Vendor profile: Carol Fairbank, Broadfork Farm

Carol Fairbank of Broadfork Farm in Greensboro. Photo by Bethany M. Dunbar courtesy of the Center for an Agricultural Economy

Carol Fairbank of Broadfork Farm in Greensboro was inspired to become a farmer by her grandmother, a Polish immigrant who survived World War II and the Great Depression, and who raised her. 

“She encouraged me” she said. “We lived in Salem, Mass, so the lands we had were smaller than my living room.” 

She has a fond memory of creating a garden in a backyard in Massachusetts years later, eight months pregnant, breaking up old cement to get down to the soil. So it was an amazing step up when she got a place in Athol, Massachusetts, with five whole acres. She had hoped to connect with other farmers and started exploring what might be possible with town government, who promptly named her Agriculture Commissioner, a position that had not been filled for 60 years. She used it to connect with other farmers and start up a farmers market in that town, which was still going strong when she left to come to Vermont.

She had spent a lot of time in Vermont before finding her home, which was basically an old camp, not winterized, in a field, when she bought it and moved here in 2014. Today at Broadfork Farm she raises animals for meat, milk, and grows fruits and vegetables for james, pickles, and bakes bread regularly, all of which anyone might find at her stand. She also manages the Greensboro Farmers Market, which is moving this year to the Highland Center for the Arts. That market runs on Wednesdays in July and August.

She strongly believes in farmers markets and serves as the president of the Hardwick Farmers Market board as well.

“It’s mostly about getting back to local food systems. I believe we can feed ourselves,” she said. She added there are so many things that can go wrong when the food source for a nation becomes too centralized, including the growers possibly not caring deeply about the land.

“The person that grows my food, including me, I want them to take care of the land,” she said. She also loves the social aspect of the farmers market and that she can build a personal relationship with her customers. Another good reason she likes to shop at the farmers markets as well as sell products there:

“I know the farmer’s going to get the money.”

Photo by Carol Fairbank

Bread recipe: Pain de Mie

12 oz milk

1 T active dry yeast

4 T soft butter

1 T sugar

1 ½ t salt

1 egg (optional)

4 c bread flour or all purpose flour

Makes 2 one-pound loaves.

Pain de Mie is a rich milk bread, traditionally baked in a lidded Pullman pan to achieve the signature square slice - perfect for sandwiches. It is incredibly versatile and also delicious made into regular loaves or any number of other roll or bun shapes, with any number of additions. Have fun experimenting!

Making Yeasted Bread - The Process

Combine milk or water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, and allow to reconstitute for 10 minutes. You may see some bubbles forming on the surface. 

Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed with the dough hook until all flour is incorporated. Once the dough comes together and begins to clean the sides of the bowl, check for consistency - you should see the dough coming away cleanly from the bowl and not sticking in any spots, including the bottom. If the dough is too moist, it’s okay to add a tablespoon or two of flour until the dough is one cohesive ball and very soft, but not sticky. 

Continue kneading with the dough hook on low for an additional 5-7 minutes. This can also be done by hand, and will need at least 10 minutes of stretch and fold kneading to achieve the desired elastic consistency. 

After kneading, cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic, and allow to rise at room temperature until the dough has doubled in bulk. This could take an hour or more, in a cool room, or less time if it’s warm.

Grease two loaf pans generously with butter or pan spray, or line with parchment. 

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and perform a few stretch and fold kneads to release excess air. 

Divide the dough in half, stretch or press each half to a rough rectangle on the counter, and roll each into a log about 8” long and 3” across. Place each log into a prepared pan, and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Allow to rise a second time until the loaves are doubled in size. The second rise will likely take less time than the first - perhaps 30 minutes. Use this time to preheat the oven to 350F.

Important: Do not over rise (overproof). Sometimes dough gets away from the best of us. If your dough seems very airy or flabby, you may have waited too long, which can cause the bread to collapse in the oven and end up dense. If you’re afraid you’ve overproofed, it’s okay to punch the dough down and give it one more try. An ideal dough will have expanded, but still be firm to the touch, and have some yeast action left to provide a nice ‘spring’ expansion in the oven. Another trick is to poke the dough with a finger - if it doesn’t bounce back, it’s ready to bake. 

Place your risen loaves into the oven on the middle rack and bake for 50 minutes until the crust is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. (Dinner rolls take only about 30 minutes).

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Turn loaves out on to the wire rack to cool.