THE HEAT IS ON
Volunteers at Ex bake 700 loaves daily in traditional clay-brick ovens
Harvey Kazakoff helped make Doukhobor bread at the Saskatoon Ex on Tuesday in what literally must be one of the hottest jobs in town. Temperatures in Saskatoon and Regina are expected to climb into the high 30s this week.
As you walk down the midway at the Saskatoon Ex, one thing you may not expect to find is a booth for homemade Doukhobor bread.
About 60 people volunteer each year to help with the bread, which is made fresh right on the exhibition grounds and sold as a fundraiser for the Doukhobor Society of Saskatoon.
“We make approximately 700 loaves of bread per day right now,” said one of the volunteers, Harvey Kazakoff.
The recipe is 200 years old. Each batch of dough uses 132 pounds of flour, and makes about 100 loaves. Once the dough rises, the bread is baked in one of three traditional clay-brick ovens, heated by wood fires.
“You must remember, as it starts, everything has to work in synchronism, because as the bread rises, the ovens have to be ready,” he said. “If the ovens aren’t ready, the yeast is not going to wait. It’s just going to keep rising.”
Kazakoff has been volunteering at the Doukhobor bread booth for about 20 years. He remembers when his mother would make bread — the best time to eat it was always when it was fresh from the oven.
Although some may not even know it’s there, over the years the booth also has developed its own regular customers. Kazakoff said they know some people who come to the Saskatoon Ex just to buy Doukhobor bread.
Beside the window of the booth, a little bit of the history of the Doukhobors and the bread booth can be found. The Doukhobors came to the Canadian Prairie in 1899 from Russia, looking for a new home after they were chased out for their religious beliefs. The Doukhobor Society of Saskatoon was formed in 1955 and is still active today.
Bread is symbolic to the Doukhobors. Bread, salt, and water play a large role in Doukhobor events because they symbolize hospitality and friendship. Bread is also a symbol of the commitment to the historic Doukhobor motto, “Toil and Peaceful Life.”
Bread is available at the booth by the slice with butter and jam, or by the loaf. The booth is open from 12 p.m. until midnight — or until the bread sells out.