Workshop: Artisan I, May 2009

Course Content
This is a well-rounded program covering the art of bread making. Some people in the class were professional bakers and some of us were home bakers. I found that even though there were two groups with different levels of expertise in the class, the course was targeted to those with more experience, thus creating tension for those of us that didn't fully understand all of the information being presented.

Organization
Both the classroom and lab were appropriate and very nicely set-up. The TV monitor in the classroom was installed off to one side of the room making it difficult to see and read the PowerPoint Slideshow from the other side. The curriculum was pretty complete, even though some topics were not discussed in depth in the classroom so that a clear understanding of the procedure was reached before going in the lab and doing the work.

Once in the lab, we were pretty much following the instructor's directions as to when to hold water from the mix, switch to 2nd. speed, stop mixing, do folds, without an adequate explanation from him about what was happening to the dough at those particular moments in order to make those decisions. Even after taking the class I still don't know what to look for in the dough to make some of those decisions! Pre-shaping and shaping techniques were covered in the lab in a fairly quick and short demonstration, and the little information in our binders covering that information was insufficient. Instead, we were expected to take notes and make sketches during the lab demonstrations making it difficult to pay full attention to what was being shown. In the lab, the instructor wasn't mindful to speak up loudly enough during the demonstrations or ask students to keep conversations to a minimum, making it very difficult at times to hear what was being said.

Instructor
The instructor knew the curriculum very well. Unfortunately he didn't convey the information clearly and effectively. Even though the curriculum was well-organized, the instructor's teaching style wasn't because he kept jumping forwards and backwards throughout the information in our binder during the class.

On day four I made a suggestion about his presentation and his response in front of the whole class was to just say "whatever". Frankly, I found his dismissive response insulting, disrespectful, and inappropriate for a learning setting, and it clearly reflected poorly on him and on the SFBI. At that point I realized he lacked the capacity, sophistication, sensibility, and sensitivity to properly communicate to the diversity of his students.

There were other times when I asked him a question and he would plainly ignore me and walk away from me as I was talking. It was hard for me not to take this personally but I have come to understand that he wasn't capable of simply saying "this isn't a good time for me, could you please ask me later". Thus when it came to asking questions, which I certainly did, my impression was that questions were not welcomed. And when he did answer questions his answers were sometimes inconsistent, creating more confusion and thus the need to ask a further question.

I had the impression that the group would have really enjoyed getting to know him had he joined the group at the lunch table even for a few minutes at any one point during the course of the week and this in turn would have allowed him to genuinely find out more about his students and their interests.

Schedule & Pace
The schedule was heavily packed and the pace was fast and demanding. However, all of it was achievable and very close to what you would find in a professional setting, which was great. Even though I had never made more than a loaf at a time and it would take me practically all day to make it, here we were making in excess of 25 loaves in a day out of 5 different mixes.

Balance of Time
The amount of class time, lab observation, and lab action was fairly well balanced, with the exception of those topics that were only covered in lab and not in class and vice-versa.

What, if anything, should we add to the curriculum?
More time discussing and practicing Baker's Percentages, probably from day one of the workshop. Ten minutes covering this subject and one example on the last day of class it's not sufficient amount of time spent on this topic to fully comprehend it and to feel that you can leave the classroom and do it at home.

Was the SFBI staff helpful to you? What else could we do to give you the best possible experience?
Yes, most of the staff was very helpful, friendly, and approachable, in particular Mr. Suas, the other instructors, and the people that ran the kitchen. Also the students doing the 18-week professional training program were very nice and willing to share their experiences at the SFBI. I did notice that even though the staff was very nice and helpful, they kept to themselves and seemed somewhat reserved when it came to interacting with the students especially in the dining area. It would have been nice to see the staff, including Mr. Suas and the instructor, sit with the students during lunch at least once during our week-stay at the SFBI.

What additional workshops or events would you like to see at SFBI?
More two-day workshops. Possible topics: Pizzas, Operating a small baking business.

What was your favorite thing about studying at SFBI?
Meeting the different, interesting, and diverse people who have a similar passion when it comes to baking as I do. Not to mention the wonderful breads we got to make, taste, and take home at the end of each day.

Additional comments
Taking this workshop at the SFBI was certainly a worthwhile experience for me. Mr. Suas, President of the SFBI, has put together a wonderful place for people from many walks of life and backgrounds to come together and learn the ins and outs of baking. And even though I wish I would have left at the end of the week feeling that I understood fully the curriculum I signed-up for, this experience has offered me the opportunity to learn about many aspects of baking that I hadn't even considered. Unfortunately because of the personalities involved in the process my experience was somewhat bitter-sweet. I would definitely consider taking other workshops offered at the SFBI. However, I feel that I could only do this when the points that I'm raising here have been acknowledged and addressed to ensure all students are made feel welcomed and encouraged to ask questions in a learning environment that promotes dignity and respect.

