Once the wood fire burns down to coals, Brian Hughes rakes them out to make room for 30 loaves of bread to bake in the brick oven he built.
Since last year, Hughes and his wife, Dianne, have been supplying bread to customers in northwestern Manitoba. From their half section of land near Sclater where they established their trailer, they have been baking 30 to 120 loaves a week.
The bread, which includes specialty flour as well as the standard white wheat loaf, is sold from their door as well as at the farmers’ market in Swan River, Man., and stores in the district.
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Brian used to farm at nearby Minitonas, Man., but moved in 2000 to British Columbia when the boat building business was booming. Dianne worked in a bakeshop on Vancouver Island. They decided to return to the Prairies two years ago.
Although semi-retired, they decided to open a bakery to earn money rather than driving an hour to the nearest town for a job. Dianne said they wanted to bake in the old style with a clay oven, but a couple from Riverton, Man., who run a bakery advised them to go with brick because it would stand up better in a commercial business.
“Brian got a book about making brick ovens and read it in a couple of months and started building it last year in May,” Dianne said.
“I started cooking in May in the trailer with the dough mixer outside. In September, I started baking in the oven.”
Dianne has a system. On Mondays she bakes gluten-free bread for people with celiac disease who can’t digest wheat. Then she scrubs everything down and does a big baking on Tuesdays and Fridays. Thursdays are reserved for cinnamon buns and doughnuts while Wednesdays the Hughes deliver to stores.
Brian builds the fire but it must go out before Dianne can bake. The heat retained by the bricks is what cooks the bread. Working with a brick oven requires more judgment than with a standard commercial electric model. For one thing, Dianne has to determine when to mix the dough, leaving enough time to let it rise before baking. Also, temperatures can vary, reaching as hot as 540 C at the peak of the flame and settling down to the 235 C that Dianne prefers for baking. She uses a thermometer to avoid guessing.
“After we burned quite a few loaves we fed them to the pigs,” Dianne recalled with a laugh.
The flour now comes from a supplier in Winnipeg, but Dianne said they would like to acquire a stone grinder so they can buy organic grain from local farmers to produce their own flour.
“All my breads are unbleached flour with no eggs, no oils,” she said. “In B.C., this style of eating healthy has been a trend for several years. We hope we’re at the beginning of it in Manitoba.”
Dianne said the response from local people has been “absolutely wonderful” and word of mouth has resulted in a catering business for reunions and weddings.
Dianne said they intend to still be running Country Cottage Bakery in 10 to 20 years, until she can’t punch the bread dough down any more.
