Peach pie and huckleberry-peach pie…made with fresh peaches from the Forbidden Fruit Orchard. The BEST peaches!!! If you haven’t had any yet this season, hurry, the season is almost over.

Who doesn’t need a warm sticky bun on a rainy Sunday morning?

I am often asked how to make cookies consistent in texture. It is frustrating when using the same recipe, and one time they are perfect and the next they spread out thin and crisp. To me, a perfect chocolate chip cookie is firm but soft, thick in the middle but solid all the way through, and rich. The most common cookie mistakes involve the butter (we always use butter, right?). Softened butter still holds its shape, but will bend. It is NOT melty. Butter too soft will spread in the oven. Another common mistake is not creaming the butter and sugar(s) together long enough. If a recipe says beat for 6 minutes, don’t cut it short. The creaming process whips air into the dough for structure and loft. If not creamed thoroughly the bits of butter left whole will melt and spread. Butter is tricky on hot summer days. If I get interrupted while making cookies during the summer I will put it in the fridge until I can finish. Lastly, use your touch to ensure consistent results. Make mental note of the feel of the dough when the cookies turn out the way you want. Don’t be afraid to adjust the amount of flour to get that feel every time. I rarely use the exact same amount of flour. Just don’t add too much or your cookies will be dry and crumbly. My chocolate chip cookie dough feels cool and moist, slightly sandy. When I get that feel, I am ready to bake! One last note, always make sure your oven temperature is correct.

Windmill Village is going mobile!! We will be taking our pastries to the Flathead Blues Festival in Polson Friday and Saturday! We will be closing the shop in Ravalli at noon on Friday and all day Saturday, so join us at Salish Point in Polson for blues and brew (and a donut, of course!)

I wish there was a” love” button. Your donuts are absolutely fabulous!!!

106 F in the Bakery kitchen had a dire effect on my candle! That’s how I felt at the end of the day too!!

We stopped when we were northbound for some positively delicious doughnuts. We stopped again southbound for some sticky buns for Sunday breakfast. They were out so we’ll just have to head north again soon! LOVE the Windmill Bakery’s doughnuts!

Happy National Doughnut Day Nancy!

thank you for making such amazing donuts and delivering them to the cenex in Saint Ignatius… my wednesday treat!

When I first started baking pies I was often disappointed after putting a beautiful full pie in the oven and pulling out a pie whose crust had dramatically shrunk from the edges of the pan. You want the baked pie crust to shrink as little as possible, as in these pics. This is the same pie before and after baking. Notice how minimal the difference. In order to keep the crust from shrinking you must relax the dough. After I make my crust, I always refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to relax the gluten. Then after I put the pie together, I refrigerate it again for another 30 minutes. Agitating the dough while rolling it out promotes gluten formation, so it is important to let the dough chill out before baking. Cutting corners and rushing the process will show in the final product, and we all want that “wow” factor when we present our goody!