Astounding News

Two amazing pieces of news today. The most astonishing: I saw my doctor today and he said my liver was fine (!!!???) Second, and this has kept me smiling all day, young Adam Newey is opening his shop in Camberwell tomorrow. What a star! 18 months after opening a microbakery in his flat, the Hill […]

Dewi Sant

As you all know yesterday was 01 March and 01 March is St. David’s Day and St David (Dewi Sant) is the patron saint of Wales and I have lived in Wales for 30 years any day now. Ergo I had to invent a new “traditional” bread for the occasion or my customers might think […]

Have you seen the muffin, Man?

After all these years of making bread, I never made a muffin. But I’m planning a TexMex birthday brunch for a few people next Sunday and Robb Walsh has a recipe for Huevos Benedictos where the Hollandaise Sauce takes on some chipotle and refried beans come into the equation. So I look for muffin recipes […]

Bethesdabakin’@Trefriw 2015

Ladies & Gents – it can now be announced that the ninth annual Bethesdabakin’ weekend will be held at Gill and Jay’s in Trefriw in the Conwy valley 18/19 July with the noble Joe Firebeard co-hosting. Open to bakers of all abilities and based on shared costs. More details soon – preview by way of […]

Cups, Saucers, Spoons, Eye-Droppers, Buckets …

Yes, volumetric measurement. Look at this: 3 tablespoons milk 1½ teaspoons active dried yeast 1⅔ cups unbleached bread flour 3 large eggs 3 tablespoons sugar ¾ teaspoon salt 10 tablespoons butter First off I have to say that I have a very great respect for Paula Wolfert. But this is a brioche recipe from her […]

Life in Wales

In a couple of months time I shall have lived in Bethesda for 30 years (long pause while we all think about that.) Here’s one reason why: the view from the front door this morning. One of the hardest things about living in Wales is taking Tom Jones seriously. I can blag my way through […]

2015 already

First course of the year last week and it was a freebee so hasn’t dented the festive debts. Our good friend Kathy was 50 last year so she got a one day sourdough course. She already bakes but had been having trouble with holes in loaves that looked like a cross-section of the Large Hadron […]

Comic Relief

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/07/jack-monroe-bread-white-wholemeal-loaf-recipe

Christmas Presents II

2014 was the year of the barbie – last year’s Christmas present was put to good use throughout the year including Christmas Day itself: It was a fabulous day and the turkey was a slow smoked rib of beef. But this year’s present – after some heavy hints – was an Emile Henry pizza stone […]

Christmas Presents 1

Just after Christmas two wiseguys bearing gifts arrived from the yeast. Jay brought a loaf of bread (much needed – bakers never have bread for themselves) and six litres of cider (also much needed because, as the bible says, man cannot live by bread alone). Rick brought me three bags of flour. Flour? What do […]