Famous baker Marjorie Johnson was a highlight of the Festival of Breads two summers ago in Wichita.
I covered the Festival of Breads when it filled the Airport Hilton with the aroma of yeasty goodness back in the summer of 2009, and it was a fun event. I learned a lot. (Including the fact that I wasn’t getting my water warm enough to dissolve my yeast. It’s changed my baking life!)
The event will be back in Wichita later this month. It’s put on by King Arthur Flour and Fleishmann’s Yeast and is scheduled for June 23 though 25 at the Airport Hilton. The highlight of the event is a bake-off between eight top home bakers from around the country.
One of the highlights two years ago was the inclusion of Marjorie Johnson, a home cook from Minnesota who had regularly been featured on “The Tonight Show.” She didn’t make the finals this year, but the recipes of this year’s finalists look pretty amazing. (Whole wheat jalapeno cheddar hamburger buns, anyone?)
The big day for local baking enthusiasts is Saturday, June 25, when the public is invited to watch the contestants in action, sample bread and watch other cooking demonstrations. If I recall correctly, I scored a few packets of free yeast back in 2009, too.
To learn more about the festival, visit the official website.
