My daily bread...

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Tomorrow marks the first day of June, and after a stretch of hot weather, it feels like Mother Nature has decided to give us a little breather. As I write this, the rain is falling, the wind is howling outside, and the forecast is calling for a cooler, cloudier week ahead before things warm back up again for next weekend.

On Saturday, I made my first trip of the season to our outdoor Farmers' Market. It's still early in the season, so many of the vegetables are coming from local greenhouses rather than the fields, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. There is something about seeing those first tables of fresh produce that always feels like the official start of summer.

I picked up a few beautiful ingredients, including some fresh local radishes, and then headed back to Rise where the real fun began. With vegetables spread across the table, coffee in hand, and the computer open, it was time to start planning another week of menus. This is one of my favorite parts of the job - taking inspiration from what local growers are producing and figuring out how to turn it into something delicious for you. I also picked up some Edgar Farms asparagus while I was out, so you'll be seeing that making its way into this week's salad bowl and likely a few other creations coming out of the Rise Kitchen.

Before we jump into this week's menu, I wanted to give everyone plenty of advance notice about an upcoming closure.

Rise Bakehouse's last day before a one-week break will be Friday, June 26. With Canada Day landing right in the middle of the following week, we've decided to close for the week and give The Team a chance to recharge before we head into the summer season of patios, coffee, baking, and all the wonderful chaos that comes with it.

That means now is the perfect time to mark your calendars and start planning ahead. Our bread freezes beautifully. Simply tuck a loaf or two into the freezer, and when it thaws, you'd never know it had been frozen.

Let's talk sourdough for a minute...​
I often get questions about our bread, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to pull back the curtain a little and show you what goes into every loaf.

At Rise, all of our bread is made using 100% wild yeast fermentation. There is no commercial yeast in any of our bread products. Instead, everything begins with our sourdough starter, affectionately known as "Dawn." Dawn is simply flour and water that has been naturally fermented and is fed fresh flour and water daily.

The process of making sourdough is not a quick one.

The dough is mixed the day before it is baked. It goes through a series of stretches and folds, followed by a long bulk fermentation. After that, each loaf is shaped by hand, placed into a banneton or bread tin, and given time to undergo a final proof before being moved into the refrigerator for an overnight cold ferment.

That overnight rest is one of the reasons sourdough develops such incredible flavor. During the long fermentation, the natural yeasts and bacteria begin breaking down some of the starches and proteins in the flour, making the bread easier for many people to digest while developing the deep flavor that sourdough is known for.

What many people don't realize is that every loaf needs refrigerator space overnight. So when I'm planning our weekly bread schedule, I'm not just calculating flour and ingredients - I'm calculating fridge space! The number of loaves we can make is often determined by how many loaves can fit into the cooler for their overnight fermentation.

That also ties into why Rise will be closed for the week following June 26. When a stat holiday lands in the middle of the week, the bread still has to be mixed, shaped, and fermented the day before if we want fresh loaves available the next morning. Real sourdough doesn't take holidays, and sometimes the best solution is to simply give both the dough and the bakers a little rest.

Our baking day starts early. The ovens are fired up around 3 a.m., and the first loaves begin baking around 4 a.m. By the time many of you are pouring your first coffee, the bakery has already been busy for several hours.

Another question we get asked often is about slicing bread.
​We are always happy to slice your loaf for you, but unlike large commercial bakeries, we don't have an industrial bread slicer. Every loaf is sliced by hand. The challenge is that fresh bread is often still slightly warm for quite a few hours after baking. While that smells amazing, it isn't always ideal for slicing. The crumb inside the crust is still setting, and if sliced too early, the bread can become compressed or slightly gummy.

For the very best sliced loaf, I recommend pre-ordering your sourdough and then picking it up the following day. The loaf rests overnight before being sliced, allowing the crumb to fully set, and the slices come out beautifully while still being incredibly fresh.

