Bread bakers wanted for State Fair Dream Team

Batter up, bakers. It's Dream Team time!

For three years, The Pilot's Dream Team of bakers has triumphed at the State Fair of Virginia, crushing the competition with cakes, cookies and pies.

This year, let's bust 'em up with quick breads.

For the longest time, South Hampton Roads cooks were largely absent from the baked-goods competitions at the state fair. Why, you'd think that here we slake our sweet tooth with Twinkies.

We knew that wasn't the case. So in 2008, we formed The Pilot's first Dream Team, trained our sights on the cake categories, held a series of competitions in Norfolk and brought the best of each category to the fair in September.

Our 2008 Dream Team won eight ribbons. In 2009, our cookie-baking Dream Team brought home 11 ribbons. In 2010, bakers won seven ribbons in the ultra-competitive pie category.

The Pilot's 2011 Dream Team will compete in the quick-bread division.

We'll hold the Dream Team competitions in August in our downtown Norfolk office. Local culinary professionals and past Dream Team members will serve as judges. First-, second- and third-place winners in each category will win a spot on the 2011 Dream Team.

Then, early on the morning of the state fair competition, we'll drive the Dream Team's goods to the fairgrounds, where we are sure to win big.

HOW TO ENTER

To secure a spot in The Pilot's 2011 Dream Team competition, send an email to dream.team@pilotonline.com or call (757) 222-5498. Leave your name, the quick-bread category you plan to enter and a phone number and/or email address. If you leave an email address in a phone message, please spell it out slowly and clearly.

CATEGORIES

-Fruit or nut bread

-Coffee cake

-Corn bread

-Batter bread

-One half-dozen biscuits

Note You may enter only one category.

DEADLINE TO REGISTER

July 14. We want you to have plenty of time to practice! Enter now, as we can accept only the first 10 entries in each category.

WHO'S ELIGIBLE

The contest is open to all amateur cooks age 18 and older, not just Virginia residents. All quick breads must be made from scratch. The recipe need not be original, but the execution must be sublime. You must agree to allow The Pilot to publish your recipe.

THE DREAM TEAM

We'll hold a competition Aug. 21 to determine the members of the Dream Team (see more info below). We'll name the top three winners in each of the five categories, and those 15 people will become the 2011 Dream Team and have their breads entered in the state fair. First-place winners will receive Dream Team oven mitts.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Thursday, July 14 The deadline to register for the competition. A few days after the deadline, we will notify those who have won a spot to compete.

Sunday, Aug. 21 That's the date of the Dream Team competition. By 3 p.m., bakers must bring two loaves of their bread, coffee cake or biscuits on nonreturnable plates to The Pilot's downtown Norfolk office. The office is located at 150 W. Brambleton Ave., near Scope. Judging starts at 3:30 p.m., and competitors (and their family members or friends) are encouraged to stay to meet fellow bakers, learn who makes the Dream Team, listen to the comments from the judges and sample other cooks' breads.

Tuesday, Sept. 27 Dream Team members must deliver one perfect plate of their quick bread to The Pilot's downtown Norfolk office by 8 p.m. The bread must be on a nonreturnable plate and sealed in a zip-top plastic bag.

Wednesday, Sept. 28 We'll deliver the breads to the state fair's baked-goods competition. Staff epicure Lorraine Eaton will blog live from the competition that day.

KEEPING UP TO DATE

Throughout the process of picking the Dream Team, Lorraine will give frequent updates on her blog.

WHAT IF YOU DON'T WIN?

Bakers who do not win a spot on The Pilot's Dream Team can enter the state fair competitions on their own. Competitions range from ketchup to candy. Learn more at www.statefairva.org.