News and Order Info for the July 24-25 Bake

Dreams do come true sometimes. The picture to the left is of the new bakery at 4423 Chestnut at Kaffa Crossing. Click here to see more pictures. From dreaming it, to planning it, to constructing it, to the never ending task of completing and perfecting it, I have found a new home for Four Worlds Bakery.

Last week was intensely and joyously insane on so many levels; parts of the week hardly felt real; yet the drive and determination what flowed through me to get the bakery up and running was quite a unique experience I will not soon forget. I found energy within me that sprang from nowhere; and by Friday my hands were so swollen and tired, I could not even close my fist.

Sunday we moved the bakery (there are some pictures of the bicycle move in the above link to pictures of the new bakery), then I was sucked into the flurry of unpacking, arranging, cleaning and shopping to prepare for the health inspection on Tuesday morning (I passed!). Then I moved right into prep for the weekly bake and working with the new space.

The week was full of adventures. The funniest story involved the new mixer. My electrician didn't know which way to set the phase on the electrical hookups so he guessed on which way the mixer was supposed to turn. He asked me and I said it was right. But I was wrong; the dough hook was spinning the wrong way. So when I loaded the mixer with 40 pounds of dough, the mixer eventually started to push all the dough up and out of the bowl (instead of pushing it down into the bowl to knead it). That was shocker. But it's fixed now.

The greatest challenge has been working with the new ovens. They are much more complicated and I found myself starting the bakes at 1am to give myself plenty of time for "redos" if necessary before the deliveries went out. On Thursday, I burned the bottoms of 8 challahs and had to make more. I'm frantically searching for the appropriate settings to get the tops and the bottoms the right color with the proper inside crumb. It will take time, so you might notice wild inconsistencies in the breads in the following weeks. The ovens are made specifically for bread baking; designed for the utmost control of all aspects of the bake. So I have much to learn which can only happen through experimentation and learning the nuances and subtle quirks in the ovens. I figure it will take a year to really master these ovens.

Some important changes to note. Please read the pickup times carefully this week in your order confirmations (or check on the web page). The times for pickup for West Philly (Walton Ave), Italian Market, Center City has changed.

On the order form, you can now select to pickup and pay for your orders at the bakery at 4423 Chestnut until 9pm when the cafe closes.

This week, I will start offering the "extra" bread at the bakery which you can just walk in, select, and buy right at the retail counter. I will no longer be putting out extras at the Walton Ave pickup site; although you can still select to pick up your pre-orders there. Feel free to call on bake days and I can sell any extras to you over the phone and deliver to whatever pickup site you want.

More changes are coming as this evolves, including a real web page to consolidate all the menu, ordering, and pickup info into one place. So please stay tuned. And your feedback is desperately needed. Check out the new pictures of some of the breads in the menu below.

Mariposa Members Take Note. Mariposa (West Philly members-only coop grocery store) will be selling some of my products beginning this week. I will be delivering the products fresh to Mariposa on Thursdays afternoons around 1pm. Let the staff know if you have any requests for which products to stock there. We walk a fine line with this experiment because both Four Worlds and Mariposa are retailing these products. You will notice a slightly higher price on the shelf at Mariposa that if you order directly from me: Mariposa has to take a "slice" to cover their costs.

Save the Date: Soft Opening. We are planning a "soft" opening on Monday August 4 in the evening. The event will be in conjunction with the annual Lama festival which is a celebration of bread. For fun, I am planning to bake a limited amount of spelt pizza and I will have some Four Worlds products available to sample and buy (hopefully including some test batches of my new croissant); also Kaffa will be offering it's now famous Ethiopian cuisine which is highly praised in the Inquirer Food section. More details in the email next week.

Ordering, Payment, and Pickup Instructions

(updated July 19, 2008)

Get the weekly email. First, email me here to get a menu for the week. I will forward to you this weeks email which includes news, menu, item descriptions, prices, and lots of other information. The weekly email is the only place you can find complete descriptions of the products sold at Four Worlds Bakery. So I encourage you to get on the weekly email list from the form on the right side of this web page.

Ordering deadlines. (note: West Philly, Walton Ave and the Bakery on Chestnut, customers can choose Thurs or Fri. pickup options)

Order by Tuesday (for Thursday pickup): Havertown, Bala Cynwyd, or West Philly

Order by Wednesday (for Friday pickup): West Philly, Mt. Airy, Center City, Italian Market, Conshohocken, and Pennypack Farm (Horsham).