The reason I emailed this evaluation is that under these circumstances and given my personal experience I knew it would take me more than 5 minutes, rushed at the end of the long 5-day class, to fairly and objectively critique the class and the instruction. Furthermore, hearing the instructor say jokingly, though unprofessionally, that he would look through the evaluation forms and any that weren't "good" wouldn't make it to Mr. Suas, made me feel uneasy about taking the time to fill it out right there and then, and just turn it in at the end of the class.

I've been on a buckwheat kick lately and wanted to try Michel Suas' Buckwheat Pear Bread. Suas' book, Advanced Bread and Pastry, poses some problems for me in that its recipes all assume the baker knows what he or she is doing. While I generally know what I'm doing, I don't always remember to do what I know.

I made the levain yesterday, soaked the pears in riesling wine for an hour this morning, and then completed dough. The recipe didn't specify whether to dice the dried pears, but fortunately I was able to find some information about it on the SFBI site and figured out they were suppose to be diced. Still, I didn't know whether the weight of the pears was before or after soaking. I used the before soaking weight, and that was probably a mistake. The final dough was pretty sticky, and although not unmanageable, I think I would have been better off if the dough had been a bit firmer. Another thing that the formula doesn't tell you is how to assemble the final dough. After I had dumped everything in the mixer bowl, I thought, "I should have mixed the water with the levain before putting in the rest of the ingredients." That was a good thought but unfortunately I thought it a little too late. Anyway, I mixed everything up as best I could, but had trouble getting the pears and walnuts incorporated during the final minute of mixing and had to work them in by hand; the final dough was pretty sticky. The dough took about 2 hours to double. I shaped it into 3 rounds and let them rest 30 minutes, then formed them into loaves for my mini pans. I wasn't interested in making my loaves into the recommended pear shape--I'm way too utilitarian for that. I let my loaves proof for 1 hour and then baked them with steam at 400º for 35 minutes.

The crumb is a slightly spongy and a little wetter than I think it is suppose to be. Perhaps I under- or over-mixed the dough. You can see darker and lighter parts in the crumb; I think that is probably owing to my failure to incorporate the levain and water at the beginning. The pear taste is very prominent but not overwhelming; the buckwheat taste is very subtle. If nothing else, these little loaves will make great toast.

Levain:

39 g buckwheat flour

138 g bread flour

174 g water

1/8 t yeast

1/8 t salt

Final Dough:

280 g bread flour

135 g water

11 g salt

3 1/2 g yeast

39 g toasted walnuts

92 g dried, diced pears reconstituted for 1 hour in white wine

My interpretation of how to put this bread together:

Make the levain 12 hours beforehand. Mix the levain with the water for the final dough, add in the remaining ingredients except the nuts and pears, and knead on speed 2 until you achieve improved mix (window pane forms but breaks when stretched). Add the pears and walnuts on speed 1 after the dough has been developed.

Let ferment at room temperature until double, about 2 hours. Preshape into 3 pieces and let rest for 30 minutes. Form into mini-loaves and let proof for about 1 hour. Bake in a 400º oven with steam for about 35 minutes.

--Pamela

I've been experimenting with various method of making San Francisco Sourdough for some time now. Suas' SF Sourdough loaf came out pretty well. I baked it with steam instead of under a cloche and didn't get as much oven spring as I hoped for. This loaf underwent bulk fermentation on the counter and was proofed in the refrigerator. It isn't quite as sour as I would like. I achieve the degree of sourness I'm looking for only when I do both the bulk fermentation and proofing in the refrigerator.

                      The crumb of this loaf is medium open and doesn't have a glisteny wet look about it.

Levain:

2 1/2 oz. bread flour

1/8 oz. rye flour

1 1/4 oz. water

starter (stiff) 2 1/8 oz. (50% hydration)

Mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Allow to ferment 12 hours at room temperature (65º - 70º).

Final Dough:

14 7/8 oz. flour (I used bread flour)

10 7/8 oz. water

3/8 oz. salt

6 oz. levain (all of the levain)

My Method: mix water and levain in mixer with paddle to loosen levain (about 1 minute). Add remaining ingredients and mix for an additional minute. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes so flour can hydrate. Resume mixing with dough hook for about 4 - 5 minutes to achieve a medium consistency (gluten structure is developed, but not fully--window pane forms but breaks upon stretching). Put dough into an oiled container with a lid. Let ferment for 1 1/2 hours at room temperature. Do a stretch and fold. Let ferment for another 1 1/2 hours at room temperature. Form into a ball and let rest 20 minutes. Shape into batard, put into a banneton, cover with a plastic bag sprayed with pan-spray and refrigerate for 12 to 16 hours. Turn out onto pan-sprayed parchment and bake on a stone in a 450º preheated oven for about 25 minutes with steam.

