Join BPR Friday July 1 at 9 AM for a special program from the Southern Foodways Alliance and their podcast Gravy. Their new season focuses on the community of Walnut, in Marshall, NC and an inconspicuous little house that’s been a hotspot for some of the best baking in the South. The series explores the trials and rewards of baking in a wood-fired oven, why some bakers are opting for fresh flour, what opportunities cottage bakeries can offer new business owners, and what community means to the bakery's new owners. In a special broadcast version of the series produced by Irina Zhorov, BPR will air the first two episodes: “Genealogy of a Bakery” and “Bread by Fire.” You can find all five episodes of the series and more from the Southern Foodways Alliance on their website.
BPR News will air an encore presentation of the program on Saturday July 2nd at 8 PM.
The little building with a metal roof and ovens with more than sixty square feet of stone hearth has been home to some of the most exciting baking in the country. It’s one of the places where naturally leavened, rustic breads gained a foothold in the South, where two artisanal flour mills got their start, and where multiple incredible bakers honed their craft.Irina Zhorov