Fresh sourdough loaves cooling at The Bake Shop

Recipes

Bake a little Girdwood at home.

Our time-tested taste treats — now yours. We'd love to hear how they turn out on our Facebook page.

Recipe № 01

Hearty Bottomless Soup

Time
1 hr 30 min
Yields
Serves 6

The soup folks ask about all winter. Use whatever's in the fridge — that's the secret.

Ingredients

  • · 2 tbsp butter
  • · 1 yellow onion, diced
  • · 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • · 4 carrots, sliced
  • · 3 ribs celery, sliced
  • · 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • · 1 cup small pasta or barley
  • · 1 can white beans, drained
  • · 2 cups chopped greens (kale or spinach)
  • · Salt, pepper, fresh thyme

Method

  1. 01 Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Sweat the onion until soft, about 6 minutes.
  2. 02 Add garlic, carrots and celery. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring.
  3. 03 Pour in the stock, bring to a gentle simmer. Add the pasta or barley.
  4. 04 Simmer 20–25 minutes until everything is tender. Stir in the beans and greens.
  5. 05 Season generously. Finish with thyme. Serve with warm sourdough.

Recipe № 02

Alyeska Sourdough Loaf

Time
Overnight + 4 hrs
Yields
1 large boule

Adapted for a home kitchen. Patience does most of the work — the starter does the rest.

Ingredients

  • · 100 g active sourdough starter
  • · 375 g warm water
  • · 500 g bread flour
  • · 10 g fine sea salt

Method

  1. 01 In a large bowl, mix starter and water. Add flour and salt. Stir until shaggy. Cover and rest 1 hour.
  2. 02 Stretch and fold the dough four times, every 30 minutes. Cover between folds.
  3. 03 Bulk ferment at room temp 4–6 hours until pillowy and risen by half.
  4. 04 Shape into a boule, place seam-up in a floured banneton. Cold proof in fridge 8–14 hours.
  5. 05 Bake in a 500°F dutch oven, lid on, for 20 minutes. Remove lid, drop to 450°F, bake 20–25 more.
  6. 06 Cool completely on a rack before slicing. (We know it's hard.)

Recipe № 03

Famous Sweet Rolls

Time
3 hrs
Yields
12 rolls

The recipe behind the rolls people drive an hour for. Don't skip the second rise.

Ingredients

  • · 1 cup warm milk
  • · 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
  • · ½ cup sugar
  • · ⅓ cup melted butter
  • · 2 eggs
  • · 1 tsp salt
  • · 4½ cups all-purpose flour
  • · Filling: ½ cup softened butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp cinnamon
  • · Glaze: 1½ cups powdered sugar, 3 tbsp cream, 1 tsp vanilla

Method

  1. 01 Bloom the yeast in warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Let it foam, about 5 minutes.
  2. 02 Mix in sugar, butter, eggs and salt. Add flour gradually until a soft dough forms.
  3. 03 Knead 8 minutes. Rise covered 1 hour.
  4. 04 Roll into a 16x12 rectangle. Spread with butter, sprinkle filling. Roll up tight, slice into 12.
  5. 05 Place in a greased pan. Rise 30 more minutes.
  6. 06 Bake at 350°F for 22–25 minutes until golden. Whisk glaze, pour over warm rolls.

The Bake Shop Pantry

Tools of the trade.

You don't need a commercial kitchen to bake like we do, but a few key items will make your life significantly easier:

  • Digital Scale
    Baking is a science. Weighing your flour and water ensures consistency every single time.
  • Dutch Oven
    Essential for sourdough. It traps the steam escaping from the dough, giving you that beautiful crust.
  • Bench Scraper
    For cutting sweet rolls and shaping wet dough without it sticking to your hands.

Science

Baking at altitude.

Girdwood sits essentially at sea level, but if you're taking these recipes home to Anchorage, Colorado, or anywhere high up, you'll need to make some adjustments.

At high altitudes, air pressure is lower, meaning dough rises faster and water boils at a lower temperature. This can cause breads to over-proof and collapse.

  • Decrease yeast by 15-25%.
  • Increase water slightly (flour is drier up high).
  • Watch your dough, not the clock. It will likely take less time to rise.
Baker shaping sourdough by hand at The Bake Shop

Our sourdough start

Almost a hundred years old.
And still rising.

Ours is a true sourdough — originally mothered from a gold miner who worked this valley a century ago. For over forty years we've fed it, doubled it, and listened to its temperament every morning.

It's a labor of love we're happy to share with you.

Read our story → Bake it at home
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