Ordering. To order, go to the online orderform here: http://app.formassembly.com/forms/view/3814. If he form does not work, try another web browser or you can just email me our order.

Late Orders. So if you forget to order, and you really want something, here are your options: (1) Order late. You can email or call me (215 967 1458) with your order up until about 11am on the bake day; but please don't assume I can fill your order until you hear back from me. On bake days, it's best to call between 10 and 11am; otherwise, email is best for me.

(2) Retail (not pre-ordered) Bread for Sale. We offer bread for sale at Four Worlds Bakery, 4423 Chestnut (same retail counter as Kaffa Crossing) on Thursdays and Fridays beginning at about 1pm. This process is evolving with the new bakery opening so please pay attention to announcements in the weekly emails or call/email before you come to the bakery.

Home Delivery Home delivery (Fridays only) is available in many West Philly homes for an extra, per delivery, charge of $2. Please indicate in your order email you want "Home Delivery." Your order is usually delivered between 12 and 2 on the day of the bake (usually Friday). Please don't forget to give me your address.

Buyers Club Save money and enjoy Four Worlds Breads more often by joining the buyers club. Every time you send in or drop off $36 to prepay for your bread, you get an additional $4 in credit on your account. Order the breads when you want and take as long as wish to use up your credit.

Plastic Bread Packing You can request your bread be packed in a plastic bag. Challah, if you plan to eat it Saturday afternoon, is best packed in plastic; same with other breads and pastry. Please request plastic if you want it. Sometimes, however, the breads are too hot to pack in plastic. So if you request plastic and didn't get it, that is probably why.

Specific Pickup and Payment Instructions (these instructions will be automatically emailed to you when you order through the online form, but I reprint here in case you ever need them).

For All Pickup Sites. If you select to mail a check or money order, mail payment to me at 4834 Walton Ave, Phil, 19143. Write checks payable to Michael Dolich. Please do not leave money at the pickup sites. If you pickup in West Philly or at the Bakery on Chestnut, however, you may leave payment when you pickup (see instruction below). Please make sure you take only the bags (and all the bags) with your name on it. Call me about any lost orders or questions at 215-967-1458.

West Philly. West Philly customers may choose to pickup at 4834 Walton Ave or at the bakery at 4423 Chestnut (Kaffa Crossing). Please note whether you selected Thursday or Friday pickup. Please pick up after 2pm on your pickup day at 4834 Walton, on the porch. This is located near 48th and Baltimore. Please leave a check or cash in the mail slot, but make sure you indicate your name with the money. I will leave some envelops in the box that stores the bread. Please don't just drop cash in the mail slot as I need to keep track of accounts. If you leave a check, make it payable to Michael Dolich. You may pay with cash or check at the Bakery; pickups at the bakery will be ready by around 1pm on the bake day.

Mt. Airy. Your pickup is at 7034 Greene, near the corner of Ellet. Walk around the house to the back covered section of the porch. The breads will be there after 2:30 on Friday.

Bala Cynwyd. Your pickup is at 128 Lodges. Walk around the house to the back covered section of the porch. The breads will be there after 2:00 on Thursdays.

Havertown. Thursday only pickup. Pickup at 402 Wynne Ave., Havertown. This is near the intersection of City Line (Rt 1) and West Chester Pike (Rt.3); just off of Earlington Rd. This is a residence. You may call Debbie at 610-446-6464 for directions or other questions regarding the pickup. Your order will be inside the house and Debbie will be home. You do not have to ring the bell - you can just go in and take your bags. You may pick up between 2:00 and 7:30pm on Thursdays. Please don't pull up the driveway: it is a shared driveway. Park on the street in front of the house and walk up to the door.

Pennypack Farm in Horsham. Pickup at 685 Mann Rd, Horsham, PA. (There is the Resurrection Lutheran Church on the corner of Welsh Rd and Mann Rd, we are just down past the housing development on the right). Pickup in the Harvest House between 2:30 pm to 7pm. Call Susan with any issues regarding pickup at 610-246-3359

Conshohocken. Pickup at 1435 Butler Pike. Just down from North Lane. The second house from the corner of 15th Ave. Your order will be on the dresser on the front porch. The front door will be open. Pick up about 4:30 pm to 8pm, or by special arrangment with Susan; Call Susan with any issues regarding pickup at 610-246-3359.

