So I went to the epicerie bio and bought some proper flour: Made a dough with 50% of each. Still interested in the idea of a plait being a good solution when there isn’t anything much to support the dough. So I did a turban (if you can call that a plait). Have to say […]

Disappearing boulangeries: This was the boss bakery in Arcachon, the one where all your “respectable” residents bought their bread. Been there for years. The big brick chimney for the long-gone wood burning oven can still be seen from the rear. This one had been here as long as I can remember. This one only about […]

Here I am, baker-in -residence, La Chapelle, Arcachon. Not a bad little gaff, of which more later. You will remember that about ten years ago Adam, for journalistic purposes, christened me “the sourdough genius”. These days it causes some people to surreptitiously snigger up their sleeves. Well, let me tell you, I knew some of […]

With the obvious exception of Ramblin’ Jack Elliott I gave up having heroes a long time ago. When it comes to bread baking anyone serious should be working consciously or instinctively towards developing their own style so inspiration is one thing, heroes quite another. Here’s my inspiration: One Sunday morning in 1999 or 2000 I […]

After ten annual events, how do you describe a baking weekend? Every combination of bakers interacting with dough has been photographed a hundred times so that background items are needed to identify the year and location. This year we were in Twickenham which, compared with previous rural venues is kinda weird. Getting a bus followed […]

Sunrise: This started off as a joke, making a bread of beetroot, buttermilk and cheese – beetroot is a bit of a cliche. But it came out really well. Not only that, it came out about the most beautiful loaf I ever made. The colours were so amazing I nearly phoned a friend who is […]

Or “What’s in a Loaf II” – haven’t finished “What’s in a Loaf I” yet. No it’s not Merguez sausage. It’s the dreaded beetroot. Why, I hear you ask? Well, one, because I was surprised to see that people still seem to think it’s meaningful to have red bred (Bodnant Welsh Food still trot it […]

The other week this was Med Bread (see previous post). But tomorrow we are going down to Brum to see my Mom and her current favourite bread is a soft spongy, seeded thing from Aldi. So, out come the red onions and in goes a five seed soaker. I could slice it and put it […]

Med Bred aka Pain de Cannes. No, Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s not a tin loaf  … It’s a French pun. What’s a French pun? Je ne say quoi …

“Never eat anything bigger than your head” – B Kliban