Earlier this month Dan and I packed our bags and headed on a little road trip down to Burlington, Vermont to visit our dear friends Ben and Sophie. We were in Burlington briefly last summer for Ben and Sophie’s wedding (read all about it…and see the flowers here!) but we didn’t get a chance to really explore the town. This time around we wanted to make sure we changed that! Below are a few outtakes from our days away.
We were excited for an early spring trip but before we arrived Burlington was graced with 4” of fresh spring snow…bah! Obviously, that didn’t put a damper on our time away though. Ben and Sophie are wonderful cooks so we spent lots of time cooking and eating…especially bread (more on that below!!). Also, with Dan being the coffee lover that he is we made sure to visit a few cafes on our trip and also stocked up on some of the local beer that Burlington is so well known for.
From one of our many trips to Scout Coffee
We took a trip to Shelburne Farms – farm might be a modest term for this rolling estate property. We drove through the 1,400 acre site and it felt more like you were driving through a rural countryside rather than one property. Shelburne Farms used to be a private estate and working farm. It continues to be a working farm with a herd of dairy cattle and the many of the barns are host to educational programs as well as weddings and events.
Ben & Sophie!
Beautiful views of Lake Champlain at every turn
Just when we thought we had seen all of Shelburne Farms this final long barn came into view. Holy moly, Guys!! We got out and went inside. It was full of farming equipment that is used on the property and even had goats and donkeys grazing just outside. The architecture was so insanely beautiful. It felt like we were the only people to have stepped foot in the barn in years – it’s seriously a beautiful place if you are ever in the Burlington area!
Okay, this was what I was mostly looking forward to on this trip…bread!!! Ben is an amazing baker and his bread is a serious treat. My one request was that he teach me how to make some bread and he graciously did. We made baguettes and these loafs. Ben has been a baker for the past few years and is perfecting his sourdough recipes. Ben let me in on his secrets and bake with him. The recipe is simple but the process is not at all! The thing I found most interesting is that the two breads we made, baguette and loaf, use essentially the exact same ingredients and they end up differently because of the way they are shaped and the length of time we let them sit (between shaping them and before cooking). Oi…my head was spinning.
We used the mill to mill our own whole wheat flour – good bread is all about quality ingredients and this is how Ben likes to work. Also, Guys, Ben has been using the same yeast starter since he and Dan lived together in Guelph…7 years ago!!! He even takes it with him when he travels.
Our road trip was a great little break for our daily work and such a fun time spent with friends. Dan and I booked our plane tickets just last night for a trip that I am SO excited about taking in just 3 weeks time…stay tuned for that!! Hint: it involves flowers…duh 
Oh yeah…LOOK AT THAT BREAD!!
Have a great week, Friends!
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