Today was a fun day, featuring a thoroughly informal and just as thoroughly entertaining class on how to make bread.  Eight friends and acquaintances received a lesson on making a honey whole-wheat bread.  Two of them thought that they would just observe but we had them up to their elbows in flour along with the rest of the group in no time flat. 

It was raucous and messy and fast-paced.  Lots of questions (good ones!) and lots of interest.  At the end, we helped Joan clean up her kitchen and get things put back to rights.  Afterward, everyone took their shaped and panned dough home for the final rise and baking.  I've already seen a couple of FB posts.

The format was simple.  Everyone brought their own utensils and I supplied the ingredients since I need to clean out the pantry anyway.  I had a sheet with the recipe and instructions printed up for each student, along with another tip sheet that, among other things, referenced TFL.  I had everyone weighing and measuring after a minimal intro, then used the autolyze time to go into a bit more detail and field questions.  There was one bobble, mine, while assembling the final dough, in that I forgot to have them put the butter in the dough.  So much for practicing mise en place!  Anyway, it was a good opportunity to demonstrate that just about any mistake is recoverable and that adjustments are inevitable even without mistakes.

We used the time for the bulk ferment to munch on a loaf of Sweet Vanilla Challah that I had brought along for that purpose, along with the demo loaf of the honey whole-wheat that I had prepared in advance.  Bonus discovery of the day: challah smeared with Nutella and coconut butter is way more than just good.  Next time you're in Florida, pick up a jar of the coconut butter.  Just sayin'.

Some pictures:

I'm pretty sure that at least one or two will use this as a launch pad for further baking on their own.  Even if it doesn't become something that they choose to do consistently, they at least have the knowledge that they can make bread on their own.  And that it can be a lot of fun.  That's a good thing to have.

Paul

Hi, all.

I'm very excited about just having joined this forum. I was born and raised in Germany and learned the craft of a Baker as a teenager there. After 4 years of school and apprenticeship, I am proud to call myself a "Journeyman". Married a gal from Iowa and moved to Rochester, MN in 1995. Worked for a year at a local bakery until I realized that the night hours of a baker simply don't agree with a newly wedded wife who is a nurse. Different job for me then. After quite a few years later, we built a house in Zumbrota, just 30 minutes North of Rochester. After moving in, we found out we (and by "we", I mean my wife) found out we'd have a baby. After the first year, I decided to quit my job and stay home full time with the little guy. That allowed me to delve into Baking a little more again. I had been using my Zojirushi for our everyday bread, but then we decided I should get more serious: I'll be taking an Oven Building Class at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN in May. See http://www.northhouse.org/courses/courses/course.cfm/cid/328 for details. I'm planning to build next Spring and then hopefully be able to bake and sell at local Farmers Markets - mostly for fun and bragging rights; I realize this isn't going to be a full-time job (and I don't want it to be).

Looking forward to learn from and share with all of you!

Stephan

Warren will be presenting a Demo Class on Artisan Bread Baking using the Big Green Egg on Jan 23rd at our store in Shillington, Pa.

It's FREE so if you have any interest, please stop by and watch Warren in action and sample his breads. All we ask is that you register in advance so we can plan properly. Hope to see some of our new friends on this forum at the demonstration!

Fred Bernardo (SmokinGuitarPlayer)

Here's the official press release and INFO / REGISTRATION LINKS

......

ARTISAN BREAD MASTER DEMO CLASS
Featuring WARREN PRINCE
 
SATURDAY JAN 23 RD WE ARE PLEASED TO WELCOME WARREN PRINCE (AKA "UNCONUNDRUM") FOR AN ARTISAN BREAD MASTER DEMO CLASS! Warren will demonstrate the baking methods he uses to bake his fabulous artisan breads. He'll bake some fabulous artisan loaves in real time on the Big Green Egg Smoker/Grill. You'll get to sample these great breads and focaccia. Some of the breads made will  include Challah, Wild rice & onion, and multi-grain and multi-seed types.
 
Warren will discuss all phases of Artisan bread baking on the Big Green Egg,in a Wood Fired Oven or your home oven and you'll see how "the Egg" performs as a baking oven or pizza oven. You learn how to set up your grill, Big Green Egg, or you home oven for "steam injection" when baking, as well as dough mixing, fermentation, flour types, etc. etc. etc. Warren has a huge amount of information to show us and discuss....everybody there will learn a ton about baking bread and focaccia. 