And finally, if you've ever wanted to try making sourdough yourself... I regularly share sourdough starter with anyone who would like to start their own sourdough adventure. Just let me know at least one day in advance, as I only disturb her once each morning when I'm mixing dough. I'd be happy to send you home with a strong, healthy starter and help you begin your own sourdough journey.

Now, let's get into all the deliciousness we've got planned for this week...
​
​Monday mornings at Rise start bright and early.
​The doors open at 7 am, the coffee is on, and the bakery is already buzzing. The espresso machine is rolling with lattes, cappuccinos, iced coffees, cold brew, teas, our house-made chai, golden milk lattes, and now, of course, Italian sodas have officially joined the lineup for patio season.

If the weather cooperates, you'll find the patio set up and ready to go. If the rain decides to stick around, don't worry - we'll simply squeeze as many tables as possible inside and make room for everyone. If the sun comes back out, we'll haul them all right back onto the patio.

The pastry counter will be stocked with fresh-baked treats, and our Rise and Shine Muffins are usually just coming out of the oven as we unlock the doors. For something a little lighter, we'll also have Yogurt Parfaits layered with berries and house-made granola waiting in the cooler.

And for those looking for breakfast, our signature BLT on toasted sourdough focaccia with a fried egg is available all day, every day. It has quickly become one of the most popular items on the menu, and for good reason.

While all of that is happening out front, the kitchen is in full Monday mode behind the scenes because, quite honestly, you wonderful people tend to buy us out by the end of the week.

Weekends are spent hauling in ingredients, restocking coolers, planning menus, and getting ready to do it all over again. Monday morning is when it all starts. The team rolls in, the knives come out, the music goes on, and the chopping officially begins.

First up this week will be the wraps. We’re kicking things off with Grilled Chicken and Veggie Wraps again because you absolutely flew through them last week.

After the wraps come the Rice Paper Salad Rolls w/Peanut Sauce - always one of the first things to disappear once they hit the cooler.

And then we move into the salad bowls.

Salad Bowl of the Week -Radish, Roasted Cauliflower & Asparagus Curry Crunch Bowl

Every Monday, we make what feels like an absolute vat of salad. And every week, you somehow manage to tear through it.

Everything is made fresh from scratch. The grains get cooked, the vegetables get chopped, the vinaigrette gets blended together, and then the whole thing gets tossed by hand before finding its way into the cooler. By midweek, there are often very few left.

This week's bowl is loaded with fresh early-summer ingredients. We're starting with quinoa, quinoa pasta, wild rice, and French lentils as the base. Then we're piling on roasted cauliflower, fresh local radishes, chickpeas, kalamata olives, fresh mint, arugula, toasted pumpkin seeds, and as many beautiful vegetables as we can fit into the bowl.

Of course, Edgar Farms asparagus is making another appearance this week. The asparagus is so fresh, tender, and delicious right now that we're not even cooking it. We're simply chopping it up and tossing it in for a little extra crunch and that unmistakable taste of Alberta asparagus season.

The whole bowl gets dressed in a Raspberry Green Curry Vinaigrette made with a touch of coconut milk for a little creaminess. The result is bright, fresh, slightly sweet, gently spiced, and absolutely packed with flavor.

To finish it off, we'll garnish each bowl with cherry tomatoes, radish microgreens, and a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds.

And if all goes according to plan, next week might be the return of edible flowers. The pansies are finally waking up in the garden, and I'm hoping we'll be able to start adding a little edible flower to each bowl again very soon.

Sourdough line-up...

Monday - no sourdough loaves
​Tuesday - SuperSeed Multigrain Loaves and Red Fife Country Loaves
​Wednesday - The Classic Brown Loaf and 100% Whole Grain Organic Loaf
​Thursday - Light Rye Loaves and Hokkaido Sourdough Milk Buns
​Friday - Red Fife Country Loaves

Wednesday is Trio Quesadilla Day
​We're taking a little break from soup this week not because we don't love soup, but because we love a delicious, cheesy quesadilla every now and again!

