what happens when you're sleeping

hopefully you were having sweet sweet summertime dreams this morning.

me? what was i doing, you query? no sleep, no way. it's boring.

but check out what i WAS doin...

i require something with a little more kick (name that awesome 80's flick [this one is for you brother]):

and then i went like this, cuz it's what feist makes me do (but only when nobody is around... yea right i wish i was in front of a million people doing this):

and look what i made! holy crap, every time i can't believe that the magic happens! YES YES YES!!!

rock hard this weekend kiddies. i'm out for a bike camp adventure with my boy rafi ON BICYCLES HE BUILT WITH HIS MAN HANDS.

friggin a right, here's to makers of all shapes and sizes.

<3 josey

don't worry, i will keep these people away from your bread

(every dough is special in its own special way)

special thanks to my bud Jamie out in NYC for snapping and sending this one along.

just in case you were wondering: the act of "retarding" dough is a common practice in baking in which you place dough in a cooler environment (somewhere around 40-60F), thereby slowing the whole process down. ya see, yeasties get all hyped up in warmer temps - produce gas faster - so if you stick some dough in what is essentially a fridge (dough retarders also have humidity control), you can slow down the fermentation, and then take a nap while the dough gets retarded. while retarding may have negative connotations in certain social circles with regard to humans, retarding dough is widely accepted in baking circles as increasing favorable characteristics of bread, especially sourdough bread.

love ya cuties

<3 josey

people are putting bacon in everything

there's bacon donuts, bacon muffins, bacon coffee, bacon salt...

and now, emmer-effers, there's bacon bread.

and not just bacon bread mind you, MAPLE BACON LEVAIN.

holy effing crap josey baker, you are one wild S O B! where o where can i get this wacky and delicious sounding creation of yours?!?

wednesday night at Mission Pie, you little piggy.

see you soon

<3 josey

p.s. i made some french toast in the manner described by Mr. Chad Robertson in Tartine Bread. totally awesome. you should do it too.

it'll make you look like this:

a tearful goodbye & a proud new beginning

another chapter comes to a close my friends - the evenings of both liquid and solid bread at Amnesia are no more. i'll be shifting my shift to one night earlier in the week (mother effing free bluegrass monday night sucka what?!?) and hence, shall no longer be slangin my breads outta the lovely little red room.

this simultaneously makes me giggle with glee, and quietly weep.

i have to THANK YOU all for all of the loaves you loved while drunkenly mumbling at that copper tabletop. i woulda never gotten to where i am now without your help, so please please PLEASE accept my heartfelt gratitude.

AND COME PARTY WITH ME ON MONDAY NIGHTS WHERE THE DEER AND THE ANTELOPE PLAYYYYYYYYY

<3 josey

i just pulled a DOUBLEJK on your a$s

check these totally *R*A*D* photos that Anita Bowen snapped at Mission Pie! girl's got some skillz, i tell you what.

-when i'm loading the loaves in the oven i literally feel high, as is evidenced in this photo -

(she makes me look way cooler than i am in real life.)

(jk i'm the coolest real life baker you'll ever meet.)

(that would be very egotistical of me to say, now wouldn't it??)

(but that's why i'm pulling a DOUBLEJK on your a$s! WHACK!)

(DOUBLEJK?!? i ain't never heard of a DOUBLEJK!)

(that's cuz i just made that $hit up.)

(can i see the friggin photos already?!?!? and what's with every line being in parentheses???)

(i don't know, i'm just gettin free on ya, that's all. why don't you just eat a piece of toast and silently appreciate the world.)

(just show me the photos you butthead.)

(fine.)

my girl sophie's got my back -
all pumped up on the imminent bake -

gettin all Zoro styleee -

I F***ING LOVE BREAD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

<3 josey

rooftops are awesome...

if they're in Newfoundland, and your brother is peaking out of the window right next to you.

but rooftops are also awesome when they're on top of SFMOMA.

i had a totally wonderful time this last thursday night at MeatPaper's last SFMOMA Rooftop event. there was delicious food from Leif Hedendal, Gypsy Kitchen, Leah Rosenberg of Blue Bottle Coffee, and last but not least, some scumptious goodies I made with the help of Morgan Maki and Linh Phu of Bi-Rite Market.

you can check out some photos and words about it here.

