Patisserie & Confiserie, lesson 3: breads

Hello bloggers!

Have I been busy? Yes!

Yesterday was the third lesson of the my patisserie classes in South Devon College and we learnt how to make breads. We made, individually, 8 soft rolls in 4 different shapes, single knot, double knot, crown and plat with sesame seeds and poppy seeds. We also made a wholemeal bread with grains on top, which we haven't tasted.

The teacher made olive breads and tomato breads with the same base of the small rolls, only adding green and red pesto and chopped olives and dried tomatoes.

I thought those breads are ok, not spectacular, they are soft breads and generally lacking in salt and a bit  in taste, I am used to richer types of bread that we buy in Totnes market.

Making bread is very good for the soul and nerves as kneading the dough is a bit of physical work but a very enjoyable one.

Here are the pictures of this last venture:

White rolls mixture

Brown Bread Mixture

 Brown dough and White dough

Ready to bake

 Ready to bake

 My rolls on the right side

Wholemeal bread all ready 

 White rolls all ready 

 A closer look

A closer look

 Wholemeal bread all ready

More breads from the class 

 Tomato breads

Olive breads

 Olive and tomato breads

 Our class

Basic recipe:

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© David Loftus basic bread recipe method I’m still really mad about bread – I love it. It’s so exciting. It’s such a rewarding, therapeutic, tactile thing and you’ll be so proud of yourself once you’ve cracked it. Stage 1: making a well Pile the flour on to a clean surface and make a large well in the centre. Pour half your water into the well, then add your yeast, sugar and salt and stir with a fork. Stage 2: getting it together Slowly, but confidently, bring in the flour from the inside of the well. (You don't want to break the walls of the well, or the water will go everywhere.) Continue to bring the flour in to the centre until you get a stodgy, porridgey consistency – then add the remaining water. Continue to mix until it's stodgy again, then you can be more aggressive, bringing in all the flour, making the mix less sticky. Flour your hands and pat and push the dough together with all the remaining flour. (Certain flours need a little more or less water, so feel free to adjust.) Stage 3: kneading! This is where you get stuck in. With a bit of elbow grease, simply push, fold, slap and roll the dough around, over and over, for 4 or 5 minutes until you have a silky and elastic dough. Stage 4: first prove Flour the top of your dough. Put it in a bowl, cover with cling film, and allow it to prove for about half an hour until doubled in size – ideally in a warm, moist, draught-free place. This will improve the flavour and texture of your dough and it's always exciting to know that the old yeast has kicked into action. Stage 5: second prove, flavouring and shaping Once the dough has doubled in size, knock the air out for 30 seconds by bashing it and squashing it. You can now shape it or flavour it as required – folded, filled, tray-baked, whatever – and leave it to prove for a second time for 30 minutes to an hour until it has doubled in size once more. This is the most important part, as the second prove will give it the air that finally ends up being cooked into your bread, giving you the really light, soft texture that we all love in fresh bread. So remember – don't fiddle with it, just let it do its thing. Stage 6: cooking your bread Very gently place your bread dough on to a flour-dusted baking tray and into a preheated oven. Don't slam the door or you'll lose the air that you need. Bake according to the time and temperature given with your chosen recipe. You can tell if it's cooked by tapping its bottom – if it sounds hollow it's done, if it doesn't then pop it back in for a little longer. Once cooked, place on a rack and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes – fandabidozi. Feel free to freeze any leftover bread. • from Happy Days with the Naked Chef

serves: ingredients • 1kg strong bread flour • 625ml tepid water • 30g fresh yeast or 3 x 7g sachets dried yeast • 2 tablespoons sugar • 1 level tablespoon fine sea salt extra flour for dusting