Bakers have a chance to show their stuff at Montana Seed Show

Press release

Bread is an integral part of most diets, and the Montana Seed Show Bread Contest offers bakers the opportunity to enter their favorites in the various categories.

The Bread Show contest will be held Friday, March 10, in the Harlem High School big gym with entry time between 8 and 9:30 a.m.

The categories for both adult and youth — high school seniors and younger — are regular white bread, 100 percent whole wheat bread, machine white bread and machine 50 percent combination whole wheat bread.

All four categories will offer monetary prizes for adults and youth, with plaques in each category for the adults and a plaque to the over-all adult winner. First-place adult winners in each category are not eligible to enter that category for three years; however, they may enter the other categories. Youth winners are eligible to enter each year.

Standard size loaf pans should be used for the regular white bread and the 100 percent whole wheat bread; all entries should be enclosed in a zip lock bag or a plastic bag with a twist tie. Butter should not be used on top of the entries, and recipes — enclosed in a small plastic bag — should be included.

The breads will be auctioned during the Seed Show, so it also offers an opportunity to get some tasty bread.

More information is available in the Montana Seed Show book or by calling Karolee Cronk, bread show chair, at 353-2874.

WHITE YEAST BREAD

— Nancy Boushie

2 pkgs. active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

½ cup sugar

¼ cup oil

2 eggs at room temperature

½ tsp. salt

6-8 cups white flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine water to yeast; stir until dissolved. Add sugar; mix well and let stand until mixture forms a bubbly dome (approx. 15 min.) Add eggs, oil and salt; mix until well-blended. Gradually add 6 cups flour, mixing throughout until dough has an elastic consistency. Continue adding remaining flour until dough is pliable. Lightly coat with oil and cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm area. Separate into equal halves and pat into greased loaf pan (8 ½ x 4 ½ inches) and allow to rise a second time.

Bake for 20 minutes. Cool on wire racks for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from pans and continue cooling on racks.

Yield: 2 loaves