Morgan and Linh whipped up some crazy good tidbits to put atop pieces of my country levain - coppa (which Morgan cured himself), pickled spring veggies, and an A M A Z I N G calendula flower pesto.

and speaking of Bi-Rite... a little bird flew by my window the other day and said that Josey Baker Bread may start showing up on the shelves in about a month. keep your ears peeled for that little bird...

<3 josey

bigger than a bearbox?

my rad lady cathy and i spent the weekend camping down south, at pinnacles national monument. we had a totally awesome time, and we even solved one of life's little mysteries...

are you bigger than a bearbox?

what bearbox jo? that one right behind me?

only one way to find out...

hmmm, that's pretty small... but i ain't scared of no ghosts:

well i'll be damned:

she is fully inside (i swear its true):

mystery solved - cathy is indeed NOT bigger than a bearbox.

but we got another question we need to answer: is josey baker bigger than a bearbox?

see for yourself:

moral of the story - go away with your lover and do silly things like trying to fit into bearboxes. it's fun and funny.

<3 josey

i eat too many sandwiches...

and you should too. yummy scrumptious loved up sandwiches, just like this one:

but where o where in the heck did that sandwich come from josey baker?? and WHO made that SEXYASS bread?!?

oh stop it you.

my man Jeff over at Pal's Take Away at 24th & Hampshire (inside Tony's Market) makes some crazy ass delicious sandwiches. he's a rad dude, going out of his way to source from small-scale local producers, change his menu every single day, and make a lot of his fixin's himself.

and now he's using my bread to make sandwiches on Tuesdays. this pumps me up, big time.

what's he makin tomorrow? now now my beauties, you mustn't be impatient. (all i can say is he's using my black pepper parmesan bread o baby baby BABY) take a deep breath and check in tomorrow and if the spirit moves you, pedal your heinie right over there and get one. but a word to the wise - he sells out fast, so get over there around high noon to be sure to get them goods. you can also call ahead - 415 203 4911.

tell him josey baker sent you.

<3 josey

bread porn: issue 4, volume 3

things got a little out of control this morning... i think i found god.

but i'm getting ahead of myself here.

three little loaves and me had a fantastic time -

they just loved getting their photos taken. they even got naked for me -

here's wonderbread showing off:

and walnut levain, looking dapper as ever:

oh whole wheat, you are so coy:

and finally, some straight up mugshots of the three guilty parties -

check ya soon beautiful babies

<3 josey

adventures of mossy swami

alright dudes, come on a fantastic voyage with me -

big basin woods, the sun has set, i'm huddled around the campfire with fellow heartbrothers nat and brendan...

and we're all like, "damn these woods and fire and so wonderful and peaceful and i'm feelin realll goooood... but those god damn lights from the bathroom are annoying the $hit out of me."

cue art project #1 idea - makeshift lampshade.

* B * A * M *

how in the heck did i do that?

i went scrounging around, jumped in the dumpster and found an old styrofoam cooler than some fool had tossed.

total peace stylee.

we romp around the woods, wrestle with sticks, lay in the dirt, so forth and so on, then we're back at the fire, and we're all like, "damn i'm feelin like a mossy swami right now all in touch with the dirt gods... but there's another god damn light from the bathroom annoying the $hit out of me."

cue art project #2 like what - makeshift lampshade numero dos.

* B * A * M *

how in the frikkin heck did i do that???

don't ef with a good thing - went back to the dumpster and found the top of the aforementioned discarded cooler. did some MacGyver type $hit with some rocks to get this one to stay on the light.

life's puzzles were meant for the solving sucka.