Makes a single two pound loaf (weight before baking).

Below is a picture of a loaf I baked several days ago. This loaf underwent overnight bulk fermentation in the refrigerator after the stretch and fold, overnight proofing in the refrigerator, and was baked with a cloche; it got much better oven spring and had better sour flavor. I'm sold that this is the way to go. I don't think it is so much the particular formula as the method. Additionally, in my experience, loaves that undergo this much refrigeration, tend to be pretty wet (slack, extensible, whatever you want to call it), but seem to bake up well in spite of this characteristic. I'm not sure how you go about successfully scoring such a wet loaf, but perhaps that isn't as important as the taste. Yesterday I read in Local Breads that wetter doughs have bigger holes. Based on my experience, I'm a believer.

                      The crumb of this loaf is very open and has a glisteny wet look about it.

--Pamela

Howard's been baking his way through many of Suas' recipes at a furious pace. His posts have been equally inspiring and enlightening. With Howard way ahead of the curve, the last few weeks I've found myself sifting through the debris and studying the dough scraps left in his wake. Wanting a simple, clean and filling every day loaf, I had my first crack at the whole wheat sourdough (dough scrap #1).

I branched a stiff white starter off my rye starter on Saturday morning. By Sunday morning, the stiff white levain was good to go. The whole wheat flour I'm using has a very high content of bran, so I'm paying close attention when mixing the dough. As opposed to Howard, who did a shorter mix followed by a series of folds, I went with Suas' directions, and did an improved mix. Due to the many bran particles in the dough, it's difficult to get a perfect windowpane, but after a total of 8 - 10 mins. in the mixer, and a few folds in the bowl using a dough scraper, the dough was remarkably strong when I tugged at it. With the improved mix, there are usually no folds during bulk fermentation, so the dough was allowed to ferment for two hours uninterrupted.

Just yesterday I received my first ever brotforms, and I was a bit nervous that the dough would stick during final proof. A liberal dusting prevented that... thank heavens. Instead, a nicely risen boule bumped down on the peel, and off into the oven it went.

As you can see, the crumb is a bit darker than Howard's (probably due to the coarse WW flour in my mix?), and the above crumb is also more uniform. I'm guessing that Howard's initial autolyse (increased extensibility) and his shorter mixing time are both contributing to a more irregular crumb structure in his version of the bread. Additionally, I shaped the dough into a quite tight boule, which also usually suggests a more uniform crumb. The desired loaf characteristics should dictate the choices made during the baking process.

This is a solid everyday bread that can be used to virtually everything. It's got a deliciously moist crumb, and a splendid aroma. Top it with cheese, meats, fish, jam or nothing - it's a terrific bread either way!

I'm eating a lot of bread these days :)

The latest batch to come out of my oven, is pictured below: Two loaves of Suas' caramelized hazelnut squares.

A total of four different preferments are mixed 12 hours before the final dough: Two levains (a white and a rye levain), and two stiff sponges (a white and a whole wheat sponge). The two sponges and the white levain are very stiff, probably to make the final dough stronger. I did consider doing an autolyse on the non-prefermented flour, but I feel the resulting increased protease activity would counteract the effect of the stiff preferments, so I dropped the autolyse. The recipe doesn't call for any either, and I think it was a wise choice as the overall dough is very wet (77%).

After an "improved mix" and some folds in the bowl using a plastic scraper (thanks to mountaindog for updating me on the vocabulary!), roasted and caramelized hazelnuts were incorporated on first speed. The mixed dough was bulk fermented for two hours, with a very gentle fold after one hour. The dough was a bit sticky but not overly so. Wet hands and a dough scraper saved it from getting stuck to the table :)

No pre-shaping on this one, just cut it in two pieces and scooped them into rectangles and 35 mins. proof.

The rustic "squares" (yeah, mine aren't exactly square now are they?) are incredibly rich in flavor. To me, the recipe is perfectly balanced between a wheaty, slightly sour note and the sweet, decadent hazelnuts. The crumb is very airy and light, and the crust is crunchy and strong. What to put on top of these slices? I tried one with some Dutch cheese and one with a bit of honey, but for this loaf, my best advice is: Bread alone. :)