Italian Market. Your pickup is at Molly's Bookstore, 1010 S. 9th St., a block north or Washington Ave. Your order will be there after 3pm on Friday and available for pickup in the store until closing at 6pm. Call Molly at 215-923-3367 if you need to arrange a different time to pickup.

Center City. Your pickup is at Joe Coffee Bar, on the corner of 11th and Walnut in Center City. They are open until 8 on Friday. The breads will be there after 3pm on Friday. Please ask for your bread at the front retail counter.

Home Delivery. Your order will be delivered to your home between noon and 2pm on Friday

About Four Worlds Bakery

Four Worlds Bakery is located at 4423 Chestnut in West Philly; sharing a retail space with Kaffa Crossing. I specialize in sourdough (ie naturally fermented) breads made with freshly milled organic whole grains. I mill all the whole grains on site at the bakery. I offer baked products rooted in a tradition where baking is an art form (thus artisan) and the breads are made with the upmost attention, hand work, care, and expression of my highest ideals.

I strive for the perfect process for making my products, thus I am not trying to acheive exact consistency in results; and if you are attentive, you will note subtle differences in the products from week to week. All the products, however, are produced by exact formula which are continually in development.

And because all my breads are made with natural yeast starter (using natural fermentation) you will a high degree of density, and thus less volume by weight; which also results in greater complexity in flavor. So while your loaf might seem like it's smaller than normal, the value you get by weight more than makes up for the loss in volume. Thus these breads are not more expensive by weight than other so called "artisan" breads on the market.

We buy locally produced ingredients (including spelt, wheat, cranberries, butter, and milk) as much as possible which add seasonal variation to our products. Our ingredients are chosen for the highest quality possible. We use only certified organic grains unless there are locally produced alternatives. The only salt we use is Celtic Sea Salt, the highest quality salt available.

We sell to consumers through a weekly email. You get the email on Sunday, order by Tuesday (for Thursday pickup) or Wednesday (for Friday pickup). Thursday's pick up bread in West Philly (2 options), Bala Cynwyd or Havertown. Friday's pickup at West Philly, Mt. Airy, Conshohocken, Horsham, Italian Market, and Center City. And now we offer home delivery for a small fee in West Philly on Fridays. Ordering and pick up instructions are included in the weekly email.

Our products include Whole wheat challah, spelt challah, white egg challah, whole wheat bagels (everything, sesame, poppy, onion, garlic and plain), 100% whole wheat levain, 100% spelt levain, 100% Rye levain, Caraway Rye, French Pan Levain (white), olive levain, cranberry/sunflower, potatoe beer bread, Potato Rye Levain, Multigrain, Rugelach, Babka; and others.

Sign up now on the form on the right side of this web page and you will automatically get on the email list. You can email any questions to challahman@fourworldsbakery.com or call 215-967-1458.

You can find Four Worlds on Facebook where you can read customer feedback, connect with other Four Worlds breadies, and see pictures of the bakery production. Here is the Link or if this link doesn't work, just search for Four Worlds in the Group search on Facebook.com. It's easy to set up a free account if you don't have one yet.

Opportunities at Four Worlds Bakery

Four Worlds Bakery Expansion: Opportunities Available. I offer incentives for those of you who want to be involved in the bakery. Here are some of the needs that I recognize at this point, but if you have ideas, let me know. These can be done by one person or can be shared with several people, with one person coordinating:


(1) New pickup sites. New sites can be added once we have a host and someone to come to the bakery to pick up and deliver. Day of pickup is flexible. If you are interested in either one or both, let me know.

(2) Farmers Market sellers. This spring begins farmers market season and my guess is that Four Worlds would sell very well at open air markets. I am envisioning empowering the right people to represent Four Worlds at some markets. If you like to work independently and this interests you, get in touch with me as I am thinking on how this system will work.

Wheat Prices are on the Rise...Why?

I have noticed a slight increase in the price of wheat and other grains; and the commodity prices have been rising faster than the wholesale prices which means the businesses are absorbing the increased costs by cutting costs elsewhere. And the prices in countries that import most of their grains is growing even more rapidly...like in Mexico where the price of the tortilla has exploded leading to actual protests and demonstrations in the streets.

