Originally published in the Fall 2019 issue of Spoke+Blossom

Slow and steady is the baking philosophy at the heart of Blue Grouse Bread bakery in Norwood. It begins with a hearty sourdough starter. From there, it sits for 12 to 14 hours until the next day when the rest of the ingredients are added and left to ferment for another three hours. The last phase is shaping the dough and allowing it to rest overnight until it is baked the next day and shared throughout the Western Slope.

“Every step of our three-day baking process is intentional and is about adding a layer of complexity of flavor,” says Hannah Rossman, co-owner of Blue Grouse Bread. “The hearth and long fermentation time create a bread with an open crumb and a crust that has developed arich color and caramelization.”

Hannah and Ben Rossman are the dynamic cousin-duo and co-owners behind this organic bread bakery. Originally from Vermont, they both took their own paths to bread making.

“I’ve always worked in kitchens and bakeries,” says Hannah. “When I moved to Norwood with my husband, I was apprenticing at a local bakery doing wedding cakes and pastries, but I would often create small batches of sourdough for them. That’s when the idea sparked that maybe I should take this further.”

Ben started cooking in high school with his mom, and when he moved out west for college, he was introduced to sourdough cultures by a friend. After a few weeks of starting his own “mother,” he baked his first sourdough loaf.

“My love for bread gained quick momentum, and after teaching myself — with the help of Hannah on call — I took a lead baker job in Jackson,” says Ben. “Once I had that commercial baking experience, Hannah asked if I wanted to move down to start a bakery with her.”

On his way to Norwood, Ben took a road trip where he visited some of the best bakeries in the country. In 2016, Blue Grouse Bread officially opened, carrying with it many of the bread-making concepts from Ben’s “BreAdventure.” They use high-quality, organic, locally-sourced ingredients when possible and mill their own whole wheat flour.

“We are extremely excited because we just received a grant for a 40-inch stone mill and a millshed behind our bakery,” says Hannah. “We will also get a sifter so that we can mill 100 percent of our own flour.”

The mill project is huge, not just for Blue Grouse Bread, but for the community of Norwood. It will allow them to support the local farmers who are growing specialty grain crops and will bring the community together.

“Without our community, none of this would be possible,” says Ben. “Someone once told me that when you invest in your community, they will invest in you. I have certainly found that to be true here in Norwood and in Southwest Colorado in general.”

Blue Grouse Bread: Breads For The Western Slope