Microbakery Courses

Just finished running the first of my new style two-day, individual courses for people who want to set up a microbakery at home. New style because now I’m “retired”. “Retired” means that instead of having 9 varieties of bread in a number of different weights and knocking out around 90 loaves, I select one dough […]

Broa de Milho 1

Jeremy and Azelia have both covered Broa, the Portugese corn bread. Making a bread you have no experience of is tricky because you have no benchmarks and especially when it involves making a porridge of maize where the hydration can vary so much. This one comes from The Taste of Portugal by Edite Vieira, a […]

That Dough Again

I’m still messing around with the pizza dough, partly to see if it’s worth my while to supply a local restaurant with buns. So yesterday I did the same buns + some wholemeal – very slightly raising the hydration for the wholemeal, knowing that I will probably have to raise it again. Buns came out […]

Juilian Graves

Julian Graves gone bust – all your baking needs half price

Trefriw 2012 – Pam’s Pix 2

Trefriw 2012 – Pam’s Pix 1

One of the things I really liked about this year’s event was it’s simplicity. No stars, no oven building, no mobile oven, no programme, not even much advance planning for baking themes. Not that I’m against any of these things but Joe made available a great variety of flours and ingredients, he and Jay had […]

Burger Me

You might have seen my chum Jeremy (chef not artist) is doing burgers – look here. Well, what do Americans know about burgers? Where I do agree with him is that burger buns are problematic. So, wheeling out the ubiquitous pizza dough again, this is what I did. First hurdle: Thursday morning, starter not refreshed […]

Trefriw 2012 – The Art

Pam has very kindly brought round a disk with her photos and Jeremy’s pictures. I know everyone is keen to the fruits of Jeremy’s labour. Big edit – the ink drawings are Pam’s and I love them and can I buy me? Sorry Pam. Diana Jay – one of our two noble hosts Joe – […]

Trefriw 2012 – in Living Colour

In recovery mode after a great baking weekend at Trefriw Rugby Club. My tiredness stems from having to drink Jay’s cider to blot out the never ending tennis from Wimbledon on every screen in the club. But having organised two events in the past I know how exhausted our two magnificent hosts must be, Joe […]

Buns 2 [(Scraps 3) Pizza 7]

Same pizza dough, 24 hrs in the fridge. Tipped the dough onto well floured surface carefully keeping rectangular shape. Cut off half and divided half in two to form two pizzas. Floured the other half, carefully divided into eight with floured scraper (no weighing, no shaping). Baked immediately in hot oven about 12/13 minutes: Not […]