You’re right, I’ve been a bit quiet of late. But that’s better than posting stuff for the sake of it.
Apart from the Big Gig, which I shall get round to writing about, it’s been a little procession of nice students on bread courses – and they’ve all been local for a change. First there was Alwen who recently retired and is determined to bake for sale. Then Rhian who paid up about a year ago and promptly broke her ankle. After the course she sent this:
which now lives on the kitchen wall.
And then, who other than the famous Jay Butters joint organiser of the Trefriw Bethesdabakin’, who has recently taken delivery of his Hausler oven, and who paid for his microbakery course by tree felling, supplying logs and cider. Just cider would have done but he’d already cut down the tree and, well, winter is on the way.
Anyway, when everything is going well there’s nothing like a GFU (Grand Fuck Up) to bring you back down to earth.
I wouldn’t say I was good at pizza but I would say I was reasonably competent at shaping wet dough, adding the toppings when the dough is on the peel and getting it onto the bake-stone in the oven. Last night I had a whim to make pizza for lunch today and knocked up a quick 80% dough. Normally that would go in the fridge for at least 48 hours but I decided to leave it to ferment at room temperature over night. This morning it was rather liquid but I tipped it out onto a well floured surface and gave it a few folds and again an hour later. When I tried to shape it there was hardly any gluten development and it tore easily so I attempted to get the first pizza in the oven in some haste:
But, is it art, as they say.
The remaining dough went in a sample Pac’nbake box that I had lurking and was given as a present so we hope the crumb opened a little:
Also in the picture, on the right half a 2K Classic using one of Jay’s wonderful “baguette” brotforms and, in the centre a confidence redeeming new loaf, Sweet Potato & Pecan.
Very delicious.
The PArtisan Baker 
I’ll come back to the pizza in a moment…
You had Jay attend your micro-bakery course! That’s cool! Did cider play much of a role during the course..?
I have to say I admire your posting shots of when it goes wrong – I am lacking in much of this kind of bravery, or more likely I’m so hacked off by a disastrous dough that I would rather sulk than take a picture of it.
That pizza though – if you want to draw a similarity with art, then as a viewer of said piece, I would probably expect to see the label “painted by Lucy, aged 2” underneath.
Back to serious – the sweet potato & pecan sounds and looks great, that’s really one I shall have to try.
Now then young Marcus. I am nothing other than professional during courses. No alcohol before twelve noon.