Gale Collier’s “Quick Raisin Granola Breakfast Rolls” Earns Prize Package worth more than $5,000

WICHITA, Kan. - Gale Collier, Redmond, Oregon, has won the grand prize in the 2011 National Festival of Breads bread-baking competition, sponsored by King Arthur Flour, Fleischmann’s Yeast and the Kansas Wheat Commission. Collier’s recipe, “Quick Raisin Granola Breakfast Rolls” was selected from among eight finalist recipes bake-tested at the public competition on June 25 in Wichita.

“This experience was awesome and amazing,” said Collier, who is married, with two young children. “I came away with a whole new appreciation for what goes into that bag of flour I pick up at the grocery store.”

Collier’s recipe was selected by a panel of three judges, including Melissa Knific, Assistant Food Editor for Family Circle magazine; Aaron Clanton, Baking Curriculum Manager at AIB International and Naji Toubia, owner of Bagatelle Bakery in Wichita. Judging was based on taste, originality, ease of preparation, healthfulness, and appearance.

“The second National Festival of Breads was a tremendous success. Our eight finalists were outstanding in every way, and their breads were creative, great-tasting and incorporated a host of top-quality ingredients from wheat flour, to raisins, cranberries and cheese,” said Cindy Falk, nutrition educator for Kansas Wheat and chairperson of the National Festival of Breads. “A crowd of nearly 550 people attended the event and participated in free baking sessions, sampled fresh-baked breads and cinnamon rolls and enjoyed our miniature trade show. The 2011 National Festival of Breads exceeded our expectations.”

Collier receives a cash prize of $2,000, plus a year’s supply of Fleischmann’s Yeast and an expense-paid trip to the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center in Norwich, Vermont. She also earned the $500 Special Raisin Award, sponsored by California Raisins.

Each finalist also received a $500 cash award and expense-paid trip to Wichita. The Kansas visit featured a Wheat Harvest Tour including a visit to a working wheat farm, grain elevator, and flour mill.

Since its inception, the National Festival of Breads has played a role in helping eradicate childhood hunger. This year, the final product from each of the eight contestants was auctioned off at a benefit for the Share Our Strength program. During the Festival of Breads activities, fresh-baked cookies, cupcakes and cakes were sold at the Great American Bake Sale, a program sponsored by Share Our Strength. Loaves of fresh-baked bread and pans of cinnamon rolls, baked on-site by the Nebraska Wheat Growers Association, also were donated to the Great American Bake Sale. In all, more than $2,000 was raised to help feed needy children in Wichita and surrounding areas. Collier’s Grand Champion bread was auctioned for $225 to Dillons Food Stores, based in Hutchinson, Kan.

More than 500 home bakers from around the country entered the National Festival of Breads, which sought the best original bread recipes from home bakers throughout the United States.

The finalists include:

Ethnic Category

• Mary Allen, Troy, Ohio, “Tart Cherry Schiacciata”
• Teresa Cardin, Valley Mills, Texas. “Apple Cider Cranberry Bread”

Rolls Category

• Lois Dowling, Tacoma, Washington, “Triple Tangerine Twirling Treats”
• Robin Porter, Lilburn, Georgia, “Jalapeno Cheddar Wheat Hamburger Buns”

Time-Saving and Easy Category

• Patricia Harmon, Baden, Pennsylvania, “Fruit-of-the-Vine and Rosemary Olive Oil Snack Bread with Pine Nuts”
• Gale Collier, Redmond, Oregon, “Quick Raisin Granola Breakfast Rolls”

Whole Grain

• Jamie Swisher, High View, West Virginia, “Sweet Wheat Bread”
• Candy McMenamin, Lexington, South Carolina, “Charred Lime Ginger Sweet Rolls”

Additional information about the 2011 National Festival of Breads, including the finalists’ recipes and a complete list of sponsors is available on the official contest website, NationalFestivalofBreads.com.