A Campagne In The Sun

Yes, Spring has arrived in Bethesda. The sun is shining and the fresh breeze is whipping the dust off the quarry in great clouds. Could film Laurence of Arabia up there at the moment … First proper outdoor photo of the year? Pain de Campagne. Wonder how many thousands of them I’ve baked over the […]

Pic’oddities

I am in the luxurious position of having retired from baking for sale three years ago and owning a Pico since then. So I can mess about without worrying about the effect my mistakes and idiosyncrasies might have on customers. Whenever I mix pizza dough for myself and my partner I do twice as much […]

Panwozzo?

It was my birthday on Monday (a mere 78 if you want to know) and Sue dragged me off to big London for a gastronomic few days, the highlight of which was lunch at Moro on the day. Arrived Saturday evening in the pissing rain, the train only two hours late. Took a cab to […]

A Haggis Farewell

Every Sunday, on the stroke of midday, Kev comes up and we share a glass of cider. I supply the cider and Kev usually brings a bottle of wine, so I get the better half of the bargain. Couple of weeks ago he says, I’ve got something a bit different for you – a haggis. […]

Santes Dwynwen Rye Babka

I’ve devised plenty of bread formulas in my time, but never one that developed in the course of the actual mixing/fermenting/baking process. First off, Santes Dwynwen is the patron saint of lovers in Wales and her day is 25 January. My version of her story can be found here. Back in 2018 I produced a […]

Wholemeal Raisin Challah No 2

Yet another variation on Raisin Challah mainly from the Babka Zana wholemeal recipe recalculated to include the raisins. Here’s the formula: Method here Just as good with cheddar for supper as with honey for breakfast …

Littl’uns

It’s a truism that bakers never have bread for themselves (even retired bakers). Apart from miscalculations, you weaken and give the bread you put aside for yourself to a pleading customer who forgot to order. Nowadays, of course, there’s the memory factor – the so called Senior Moment (daft old bat!) And, if you only […]

Reader, I Bought A Loaf …

Can’t remember the last time I bought bread in the UK. Last Wednesday I not only bought a loaf, I went to England to buy it. You’ve probably heard of Elite Bistros run by Gary Usher – half a dozen bistros set up in the past twelve or so years + a pub, all in […]

Scraps!

It’s my old friend 80%, the most useful dough in the book – 80% Hydration Dough. Still mix it in a plastic bowl with an ancient, bent spatula and knead by lifting the dough repeatedly on the spatula and letting it fall back into the bowl under its own weight. No hands in this dough. […]

Nuts!

Walnuts are so common in France that they are just called Nuts (Noix). Nuts (along with seeds) have been virtually been banned in this household since Sue became unable to digest them without suffering excruciating pain. This cuts out quite a chunk of the baking repertoire – His and Hers loaves would be a bit […]