Two weeks ago I announced the quietest week of the year. Well I was wrong – last week was with a mere 33K of dough. This week the school holidays are over with a vengence and I baked my age in kilos – 64. It’s too much – 4.30 a.m. start, last customer 9.00 p.m. […]

Today’s lesson is taken from Page 18 of Bethesdabasics (ISBN 978-0-9570134-0-7 The PArtisan Press 2010 £12 – but then you have already bought a copy) – Wholemeal. I’ve always used white starter to leaven my wholemeal – not as policy but because I can’t be bothered to keep a wholemeal starter. Anyway, the 11% or […]

That’s what the last week in August, running into the bank holiday, is. Orders down by a quarter to a third while customers try and squeeze the most out of the last of the summer holiday. Given that, an awful lot seems to have happened. End of the previous week I did a sourdough demo […]

Matt sent me this problem. Baking Nina’s Simple Danish Rye he sometimes gets a gummy bottom like this: Further more, he says sometimes, when he bakes two loaves, one is gummy the other is fine. He gives the dough 45 mins bulk fermentation in the mixing bowl + 2-3 hours proving in the tin. Then […]

What a lucky boy I am – I have Nina Holm Jensen to supply me with all the Scandinavian recipes I need. And she’s clever. The Swedish Rye she posted on the Bethesdabakin’5 blog here was transformed by her into Danish Peasant Loaf in the couple of weeks after she went home by the addition […]

In March 2007 we went to France for three months during which time I wrote my big book, The PArtisan Baker. Maybe it will see the light of day, maybe it won’t. Since then I’ve been concentrating on smaller books that I can have printed and publish myself. Bethesdabasics is doing well (in my modest […]

Had a go at Geraint’s Chocolate Raisin Rye this week (here). Came out pretty good. Using 85% chocolate, it didn’t come out too sweet. The mixing is so simple it would be a great one to make with kids.