages 8-17) and adult that can be entered in. You may enter through January 16, 2017 and the contest takes place on June 17th.
As always, there are two rules. It has to be a recipe that you created. It cannot be any type of bread you picked from a magazine, Pinterest or grandma’s secret recipe. The judges will be checking! Also, you have to use a type of King Arthur Flour and Red Star Yeast. That’s it! The rest is up to you!
Cindy Falk, co-chair of the National Festival of Breads has some tips on how to rock this competition:
“Several recipes have already been eliminated because the type of King Arthur Flour and Red Star Yeast needed for the recipe was not listed,” Falk said. “When we get ready to test the recipe, our test bakers need to know what type of flour and yeast to use.”
Remember, another important rule is that the submitted recipe must be original to the entering baker. The recipe cannot be copied from a magazine, a cookbook, Pinterest or anywhere on the internet. The judges will check each of the finalists to make sure the recipe has not been previously printed or belongs to another source. Feel free to draw inspiration from these sources, but be sure to make the recipe uniquely yours.
Another way to make your entry stand out is to develop a creative and descriptive name. The title is the first part of the recipe that the judges see, so use your ingredients or the recipe’s history for inspiration. For example, Lisa Keyes, the 2015 NFOB Champion, developed and named her original recipe Smokehouse Cranberry Cheese Bread based on the memories of visits with her in-laws in Vermont.
Bread can already be intimidating for some bakers, so remember to keep your entry simple. Recipes in the NFOB tend to score higher if they have simplified steps and fewer ingredients. A three-page recipe with 20 or more ingredients is not likely to be chosen.
“Make sure your ingredients can be found at most supermarkets,” says Falk. “Complicated recipes do not often win.”
To enter go to: http://nationalfestivalofbreads.com/
Good Luck!