 
Warren has donated his services so this Master Demo Class is ABSOLUTELY FREE .....but PLEASE YOU LET US KNOW YOU ARE COMING !!
FOR MORE INFO AND/OR TO REGISTER CLICK THIS LINK
http://www.fredsmusicandbbq.com/category_s/619.htm

I just returned from the King Arthur Flour Co’s Baking Education Center and wanted to share my experience taking the 10hr, day and a half class:  “Naturally Leavened Breads” with Jeffrey Hamelman. Being greeted by sunny 70 degree weather in beautiful Vermont was a great way to start the day and the Education Center is a light and airy building with lots of well managed work space. 

We were set up two at a work bench and each of the 12 participants had their own set of tools:  a 6qt Kitchenaid or 7qt Viking mixer, a scale, metal and plastic dough scrapers, stainless steel bowls and of course access to lots and lots of Flour. We were also given a packet with formulas we would be using for our Breads along with others on Desired Dough Temperature, making Liquid and Stiff Levains, etc. The class room is in the same building as the K A Bakery and we would work in the commercial equipment area as needed during the day.

the breads

After a short introduction Jeffrey had us dig right in … within minutes of arrival we were Scaling materials and preparing in earnest for the 7-8 loaves of Bread we would each be bringing home  by the next day’s end of class. It became clear from the beginning that this was not going to be a walk in the park … not a lecture format about Bread … rather an intense, professional, emersion into natural levained Bread … real ‘on the job training’ under the hand of a Maestro.

The whole class, the flow and timing of everything we did, was built around the Bread.  When our dough was taking a breather then we had time for a demonstration, a talk from Jeffrey or questions and answers, otherwise we were attentive to our job ... making and baking Bread.

We worked with:  a Pain au Levain with All Purpose Flour (KA Sir Galahad) and Medium Rye, a Currant and Walnut Sourdough with Sir Galahad and Whole Wheat Flour, and a 5 Seed Sourdough with Sir Gal, High Gluten Flour (KA Sir Lancelot) and Whole Wheat Flour.

5 seed sourdough

We used both Liquid and Stiff Cultures and were shown, and then directly used, different techniques on each loaf: hand or machine mixing, autolyse, soakers, room temperature bulk fermentations with folding, and 40deg overnight retarding to name a few.  Forming options for different types of loaves and slashing styles were shown and then tried out. We received countless tips like: adding optional fresh yeast, using a lined benneton when retarding, how to convert a liquid levain to a firm one, and on and on. Luckily these many learnings were not isolated lectures but put to use right after the individual descriptions/examples were shown. This made everything Jeffrey taught easier to integrate.

This was set up to great advantage because it not only allowed us to learn the varied construction possibilities but also to be able to do comparisons. For example, a machine mixed Pain au Levain could be compared side by side with a hand mixed Pain and an overnight retarded Pain.  Or a Sourdough Bread made with Stiff Levain compared to one made with a 125% hydration Liquid Levain. So, ease/timing of production using different techniques at the bench was directly mated with actual taste tested results from the oven. I saw that everything we do in Bread making is more than just a method choice … it is a choice for a desired result.

currant and walnut sourdough

If there was an overriding theme to the class it would be this:  Once a ‘technique’ was completed he directed us to then look to the dough for confirmation/nonconfirmation of what we had done. I saw how measurement and clock work are very important parts in Jeffrey’s production. They are a foundation that helps bring consistency and a standard and honesty to our work. But, he stressed that only through direct connection with the dough itself can we see if what we are doing is really working well and will make the best Bread. 

At some point during the two days of class each participant called out ‘ Jeffrey!!! ‘   Is this Poolish ripe?   or    is the gluten developed enough?     am I too wet here?     Is this proofed enough?  

“ See with your fingers ”  he would reply,  and then he’d call us all over to give our opinion, each to look and touch … to know for ourselves. He would never tell us what his take on the matter was until we gave ours. That was a real gift.

I’ve attached a few photos of the Breads I made in class.  One of my Pain au Levain is missing from the group picture … I ate it on the drive home.

Thank you Mr. Hamelman

        and Susan and Crew at the KA Baking Education Center.

Dave

Pain au levain

miche style pain au levain approx 1.5 kilos