BREADMAKING MADE EASY - Highbridge, Somerset May 2014

Here's where I shall post all the preparation and planning for this course, plus links to the recipes of all the breads we make over the three weeks. I'll be surprised if we don't make a dozen or so different varieties of bread between us all! 

Here's the pre-course letter that students will receive:

Dear Student,

Breadmaking at Morland Hall, Pearce Drive, Off Morland Road, Highbridge, TA9 3ET, 9.30-12.30, 6^th to 20^th May 2014

This letter sets out what I intend will happen in the first session and includes a list of ingredients and utensils which you will need to bring. If you are new to breadmaking, let me reassure you that it is much easier than you have been led to believe.

The session will begin in a relaxed fashion – the first thing you need to do is to find somewhere to park all the stuff that I ask you to bring, get yourself a drink and a chair to sit on. There is some necessary administration to complete, but we can go through this together. If you need any help with the forms I will be there to give you a hand, so there’s no need to worry. Bring a pen if you can remember, although I will have a couple to spare.

Before we start I’d like to spend some time finding out if you’ve had any experience in breadmaking, and what you expect to get out of the course, so that I can hopefully meet all your requirements.

The breads we will be making on the first morning are: Plain soda bread, spiced fruit loaf (also soda bread) and a tinned loaf, yeast risen.

Each week you will make 2 or 3 varieties of bread – most of them chosen by you and the other students. However, there are various techniques I want to cover, such as ‘No-knead, overnight bread’, using the cloche method, etc. You will be given the recipes for all the breads we make, plus general breadmaking hints and tips. My aim is for you to become a competent home baker (if you’re not already!), able to bake any bread you fancy.

Bring a large basket or a cardboard box to carry all your equipment and ingredients, and the finished products to take home with you!  Coffee or tea is available during the session.

I want to reassure those students new to breadmaking that my first aim for this course is for everyone to enjoy their learning – I always delight in these sessions, and it’s my job to see that everyone else does. Breadmaking is an easy, everyday craft – as you’ll come to realise (if you haven’t already)!

If you have any questions, doubts, suggestions at all, please don’t hesitate to ring or email me. I always enjoy making contact with my students before the course begins.

Finally, I’d like to draw your attention to the word ‘Companion’. The ‘com’ part means together – as in community – and the ‘pan’ part of the word means bread. So the word ‘Companion’ can be taken to mean, ‘Someone who makes bread with friends’. Which is what we shall be doing on these Tuesday mornings!

I look forward to meeting you and welcoming you on the course.

Paul (Course tutor)

P.s. I’ve started a post on my blog where I will post all the planning for this course – plus all the pics, both mine and yours!

http://nobreadisanisland.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/breadmaking-made-easy-highbridge.html

Have a look around the blog – this will help you decide which breads you’d like to make.

Shopping list:

500g strong white flour (own brand is fine)

500g strong wholemeal flour (if you want to make a wholemeal loaf or rolls)

Baking powder

Olive oil

Salt

2 dessertspoons sugar (granulated is fine)

Mixed spice

100g dried fruit

10g fresh yeast (but I'll have plenty available if you can’t find any)

You will also need to bring:

An apron

A couple of tea towels, both to cover your dough whilst it's proving and to wrap your warm bread in to take home.

Baking paper/parchment (this is unlike ordinary greaseproof paper as it contains silicon)

Something to carry away the finished products (a large basket or cardboard box lined with tea towels would be ideal)

Mug (there are cups and saucers in the centre – not sure if they provide mugs)

BREADMAKING MADE EASY WORKSHOP at High Ham

 Saturday 7th December 2013.
I have to report that the workshop went very well! All the students left with half a dozen varieties of freshly made bread - and the confidence that they have the ability and the knowhow to attempt to make any bread they fancy. 

12 students turned up - our target audience, and all enjoyed a day of successful breadmaking. About half of the students had breadmaking machines - about which they were rather embarrassed, which they had no need to, of course! My view about bread machines is that they are just another kitchen tool - one containing a small mixer and a small oven. Machine users are at least controlling the quality of the food they eat - and I think they bring people into breadmaking.

I didn't take many pics - but here's what I've got. Amanda, one of my students from the Hornblotton course who arranged this day, took quite a few more. She intends to publish them on the village website - and I'll post a link to them when this happens.

BREADMAKING AT HADSPEN VILLAGE HALL

Stop Press: The last I heard is that there are still two places left. Get in touch if this appeals.

