Microbakery Course

TWO DAY INTENSIVE COURSE

Thinking of starting a small-scale business baking for profit? Well, now you can experience the reality of running a microbakery before you make your final decision and put your savings at risk.

For over four years starting in 2007 Bethesdabakers successfully supplied sourdough bread to order to up to 60 individual customers plus restaurants, B&Bs and other commercial outlets.

During that time I developed:

• a comprehensive repertoire of over 100 bread formulas
• a website to display information and take orders
• a system of spreadsheets to store bread formulas, produce bake-day worksheets, record orders and calculate bills, produce invoices and keep a diary of breads baked

– all of the administrative tasks that enable a one person bakery to function efficiently.

This is a one-to-one course tailored to the circumstances of the participating baker and takes place within the framework of my regular two-day bake – I still supply around 40 loaves to a select number of loyal individual customers.

Day One: 9.00 a.m. start. Prepping for the next day’s bake:

• starter builds, soakers, preparing any special ingredients for the week’s bread
• an opportunity to revisit scaling, shaping and slashing techniques
• thorough run-through of the systems I use and their relevance to the participant
• equipment needs

Examination of essential areas such as:

• food hygiene
• trading standards
• insurance
• buying and storing stock

Discussion of the participant’s plans.

Evening – mix doughs for over-night fermentation. Opportunity to scale up one of your own bread recipes for my customers.

Day Two: 6.00 a.m. start. A day of scaling, shaping, proving, baking with discussion in between. The practicalities of wrapping, labelling, packaging. 5.00 p.m. – meet the customers.

Includes phone and email contact before the course. Tea & coffee available throughout. Full lunch and lighter evening meal provided both days. Optional glass of wine.

Individual two day course £400.

Some of the bakers who have either used the course as part of their set up programme or who have gone on to establish bakeries after taking this course:
Tim Lukehurst, Pukka Bread
Albert Smith, Ubuntu Handmade Bread
Chris Brown, Vine Cottage Bakery
Vicki North, VicNorth Bakes
Adam Newey, The Hill Bakery – http://thehillbakery.co.uk/
Nick Boggon, Hichin Bakehouse
Jay Butters, Bread & Butters Bakery –http://breadandbutters.co.uk/
Grace Quaye,  Cariad Bakery, Fremantle, Australia  – Facebook @cariadbakery
Naomi Salmon, Bara Borth
Justin Christoforou-Hazelwood, The Doorstep Bakery – https://thedoorstepbakery.com/

Justin Christoforou-Hazelwood, now successfully running The Doorstep Bakery, Norwich, then transitioning from a long army career to civilian life, rightly happy with the bread he produced on the course.