National Festival of Breads Deadline Approaches

The holiday season has come to a close, and so must the entry period for the 2017 National Festival of Breads. The festival, sponsored by King Arthur Flour, Red Star Yeast and Kansas Wheat, is a national amateur bread baking competition that hundreds of bakers enter. The entry deadline for this year's competition is January 16, 2017.

Adult amateur bakers, ages 18 and up, can submit original recipes for ethnic breads, rolls, time-saving and simple breads, and whole grain breads online at nationalfestivalofbreads.com, a website dedicated to the contest. Youth bakers, ages 12-17, can also submit recipes for yeast breads and quick breads using the same form. Submissions will only be accepted through the online form.

Judges will evaluate all entries and select eight adult finalists, each of whom will receive airfare and accommodations to participate in the national competition on June 17, 2017, in Manhattan, Kansas. In addition, each adult finalist will receive a $500 cash award, participate in a wheat harvest tour to a working Kansas wheat farm and flour mill, and take part in other activities. The Grand Prize Winner will receive $2,000 cash, a trip to attend a baking class of their choice at the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center in Norwich, Vermont and a supply of Red Star Yeast

One youth grand prize winner will be selected and will receive a $500 scholarship. Two youth entries will receive runner-up prizes of a $250 scholarship each.

Special awards are also available for the best recipe using white whole wheat flour, best recipe using a corn ingredient and the best recipe using a soy ingredient. More prize packages are detailed in the official contest rules at nationalfestivalofbreads.com.

The National Festival of Breads is sponsored by two of the most trusted brands in baking, King Arthur Flour and Red Star Yeast.

Additional information, past recipes and a summary of the 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 competitions are available at nationalfestivalofbreads.com. Submissions must be received online by January 16, 2017.