My daily bread...
How on earth is it already May long weekend?
I had the extra day this weekend, and somehow here I am on a Monday afternoon racing to get this newsletter written before heading over to my family’s place for a bbq steak early dinner. Don’t worry - bread is proofing as I write, all is well. We’ve got two different loaves happening tomorrow and with it being a short week, do take a peek at the sourdough schedule because there are a few changes.
So this week’s update is going to be short, sweet, and right to the point. The big news is...
Edgar Farms asparagus is here!
I stopped by the Farmers’ Market and came home with a full box of beautiful fresh asparagus, which means you are going to see it running through the menu all week long. Soups, pizzas and salad bowls… if there is a way to work asparagus into something delicious, we are probably doing it. There is just something about that first pick of local asparagus o that feels like Alberta finally made it through winter officially.
Also… a quick little welcome to all of the new faces and new newsletter signups lately. The bakery has been unbelievably busy these past few weeks, and there have been so many new people walking through the doors, grabbing coffee, trying sourdough for the first time, and settling in at one of our little tables. Whether you’ve been with us since day one or just discovered RISE last week, thank you for being here.
Now let’s get into what’s happening in the kitchen this week…💛
Tuesday is the new Monday this week
You all know the rhythm by now. We spend the morning chopping, roasting, building and bring-the-cooler-back-to-life.
At 7 a.m. the doors open with hot Birdy Coffee brewing, kettles ready for tea, and plenty of non-caffeinated comforts if coffee isn’t your thing. Have you tried one of our Golden Milk Lattes yet? Creamy, warming, gently spiced, and completely caffeine-free.
Fresh baking will be on the counter, and our Rise & Shine Granola Muffins will be ready for the early crowd. We’ll also have house-made yogurt parfaits waiting in the cooler, layered with beautiful berries and our granola on the side.
Then the kitchen gets moving. Knives out, music on, veggies flying.
This week we’ll be rolling out grilled chicken or roasted ham & veggie wraps, followed by fresh rice paper salad rolls, and then our weekly salad bowl once everything comes together closer to lunch.
Salad Bowl of the Week - Spring Asparagus & Wild Rice Sunshine Bowl
This week’s bowl is packed full of everything we are craving right now - fresh herbs, crunchy vegetables, bright lemon, and that beautiful first asparagus of the season from Edgar Farms.
We’re starting with a base of quinoa, basmati rice, and wild rice, then loading it up with asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, and all kinds of fresh spring vegetables. Tossed throughout you’ll find dried cherries, toasted sunflower seeds, and big handfuls of fresh mint, dill, and parsley to brighten everything up.
The whole bowl gets finished with a vibrant Lemon Herb Vinaigrette that makes this one feel fresh, light, and full of sunshine. Kind of like a big hearty Greek-inspired spring salad with prairie asparagus running right through the middle of it.
Perfect for grab-and-go lunches or those days when you just need something fresh and energizing. And as always, we’re keeping the base gluten-free and dairy-free. You can add on Rockridge feta and a side of fattoush for a little extra crunch and flavor if you like.
Sourdough line-up...
Tuesday - SuperSeed Multigrain Loaves and Red Fife Country Loaves
Wednesday - The Classic Brown Loaf
Thursday - Light Rye Loaves and Hokkaido Sourdough Milk Buns
Friday - Red Fife Country Loaves
Wednesday Soup - Spring Asparagus Farmhouse Soup
We’re starting with a rich chicken broth and building it up farmhouse-style with asparagus, white beans, black French lentils, wild mushrooms, kale, and every beautiful vegetable we can get our hands on this week. A little fresh dill and lemon juice at the end brighten everything up and make that fresh asparagus flavor really pop.
And after last week’s soup success, the glass noodles are making another appearance. They were such a hit in that coconut lime chicken soup, and I’m loving that they let us add that comforting noodle element while still keeping the soup gluten-free.
This one is light, brothy, nourishing, and packed with fresh spring flavor — somewhere between a hearty farmhouse vegetable soup and a fresh garden bowl in soup form. Perfect with a thick slice of sourdough on a Wednesday.
We’ll be ladling it up by the bowl and litre starting at 11am.
TGIF - Chicken Caesar Asparagus Pizza
Okay… this one started with an Instagram video that Taylor sent me this morning, and the second I watched it, I knew we had to make our own RISE version. Taylor is always sending me food ideas and inspiration for the kitchen, and this one absolutely stopped me in my tracks.
We’re starting with our creamy garlic cheesy base, then layering on roasted chicken, thinly sliced lemon, fresh asparagus, of course, and a blend of cheeses before the whole thing heads into the oven on our sourdough crust.
The magic happens after the bake.
When the pizzas come out hot and bubbling, we’re topping them with a fresh Caesar salad tossed in a rich lemony garlic Caesar dressing with crunchy sourdough croutons folded right in. So yes - you’re basically getting a Caesar salad piled right on top of a hot asparagus sourdough pizza.
Fresh. Creamy. Crunchy. Bright. Garlicky. A little messy in the best possible way. Honestly… this might be one of my favorite pizza ideas we’ve done in a long time.
Coming out of the oven starting at 11am.
Cheesecake Friday
Did anybody get a taste of last week’s Piña Colada Cheesecake? Because oh my word… that one may have to make another appearance someday.
Freeze-dried pineapple running through the cheesecake, coconut, that beautiful lime marmalade made by one of our customers who spends winters in Hawaii with fresh limes from the tree in her backyard… and then that rum chantilly on top. Honestly, I could have eaten an entire bowl of that whipped cream by itself.
So this week, we’re continuing the drink-inspired cheesecake series. And no… don’t worry… we are not putting asparagus into the cheesecake.
But it is going green this week because we are making a Mojito Cheesecake.
We’re starting with a lime zest pistachio crust, then folding fresh grown mint right through the cheesecake filling along with ribbons of that incredible homemade lime marmalade. After baking, the whole thing gets topped with lime curd, more of that rum chantilly, candied lime wedges, and fresh mint.
Basically the cheesecake version of sitting on a patio somewhere tropical while Alberta finally starts warming up.
And just like that, another May long weekend is wrapping up.
Honestly, we only ended up with a teeny tiny bit of snow, so I think Alberta treated us pretty well this year. Hopefully all of you campers, gardeners, barbecue people, and long-weekend adventurers managed to get outside and enjoy a little bit of it.
We’ve got an exciting week ahead at RISE. Even though it’s a short four-day bakery week for us, there are a lot of beautiful things coming out of the kitchen. The weather forecast is looking amazing, which means we’ll be hauling all the tables back out onto the sidewalk again until the patio officially arrives for the season. Coffee outside, fresh sourdough, sunshine, asparagus… sounds pretty good to me.
Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday Monday evening. Thank you, as always, for supporting this little bakehouse and for filling it with so much life lately.
I’ll be back here next Sunday with all the news on what’s happening in the RISE kitchen… and I promise I won’t be writing it quite so last minute next time.
Have a great week.💛
