Big Project Timing...

[CKatCook]

I may have bit off more than I can chew, but it is for a very good cause. It leaked out at my place of empolyment that I bake. I was asked by a co-worker to contribute to a charity function for her church some bread. So I signed on for some bread. Me and my fervor signed on for 2-3 loaves oatmeal wheat, a couple of no kneads, some parkerhouse rolls 2-3 batches, some carmel, hot cocoa mix w/ homemade marshmellows. This is alot, but like I said it is for a very good cause. (helping to pay a child's cancer treatment)

My question is this, I work a 9-5 job, the event starts Saturday morning and she is requesting that we set up Friday night. So I have to have everything to her Friday afternoon. My boss gave me that Friday off to do this, so I can bring it to her that afternoon. How do I time this so the bread gets there fresh? I realize that the carmel, hot cocoa mix and marshmellows can be done ahead, but the bread? How would you time this?

Thanks!

[lebowits]

I may have bit off more than I can chew, but it is for a very good cause. It leaked out at my place of empolyment that I bake. I was asked by a co-worker to contribute to a charity function for her church some bread. So I signed on for some bread. Me and my fervor signed on for 2-3 loaves oatmeal wheat, a couple of no kneads, some parkerhouse rolls 2-3 batches, some carmel, hot cocoa mix w/ homemade marshmellows. This is alot, but like I said it is for a very good cause. (helping to pay a child's cancer treatment)

My question is this, I work a 9-5 job, the event starts Saturday morning and she is requesting that we set up Friday night. So I have to have everything to her Friday afternoon. My boss gave me that Friday off to do this, so I can bring it to her that afternoon. How do I time this so the bread gets there fresh? I realize that the carmel, hot cocoa mix and marshmellows can be done ahead, but the bread? How would you time this?

Thanks!

You've certainly offered a VERY generous contribution. My first thought would be do what you can as early as you can. The fundamental issue will be your work space, refrigerated space (if needed), proofing space, and most of all, oven space. You should consider the rising, resting, and baking times of each dough. If you can do retarded (e.g. refrigerated) rises on doughs, this will lengthen your schedule and allow you to start earlier, but you'll also need to account for getting the dough back up to room temp and letting it get it's final rise before baking.

Make a schedule that tells you WHEN you need to be doing each task and work to that plan. If things deviate a little bit, don't get flustered, but continue to move through the list so you stay organized.

Finally, don't setup everything Friday night. Take the bits that won't get stale and stake out your space. Then if you want to get up at "oh dark 30" (meaning VERY early AM), do so to bake off your breads and let them cool before taking them in on Saturday.

You've got an ambitious week ahead of you! Best of luck, and most of all, DON'T PANIC!

[stuartlikesstrudel]

I agree with the schedule idea... I ran a bit of a class on breadmaking just to show a few friends some basics, and we had 4 doughs on the go. With a bit of planning and staggering, we managed to keep it *fairly* organised so that while one dough was proving, we mixed another, then autolysed, kneaded another etc.

It wasn't too hard to do - i just made note of how long the periods were for each bread and tried to fit them together. In the end, there was a bit of a wait for the oven for a few things at the end, but they were just chucked into the fridge for half an hour which wouldn't have done HEAPS but helped slow it a little i s'pose.

[CKatCook]

I need to ask my co-worker if the Friday afternoon deadline is a "drop dead" deadline, meaning absolute or if somethings can be delivered that morning. I doubt it since she purchased the tables and told me that in order for her to "stake her claim" on a good space she she had to be there with the stuff. I purposely threw in a couple of things I thought could be made ahead, the carmel, the hot cocoa mix, the marshmellows, I may take the carmel and make "turtles" out of some, then just wrap some of the other. I figure this can be done the weekend before and will be ok.

I like the idea of looking at the timing for when things need to get done, and using the recipes to base the timing.

How professional bakers do this, I will never know.....

[baroness]

Is there any way to modify your bread offerings?

If so -- banana, cranberry-orange, pumpkin, and other quick breads are actually BETTER when made a day or two ahead of time.

[KarenDW]

What about borrowing someone else's oven... neighbor? nearby family member? Or, can you use the kitchen at a nearby community center or church?

[CKatCook]

Is there any way to modify your bread offerings?

If so -- banana, cranberry-orange, pumpkin, and other quick breads are actually BETTER when made a day or two ahead of time.

My friend has her heart set on the rolls, so I really, really want to do the rolls, the other breads though, I bet I could wiggle out of. I didn't think of that. Do you have a good recipe for cranberry-orange?

[prasantrin]

Are you supposed to wrap the goods before bringing them over? If so, don't forget to factor in cooling time, because you can't wrap the breads when they are still hot. That would be an additional reason for you to request subbing some quick breads in for some of the other yeast breads.

If she only needs to stake her claim, perhaps you could bring over the premade items (hot chocolate mix, caramels) on Friday (and the quick breads if they've been OK-ed), and then bring the yeast breads over Saturday morning. That way you could do the breads all day Friday, bake them off Friday night before going to bed, and wrap them the next morning.

[baroness]

Is there any way to modify your bread offerings?

If so -- banana, cranberry-orange, pumpkin, and other quick breads are actually BETTER when made a day or two ahead of time.

My friend has her heart set on the rolls, so I really, really want to do the rolls, the other breads though, I bet I could wiggle out of. I didn't think of that. Do you have a good recipe for cranberry-orange?

Here you go....

Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread (or Muffins)

freshly squeezed juice of a large orange plus enough boiling water to make 3/4 cup liquid

freshly grated rind of above orange

2 Tbsp. butter

1 egg

3/4 cup honey

1 c. finely chopped cranberries

1/2 c. chopped toasted walnuts or pecans

2 c. unbleached AP flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. soda

Add rind and butter to juice-water mixture to melt the butter.

In another bowl, beat egg and honey together, then add to first mixture.

Add cranberries and nuts and set aside.

Sift dry ingredients together and add to above.

Spoon into a buttered 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or 12 muffin tins or a 'Danish" loaf pan.

Bake at 350F until done: 15-20 min for muffins.

Bake at 325F until done: about 1 hour for loaf; 40-45 min for Danish loaf.

[CKatCook]

I just wanted to give everyone an update on how it all went down. And in my rush to get everything out of the house I forgot to bring my camera.

It was a smashing sucess! I made strawberry, blackberry, chocolate marshmellows, hot cocoa mix, cranberry orange quick breads (THANKS!!!) parkerhouse rolls, and challah bread. The marshmellows along got 5 bucks a bag!! The rolls 15 a dozen!! Everyone loved them!

Thank you everyone for the advice, the proceeds went to help pay for a friend of mine's grandson's chemotherapy.