Brief Report on the Young Baker Competition, and a weekend of Bread Baking at Home

It's been half term holiday week here; where has it all gone I'm asking, as I go back to work tomorrow.

I s to have spent much of the week working hard to tackle all the complex issues I have to deal with ready for next year.

A brief reflection on our trip to Bolton on Friday 18th February is quite calming and re-assuring that my job is a good one.   Unfortunately Faye was not in the "prize money" on this occasion, but we both had a great day out, and were very well treated by our hosts.

Some photographs are attached as Faye presented her Nettle Bread to a judging panel of VIPs, including Brett Warburton, the man in the open neck shirt, busily checking out her loaf, and asking very pertinent questions.   How cool is that?   Also on the panel was the head of Innovation for Warburtons, Darren Littler, who I met some years ago when still a student myself.   Many of Warburtons R&D team were taught by the same lecturer as me, on the Baking course at Leeds.

Faye's bread was one of only 2 loaves which were genuinely artisan and made with a pre-ferment.   The other 2 Baking colleges in the hunt both used bread improvers in their loaves.   The other 4 entrants' loaves were from catering students, and looked like fairly ordinary homebaked bread.   What matters, however, were all the students' wonderful ideas and the hardwork put in to develop their loaves.   And, it cannot be an easy task to stand in front of 3 esteemed bakers from the Warburtons Company, and present your own product, and talk about it so confidently.   I was really proud of Faye, especially when she stated simply that she used a leaven in her bread as she was only interested in "artisan" bread, then proceeded to explain to Darren how she had built her own leaven from scratch, and kept it going all this time.   Some photographs below:

 Level 2 Baking Students have an entrance into the College "Equality and Diversity" Competition tomorrow, with a theme based on breads of the world.   These are to be made with our own local ingredients, primarily, and presented in a Cornucopia, made from bread dough.   My contribution is the Borodinsky bread shown below.   Given I had an active rye sourdough, a bag of good bread flour, and plenty of Bacheldre Dark Rye, I could not resist more baking today, with a Pain de Siegle.

Borodinsky using a "Scald"

Makes 1 "Pullman Pan"

Method:

• Build the rye sourdough over 2 to 3 refreshments from stock. Ferment fully after final refreshment through to sour
• For the "Scald", dissolve the molasses and malt extract in hot water, and bring to a boil in a pan. Grind the Coriander seeds and combine these with the salt and rye flour. Pour on the boiling liquor and stir to mix. Cover tightly and cool to ambient.
• Combine the sour and scald for the first stage of the final mix, then add in the remaining portions of flour to form a paste
• Bulk proof for one hour
• Shape into a Pullman Pan, pre-lined with silicone paper. Proof for 3 hours, approx. before baking
• Place into the oven rising to 180°C, with a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. Leave for one hour. Turn the oven down to 130°C and bake a further 3 hours. Turn the oven off and leave in the cooling oven a further 3 hours
• De-pan and cool on wires

Pain de Siègle

2 Boules of classic naturally leavened bread proved in Bannetons.

Method:

• Build the rye sourdough from stock with at least 2 refreshments
• Weigh the required sourdough, and add the correct amount of water to this. Blend, then carefully add the white flour. Combine, and autolyse for 1 hour.
• Start to develop the dough on the bench with 5 minutes work. Rest for 10 minutes. Add the salt, and develop the dough a further 5 - 10 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes, then develop a further 5 - 10 minutes.

• Line a bowl with a little oil as a container for the dough. Cover with cling film and bulk proof for 2 hours. Stretch and fold after 1 hour.
• Scale and divide. Mould round and place upside down in prepared bannetons.
• Final proof is approximately 3 hours.
• Pre-heat the oven and masonry to 250°C. Tip out each loaf, score the top, use steam, and bake for 15 minutes. Drop the oven temperature to 220°C and bake a further 20 minutes. Drop the oven temperature to 200°C and bake each loaf out.
• Cool on wires

It's proving hard to spend so much time on TFL at the moment.   I wish I had more time to post, but it's a tough time in UK education right now, with lots of challenges needing full response.

Andy