Harrow Fair
So one of my breads won 2nd place (and a paltry $4) at the Harrow Fair!
Note my slightly hesitant smile here.
The first category that I entered was the Whole Wheat Buns category:
whole wheat buns fresh out of the oven
I thought these buns were delicious, but apparently not good enough for a prize. Whatever. It’s cool. The people of Harrow obviously don’t appreciate a soft bun flavoured with cornmeal and sweetened with rich molasses. No big deal. Though, the judges ate a big piece out of it, so they must have enjoyed it a little bit, no?
The second category that I entered was the Crusty Rolls category:
Crusty rolls fresh out of the oven
I wasn’t sure how they define ‘crusty rolls’ so I chose to make a pain a l’ancienne which has a crispy crust, as a result of hearth style baking, and a really nice crumb with big air pockets. It’s basically a rustic, artisan-style loaf.
I make this bread using a cold fermentation method which means that the bread is fermenting for a really long time. Fermentation time is what makes bread made from the standard ingredients (flour, water, salt, yeast) taste awesome, and for this competition I was going for an epic flavour profile.
I knew that I won second place before going to the fair because Matt’s aunt told me that she saw my bread had a ribbon when she went on Friday. I was really excited on Sunday morning to pick up my ribbon.
When I found my bread Matt said:
“How did they know that you won?”
I looked down at the three buns on the plate and realized that, in fact, not a single bite was taken out of any of them.
What in the actual fuck?!
If I had known that this was some sort of aesthetic competition I would have made some absurdly pretty braided roll or something that didn’t look like it was made by peasant folk. But no, I focussed on flavour in a bread that wasn’t even tasted.
Am I even allowed bragging rights now?
I’m pretty sure this whole Harrow Fair judging system is a sham show. Curiously enough the winner of the Whole Wheat Buns category (which actually were eaten) was the same winner of the uneaten crusty rolls category.
Coincidence? Hmm, likely story.
Even the cow looks skeptical about the judging system.
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- e-mail: samanthaamenzies@gmail.com
- Samantha Menzies is an opinionated young firecracker who just happens to enjoy distracting web surfers with chronicles of her mildly entertaining daily pursuits.
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Thanks for making me snort aloud at work (ie. cow photo + comment.) Total sham show.
Bahahaha!!!!! Well, your bread is absolutely beautiful… although I’m sure it tasted very good too.
Congrats on the ribbon anyway! I totally think you should still brag about it!
[...] I’ll be back with regular posting soon. Once I can figure out what to write about aside from my disappointment with the Harrow fair judging practices or my current September resolutions. Related Posts:No Related Posts previous post: Harrow Fair [...]
Yeah, that judging is pretty suspect. You still have the satisfaction of crafting the most delicious bread, in my opinion. We all know who’s the real winner here
Aw! I want to say that I’m sure your crusty rolls were delicious just looking at the picture, but that would be kind of like giving them second prize without actually tasting them
Anyways, you should definitely brag, you won something!
First, you look absolutely lovely in that picture at the top!!!
Second, your bread looks gorgeous! Well done!
Aww thanks!
HA- that is hysterical! At least you won “prettiest bread”- some breads were too ugly to get a gold star!