AND IF YOU DO MAKE IT HERE...:

As odd as it sounds, the 220-year-old company's headquarters -- nestled into a rolling field just over the Connecticut River from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. -- is a must-stop destination.

You can shop, dine and even sign up for a range of baking classes with King Arthur's experts.

This is no soulless corporate HQ. That's obvious the moment you pull up to the sprawling but beautiful post-and-beam building. Waves of freshly baked goodness waft out to you in the parking lot. First you whiff bread, then maybe scones. Or is it muffins? Definitely sugar cookies in the mix, too.

Step inside and the aromas intensify. Dead ahead is a cafe backed by a wall of freshly baked breads and pastries. To the right, an open kitchen where cavernous ovens produce heaps of carby treats.

But resist and head first to the left, where a massive store offers endless baking gadgets and supplies, not to mention every variety of flour and baking mix a home or pro cook could hope for. If you time it right, the demo kitchen in the back corner will be showing off and sampling all manner of goodies. [...]

If you can afford to build a bit more time into your visit, plan ahead and check out the Baking Education Center's class offerings. The classes, which range from quick flatbread and cookie courses to intensive, weeklong baking 101 immersions, are all taught in the beautiful kitchen classrooms right next to the cafe. Warning: Classes fill up fast.

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