21^st July 2013

Here's the letter I sent this morning for the organiser to distribute to the students:

Breadmaking made easy workshops, 10.00am - 4.00pm

27^th July and 3^rd August at Hadspen Village Hall

Dear Student,

This letter sets out what I intend will happen on the first day and includes a list of items which you will need in the session. If you are new to breadmaking, let me reassure you that it is much easier than you may have been led to believe. It is indeed, ‘easy peasy’! Oh, and it’s also a lot of fun, as you’ll find out!

The session will begin in a relaxed fashion – the first thing you need to do is to find somewhere at the side of the hall to park all your stuff, get yourself a drink and a chair to sit on round the tables in the middle.

Before we start breadmaking I’d like to spend some time finding out what you expect to get out of the day’s session so that I can hope to meet all your requirements.

Lunch. We’ll be eating around 12.30-1.00, and everyone will make their own. All you need to bring is a little cheese – say 50g – and a tomato or a mushroom.

Here’s the programme for the first workshop as it stands:

Soda bread – with variations

Sizzlers (wraps) for lunch + fancy dinner rolls

Loaf – wholemeal or white plus seeds

Chelsea buns, spicy fruit buns

Focaccia and pizza

Sourdough: Sometime on the first workshop, you’ll be creating a sourdough starter to take home. For this you’ll need a jar of some kind – an ordinary jam jar would be fine - a 1ltr Kilner jar would be perfect! On the following Sunday we’ll use this to make a sourdough loaf.

If you don’t see the bread you’ve always wanted to make on this list, get in touch and we’ll see how we could fit it in to the programme.     

I have a blog, which I call “No bread is an island”, in which I write about – among other things – my teaching practice. On here I’ve started a post, “Hadspen breadmaking”, which contains all (most) of what you need to know about the course, including all my planning:

http://nobreadisanisland.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/breadmaking-at-hadspen-village-hall.html

Keep an eye on this, if you can – and check out the many recipes on the blog, including those for the breads I’ve already mentioned.

I have several aims for this course, one of which is that everyone should enjoy themselves! Another is that everyone will make good bread. At any time during the day the kettle can go on for a mug of tea or coffee. Cost 20p.

I'm sorry if this all sounds a bit daunting. Please let me assure you that it will all fall into place quite easily. If you have any suggestions, (or concerns) at all, please don't hesitate to ring me, I'm always very happy to talk to my students about bread.

Finally, can I draw your attention to the word ‘Companion’? The ‘com’ part means together – as in community – and the ‘pan’ part of the word means bread. So ‘Companions’ are people who make bread together! Which is what we shall be doing over these two Saturdays!

Best regards,

Paul Youd (Course Tutor)

You will need to bring:

Apron

Several tea towels, both to cover your dough whilst it's proving and to wrap any warm bread in to take home.

Something to carry away the finished products (a large basket or cardboard box lined with tea towels would be ideal)

Mug for hot drinks

Jar for the sourdough starter

You can also bring the following items – but they’re not essential:

Set of measuring spoons

Any favourite cooking utensil – sharp knife/scissors are always useful

Your favourite baking tray

Your favourite weighscales

Overall programme:

Soda breads

Fancy dinner rolls and freeform loaves

Small filled savoury breads – from sizzlers through stuffed parathas to pierogis and baozi (Chinese buns)

Larger filled savoury breads – from pasties to calzones to pane casereccio

Hot cross buns, through Chelseas to apfel kuchen (German apple cake) or schiacciata con l’uva

Flatbreads – from naan through pitta to trenchers and focaccia to pizzas

Sweetened breads – from iced buns through Devonshire splits to pain au chocolat and jam doughnuts

No-knead overnight bread

Yeast-risen batters – pikelets and socca

1st July 2013

Following the successful Breadmaking Made Easy course at Hornblotton in May, I've been asked by a student on the course to run a similar course at Hadspen Village Hall in South Somerset, on July 27th and August 3rd.

Here's the programme so far:

Soda bread – with variations

Sizzlers (wraps) for lunch + fancy dinner rolls

Loaf – wholemeal or white plus seeds

Chelsea buns, spicy fruit buns

Focaccia and pizza

This is just the suggested programme – for those with some experience of breadmaking I can offer these variations – apfel kuchen instead of Chelseas, fougasse instead of focaccia, calzone instead of pizza.

On the second Saturday students will decide themselves which breads we make - possibly sweet calzone; cheese, broccoli and potato pasties; sweet and savoury canapés. But we'll definitely include sourdough.