<3 josey

dark chocolate cherry pocket bread - i am IN LOVE with you

holy crap dogs - the dark chocolate cherry pocket bread FLEW off the shelves last week. i had no idea folks were gonna be so jazzed on it. truth be told, i sold out in about 20 minutes.

you wanna see it don't you?

well, i'm not gonna show it to you... but i WILL show you a picture of a tattoo i got this weekend from the totally radical mr. jesse tuesday of tuesday tattoo out in the outer sunset:

(in case you can't tell - the tattoo covers my thigh) i was practically crying cuz the friggin thing hurt so god damn much. but then my sweet sweet lady came along and held my hand and made me smile.

anyway...

i'm gonna make more dark chocolate cherry pocket bread.

and i got some more ideas... cinnamon date pocket bread! i've only done this bread once, in my standard oblong boule (no that is not a "standard" bread loaf shape, but i ain't no "standard" bread baker sucka), but now ya'll can give it a shot in my new pocket bread loaf.

what in the heck is a pocket bread?

it's a loaf of bread that can fit in your pocket if you really want it to, that's what.

very cute.

so what the hey - this week @ Mission Pie on Wed & Thurs (5-9pm), in addition to the regular weekly loaves:

• dark chocolate cherry pocket bread - $2
• cinnamon date pocket bread - $2
• wonderbread - $3.50

i practically be givin this stuff away dudes, so come on out and gimme some lovin.

<3 josey

have you seen this bread?

these loaves went missing the other day, but i followed a trail of bread crumbs to find them loitering on this fence across town...

they smelled of four loco and weed, and they snickered when i tried to tell them how worried i was.

please keep your eyes peeled for renegade loaves, cuz these breads ain't old enough to be wandering about by themselves.

<3 josey

p.s. in case you were wondering... from left to right: cinnamon date; black pepper parmesan (the drunkest of the bunch); seed feast; olive levain

awesome market; goodbye thursday; JBB wonderbread?!?

what up sweetie pies

awesome market

first of all - HOLY CRAP THE MARKET ON SATURDAY WAS AWESOME. i sold over 100 loaves in just over 4 hours. ya'll made me feel like a total rock star. hopefully i'll see some of you dudes that i met there at Mission Pie.

just to remind ya - i'm @ Mission Pie every Wednesday & Thursday, bread ready @ 5pm. check the bread schedule to see what i'm whippin up.

goodbye thursday
i am happy and sad to tell you that i won't be working the bar on thursday nights any more. happy cuz this means i can do other things, sad because it probably means i won't see some of you much. (you drunkards)

i'm still there on tuesday nights from 6pm-2am, so if you have a hankering for some fermented grains, you know where to find me.

JBB wonderbread?!?

"josey, what in the ef?? i'm all about your fancy bread that is so super yummy, and has all sorts of awesome $hit in it, but what about a loaf for the people, a nice sandwich loaf like wonder bread, that i can use for sandwiches and is just some good ol fashioned sandwich bread... how about that you big jerk??"

the rumors are true. and these babies are only $3.50 apiece. i ain't effin around here dogs - this one is for the people. first run of the jbbwonderbread - this Wednesday @ Mission Pie.

ta ta ta

<3 josey

sandwich porn - issue 3, volume 7

what we got???

• some dank ass walnut levain i pulled outta the oven @ Mission Pie yesterday
• fuji apple sliced all sexy and slivery
• camembert cheese cuz i like my $hit stinky
• patience is a virtue, which is why i spread on the overripe avocado
• homemade brown mustard by my boyz eric & neil
• adorable little stool i found on the street

i constructed and consumed this sexy beast while i was mixin up crazy quantities of dough - THE MOST EVER!

check this - it's like a HUMONGOUS dough mountain, upon the top of which i am perched and ready to party:

btw - tomorrow i'm poppin outta bed at 3:30am and zoomin to pizzaiolo to bake up 120 loaves for the night market. i'm there from 11am-4pm. come on out and say yo and eat some bread, partner.

