What’s the ONE thing you simply have to bake for Thanksgiving every year?

You know, your signature dish; the pumpkin pie, or cranberry bread, or even the stuffing that everyone demands of you. You might get tired of making it - but show up at your brother-in-law’s without it, and I tell you, Mr. Man, you’re in deep… trouble. (more…)

Guess that apple cake recipe sounded pretty irresistible to a lot of you bakers out there - we sold 749 bottles of boiled cider this past week, which cleaned out both our stock, and that of Willis and Tina Wood, who press the apples and boil the cider at their orchard in Springfield, Vermont.

But never fear - help is on the way. Another crop of apples is being harvested now, and more boiled cider should be ready the first week of October.

Thanks for your enthusiasm! And, if you got a back-order message – we appreciate your patience.

Our new print advertising campaign this fall focuses on the value of King Arthur Flour.

Here at King Arthur Flour, we believe “value” still refers to the worth of something, not how cheap it is. And we believe our customers agree. So while our flour may cost a little bit more than some of the other brands you see on supermarket shelves, we know it’s a good value, because you get what you pay for: the consistent performance of King Arthur Flour yields exceptional results whenever you invest your time and ingredients in baking.

What’s more, we back our superior flour with a host of resources developed from our more than two centuries of baking experience, from free recipes to expert advice, to help make your baking the best it can be.

Now we want to hear what you think. Tell the world why YOU choose King Arthur Flour. Please post your comment below – and thanks for participating in the conversation.

Most of us bake alone. Some of us bake with friends. But what an experience, to bake with a whole group of friends. Hands in dough, mixers whirring, sugar and flour and butter and vanilla and chocolate at your fingertips, lots of oven space…

That’s the Baking Education Center (BEC) at King Arthur Flour here in Norwich, Vermont. (more…)

So, you think you want to come work in the King Arthur test kitchen, huh? Where everything we bake comes out perfect on the very first try.

NOT.

We have a “three strikes” rule here in the test kitchen. Try a recipe. If it fails the first time, strike one. Flops the second time, strike two. Still no good on the third attempt — “Yer out!” Ditch it, baby, life’s too short.

(Though we all confess, like mothers with a problem child, to allowing four, five, sometimes even six strikes for certain favorite recipes that we just KNOW will be successful if we simply don’t give up on them…)

We know all of you have made mistakes. Burned cookies. Doorstop bread.  Muffins that are for the birds—literally. And we, the King Arthur test bakers—Sue, Susan, Andrea, MaryJane, and me, PJ—are here to tell you: we’re with you. We feel your pain. (more…)

Once upon a time, Brinna Sands and PJ Hamel were working together at King Arthur, trying to inspire Americans to bake. They knew that bakers are a sociable, intelligent, creative bunch, and realized that nothing gets people more excited about baking than a good recipe, and a good story to go with it.
How to reach these fine people? They bought a mailing list (128 names) for a newsletter called “The Baking Sheet,” and that’s how this particular story begins. (more…)

On the line—packing, packing, packing…

During this crazy holiday shopping season, Susan Reid (my fellow blogger) and I keep the warehouse folks supplied with daily treats, in order to keep both energy and spirits up. Our fulfillment folks (has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) put in extra-long, hard days filling orders, packing boxes, mixing mixes, and generally moving at top speed for weeks at a time to get people’s holiday baking products on their way as quickly as possible. (more…)

True to King Arthur Flour’s identity, we’ve given Arthurian names to all of our buildings. The retail store is housed in Camelot, the Baking Education Center in Caerleon, and our warehouse/fulfillment building is called Avalon.

We work hard to tempt you with our roster of quality ingredients and fabulous baking toys (er, tools). Luckily for us, you’re happy to have a trustworthy company to buy these things from. We’re heading into our busiest season, and we thought you might be interested in a behind-the-scenes peek at what happens when you order from us. (more…)

A message from Tom Payne, King Arthur Flour marketing director:

As we all nervously watch for signs of light at the end of a dark economic tunnel, the news doesn’t look good. Some predict the financial crisis will dampen our economy well into 2009. Particularly hard hit will be organizations that rely on donations and fund-raising, including schools, youth groups and charities.

With many school-funding initiatives around the country at risk, how will our nation’s schools cope with lack of funds for their programs? With Americans wondering how they will hold on to their own savings and make ends meet, how will nonprofits encourage people to give? (more…)

Earlier this week, King Arthur Flour was named one of the Top Small Workplaces in North America by the Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces. This is a real honor for our company, a wonderful indication that we’re on the right track with the open and supportive corporate culture we strive to foster here.

As an employee-owner, I have the pleasure of coming to work in a place where I feel respected, where my contribution is valued, and where I see caring demonstrated every day in interactions with customers and employees alike. So you know what? Honored as we all feel, I’m not really surprised to find out that King Arthur Flour ranks so highly. (more…)