Wednesday's hot lunch feature will be a Trio Quesadilla Day, and we'll be loading up the grill with three different varieties for you to choose from. We're also hoping to stock the freezer while we're at it, so if you see the team surrounded by stacks of tortillas, you'll know why.

The lineup includes:

• Braised BBQ Brisket Quesadilla​
• Grilled Chicken, Black Bean & Roasted Corn Quesadilla​
• Shrimp, Sausage, Leeks & Roasted Red Pepper Quesadilla

Each one will be grilled until golden and crispy, then served with our house-made broccoli slaw, salsa, and sour cream on the side. The first quesadillas will start coming off the grill at 11am and we'll keep them rolling as long as supplies last.
If you're one of those people who has been asking when the quesadillas are coming back, this is your week.

TGIF Sourdough Pizza - Pepperoni Supreme Sometimes the classics are classics for a reason.

After a run of some pretty creative pizzas, we're keeping things a little simpler this week and leaning into a flavor combination that never disappoints.

We're starting with a roasted tomato sauce packed with basil and slow-cooked flavor. Then we'll pile on a generous amount of pepperoni sourced from our friends at the European Deli. I'm hoping to get my hands on a few different varieties, so expect plenty of smoky, savory goodness layered across the pizza.

From there, we're keeping it beautifully simple with mozzarella, provolone, and a sprinkle of oregano before it heads into the oven on our sourdough crust.

When it comes out, we'll finish it the Rise way—with fresh basil, Parmesan shards, and a drizzle of garlic/oregano aioli.

Coming out of the oven at 11:30am and if recent weeks are any indication, arriving early is never a bad idea.

Cheesecake Friday​
​First things first—who managed to get a slice of last week's Strawberry Basil Daiquiri Cheesecake?

It was absolutely incredible. The fresh strawberries, the hint of basil, the creamy cheesecake filling... it may have been one of my favorite cheesecakes we've made so far this year.

This week, we're heading in a slightly different direction.

The original inspiration started as a Blackberry Gin Smash Cheesecake, but after a little research, we decided to skip the gin and focus on the flavors we loved most about the idea.

Enter this week's Blackberry Mint Lime Cheesecake.

Beautiful blackberries will be swirled throughout the cheesecake alongside fresh lime zest for a bright, summery flavor that balances perfectly with the rich cheesecake filling. Once baked, we'll finish it with a glossy blackberry glaze, fresh blackberries on a cloud of mint chantilly.

The combination of blackberry, mint, and lime is fresh, vibrant, and just the right amount of refreshing for the start of June.

As always, Cheesecake Friday has a habit of disappearing quickly, so if you've been following along with these weekly creations, you know the drill—come early.

As we head into June, I just want to say thank you.

Thank you to all of our regulars who have been with us from the beginning, and a huge welcome to all the new faces who keep finding their way through the doors of Rise. The patio has certainly been turning a few heads this year, and I absolutely love looking out the window and seeing it filled with people enjoying coffee, lunch, conversation, and a little pause in their day.

The forecast this week looks a little cooler, but don't let that stop you. I'm putting together a basket of blankets and throws so you can wrap yourself up, sip something warm, and enjoy patio season anyway. After all, this is Alberta. If we waited for perfect weather, we'd never get outside.

Whether you're joining us for a morning coffee, a salad bowl on the patio, a slice of pizza on Friday, or simply stopping in to grab a loaf of sourdough, we're grateful you're here.

And before I sign off, we have a little surprise brewing behind the scenes. The details aren't quite ready to share yet, so I'll keep my lips sealed for now, but we're planning something special before we head into our one-week closure at the end of June.

Stay tuned.

Have an amazing week, enjoy every bit of June that comes your way, and I'll be back here next Sunday with all the news from the Rise Kitchen.💛

#5, 4324 - 54 Ave., Red Deer Alberta
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