Visit the National Festival of Breads June 13

Finalists in the 2015 National Festival of Breads have risen to the challenge of developing creative, flavorful recipes that highlight some of the latest trends in baking. Contestants will prepare their winning bread recipes for the bread baking competition on Saturday, June 13, in Manhattan, Kansas, at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Eight adult finalists and one youth champion were named for the National Festival of Breads, the nation's only national amateur bread-baking competition. The finalists originate from all over the United States, from Maine to California.

The Festival is open to the public and admission to the event is free with the donation of a canned or nonperishable food item to support the Flint Hills Breadbasket. Demonstrations and presentations will start at eight a.m. and continue all day, including opportunities to watch the eight adult finalists prepare their award-winning recipes. The event will feature BBQ demonstrations, wheat weaving, bakery exhibits and samples, the King Arthur Flour Bake Truck, and a trade show. Mr. and Mrs. Slice will also be visiting with people and a kid’s area with hands-on tortilla making and flour milling will be at the festival.

The Festival of Breads was designed to celebrate the art of baking, honor amateur home bakers and recognize the Kansas wheat farmers, millers and ingredient companies during wheat harvest.  

While in Kansas, contestants will participate in a host of additional activities, including a Wheat Harvest Tour with stops at a wheat farm, grain elevator and flour mill on Friday, June 12. Finalists will experience firsthand the importance of the Kansas wheat industry. On average, the state of Kansas produces more wheat than any other state, nearly one-fifth of all wheat grown in the United States, earning it the title, “Breadbasket of the World.” It also ranks second nationally in the amount of wheat milled into flour.

The contest also emphasizes the role that bread plays in a healthy and active lifestyle and encourages consumers to “get back to their roots and in their kitchen” and bake special recipes. Grain based foods that contain wheat provide complex carbohydrates – the best fuel for our bodies. These foods are often low in fat and contain fiber. Grain foods also provide vitamins – especially the four key B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folic acid) and iron.

Judging will begin at 3 p.m. and the grand prize winner will receive a cash prize of $2,500, plus a year's supply of Red Star Yeast® and an expense-paid trip to the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center in Norwich, Vermont.

The National Festival of Breads is sponsored by two of the most trusted brands in baking, Red Star Yeast and King Arthur Flour. Red Star Yeast has provided quality yeast to bakers for more than 130 years. King Arthur Flour is America’s oldest flour company and premier baking resource.

Don’t forget to join us for the fun and excitement on Saturday, June 13, for National Festival of Breads event that honors the best amateur bread bakers in America! For more information, visit nationalfestivalofbreads.com.

By Audrey Schmitz