check ya

<3 josey

* B * A * M *

raisin and coriander whole wheat levain first loaf back in sf oh yes yes yes i LOVE you

<3 josey

safe and sound and ready for action

i'm back. did you miss me?

awww, you are so sweet. i missed you too. like, i really missed you.

i thought about you every day. and i cried, cuz i missed you so hard. it was beautiful. and pathetic.

i'm just kidding, don't flatter yourself, i'm a strong boy, and while i might have missed you a little, i mostly had a totally awesome time doing things like this...

snowboarding for the first time in 10 frikkin years -

riding around totally totally gorgeous idaho on an ATV (it did flip and land on my leg but i'm fine don't worry about it) -

becoming an "expert sharpener" in SLC -

finding this super spooky cabin in the hills around inverness -

and sighting the most spectacular wild elk in all the land -

now i'm back in sf and ready to party with you dudes. hope to see you soon.

<3 josey

>

5 loaves, 3 bakeries

i dare you to name them all.

what can i say? i love the $hit out of bread.

<3 josey

p.s. here's the answer key...

center loaf: Outerlands levain
lower left: sesame levain from Brick Maiden in Pt. Reyes
upper left: 100% spelt from Full Circle in Penngrove
upper right: Power Bread from Full Circle
lower right: sourdough from Full Circle

wednesdays AND thursdays at Mission Pie?!? are you effing crazy?????

no, i ain't crazy.

i'm pumped. like jump naked-off-a-big-cliff-into-a-river pumped.

and so are you. cuz this means way more delicious bread for you bread eating crazies.

for real, i'm all worked up over this, and i'd love for you to get worked up with me.

...

is it happening yet?

...

what about now???

now?????

good.

also, check this out - you can just walk your pretty little @ss into Mission Pie any Wednesday or Thursday at 5pm and just pick up that bread - without pre-ordering. check the bread sched to know what you're getting yourself into.

just to let you know - the past few weeks i've sold out of bread by 7:30... but you're the type of person that likes to take risks like this, am i right?

yeah, that's right, you're a crazy risk-taking bread-loving back-flipping mama jama:

and ain't nothing gonna stop you from getting that bread, if you so desire.

also, one other thing that is gettin baked up that i'd like to alert your sweet sweet attention to - a collaboration between Josey Baker Bread and Bi-Rite Market as part of Meatpaper's spring event series on the SFMOMA rooftop.

ohhh yes.

anyway, i'll definitely see some of you beautiful folks in the coming wednesday and thursday evenings at Mission Pie, and i can't wait for it.

as always, THANK YOU for believing in me, and for eating my bread. i couldn't do it without you all.

<3josey

p.s. this is what we do to our friends on their birthdays:

now i know what i've been doing wrong...

cuz this guy just does it sooo right. (if you are REALLY impatient fastforward to 0:16)

missin you from utah.

<3 josey

a glimpse into the early morning session (plus a halloween bonus)

ya give a few boys a sewing machine and a halloween and this is what you get...

anyway -

monday nights and tuesday mornings are some of my favorites. i drive over to oakland monday night with a bunch of tubs full of dough, such as these:

amazingly i always find a parking spot right in front of pizzaiolo, lug the dough tubs in, and get to work shaping the loaves. if i'm good and hungry, the cool kind folks gimme some super delectable grub, usually a badass pizza.

once i've done my work and the little chubby bread loaves are all good and in tip top shape, i stick em in the fridge, and go sleep on a friend's couch. come 5 am my silly little cell phone alarm clock is waking me up, and i'm back at pizzaiolo, cooling down the oven to get it ready for the breadsies.

this last tuesday mr. scott kline came along to snap some photos. he set up lights and everything, and it made me feel kind of like a movie star. here are a few of the shots he snapped:

o yea, we got cinnamon raisin craziness comin outta the oven at Mission Pie at 5 pm tonight. come come come along if you're lookin for a good time.

<3josey