So what's going on? Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute and author of an amazing book called Plan B 2.0, is following the situation closely and links the price of food to the massive explosion of ethanol plants to fill our gas tanks. Basically it boiled down to this: since just about any food can be turned into gasoline, the price of food will increase with the price of oil; and we are quickly approacing our ability to grown enough food for the rising planet population. So we reach the collective moral decision that the feeding our addiction to gasoline will mean more poor people are hungry. Read it for yourself here or visit www.earth-policy.org to learn more about this and many other environmental issues. I higly recommend his book, Plan B 2.0, which is free online, if you can stomach it; it's gloomy at first, but he offers all the solutions in a highly optimistic vision of the future.

Matzah, Matzah, Matzah!!

(Note: This is an old post from Spring of 2007; I am planning another matzah bake for Spring 2008, before Passover starts).



Update If you have signed up for a matzah bake shift, check the schedule below and make sure you are on it for the right shift. You will want to bring a clean apron (if you want one), some sort of hat or head covering, comfortable shoes, and a long sleeved shirt if you want to operate the oven. Also, bring a container with drinking water or other beverage for yourself. You get 2 pounds of Matzah for working a shift, but please order any additional Matzah you want to purchase in advance.

Directions: We will bake at 4834 Walton Ave. in West Philly. From I-76: University Ave Exit. University to Balimore; left on Baltimore Ave. Balimore Ave to 49th St. Right on 49th Street; one block then right on Walton. From Lancaster Ave; head East on 48th Street; 48th to Balimore; then follow directions above.

Here are all the details for the Four Worlds Bakery great matzah bake. This is real matzah, probably much closer to the stuff they ate in biblical times; and almost unrecognizable from the stuff you might buy in a supermarket labeled "matzah." After you try Four Worlds Bakery matzah, you will likely wonder what exactly the supermarket stuff is. So we will baking 100 percent organic whole grain matzah: whole wheat, spelt, and rye.

Ordering Instructions are included in the Four Worlds Bakery weekly email. To get a copy, email challahman@fourworldsbakery.com. All orders must be in by March 21 at midnight.

Sign up for matzah baking. I have limited space available to come and help with the Matzah bake. We will bake all day on Sunday March 25, in two-hour shifts from 8am to 6pm. So you can sign up for one or more of the following shifts:

1. 8am - 10am
Update: This Shift Now Full
William M
Debbie F
Judy M
Monica F
Patti V
Vicki

2. 10am - 12noon
Update: This Shift Now Full
William M
Barb P
Erica J
Elyse J
Gayle L

3. 12 - 2pm
Update: This Shift Now Full
Joe S
Jennifer K.
Deborah Z.
Asher A
Robert P.



Additional shifts will open if needed to fill orders. Check back March 21.

For planning purposes I have to know in advance (by march 21) you are coming. Sign up soon, as once a shift is full, I will close it. Update: I might open additional shifts in the afternoon if needed to fill orders. It's fun to bake Matzah and time goes fast, but I want to be clear that it's fast paced and intense work; and I hope to give everyone an opportunity to do all of the various parts of the process. I expect you to be on time and ready to work. You will get 2 pounds of matzah for each shift you work. To sign up, send an email to challahman@fourworldsbakery.com by March 21.

How we will make the Matzah. The matzah will be made in teams strictly following the 18 minute rule to avoid any fermentation: the dough must be in the oven within 18 minutes of mixing the water with the flour. After each 18 minute round, we will thouroughly clean the surfaces, bowls, rolling pins, and instruments; then start over again. Most of the labor is in the mixing and rolling out the dough, which must be done quickly.

This matzah has no official certification of koshrut. All the flour will be milled here at the bakery in advance of the bake; and the flour does not have kosher for passover certification; but all grains will be certified organic. But we will strictly follow the rules on making matzah, to the extent possible. We will be using tap water for the water ingredient. Feel free to email challahman@fourworldsbakery.com with questions.

Breadies unite to help refuge women of darfur

Thank you for braving the weather and helping us raise over $500 to help some families in the Iridimi refugee camp in Chad. Here are some pictures: part of the bread spread, Challahman with the bread spread, and Scott Pryor (during his performance).

It was really an amazing event (definately a bread lovers dream) and we felt the presense of all of you who wanted to come but couldn't be there.