I don't like venturing too far from my abode on the weekends unless it's absolutely necessary. Or if brunch is on.. then I will gladly travel within reason.
And so, I had a lovely weekend driving around the local.
Satuday, I finally got my breaducation class booked in and I was rather excited to do the afternoon course at Brasserie Bread. And I loved it, lots of fun. But not so many tips and tricks. A well-established, very successful bakery is not going to give you all their secrets just because you paid for a class...
The flour, yeast, oil, water was all pre-measured. We used their proofing rooms and commercial ovens. I don't think you are quite going to get the same result at home... no matter how hard you try and replicate - even with a recipe (which you do get). It will almost always be a little lacking.
But I still had fun kneading and shaping by hand. I was personally thinking that I'd never do it at home because of the time and commitment it takes. Why invest in a kitchenaid if you weren't going to use it?Sure, no worries when you got a spare 3 hours... but not when you are doing a billion other things which usually is the case on the weekend. Nonetheless, I felt that I didn't get much one-on-one attention because I got the grasp of the technique fairly early on. Boo. And okay, I know that our instructor Matt said that its really different when you shape by hand. You can feel the gluten structure, yadda yadda but I think with enough care, you can achieve almost identical results from a machine. Timing and getting it right.
So in this class, we made 2 schiacciata con l'uvas, 2 baguettes and 6 dinner rolls. And we also got a tour of the production facilities (amazing) and made me grin when I saw that they use the same brand of flour that I use. We also got to taste all their breads... the olive and rosemary and the caramelised garlic... yum. I have no ever eaten so much bread in my entire life. We also got to take some pastries and a loaf of sourdough home. Pretty yummy stuff. Must go to this place for allespresso coffee and brunch one weekend!
I was surprisingly pretty wiped but not (cause I was so loaded up on carbs) after this class so I'm really glad I had a quiet night in.
Today was a mixed day. I feel like I achieved a lot and also not much at the same time. I had a few egg whites sitting around. And due to the ginormous failure of last weekend's macaron project. I wanted to ensure that I still had the touch and that I could still do it. I took my time and lots of care and prevision and wholla, most came out looking damn good...! Not looked so good in many attempts. So I think the key is not to overwhelm myself. Quality not quantity.
Around about this time, Donna and Tab came to scavenge. And they were most welcome to take away the culls and the off bits. :P And also some of my bread! They didn't stay long and I didn't want them to because promised Mum we'd go and check out bathroom vanities and showers and what not.
And I've always known that the Punchbowl area had lots of these shops and I have driven past them countless times on the way to visit my grandma but not once did I ever stop to notice. Not until this afternoon when we were walking up and down Canterbury Road and visiting each of these shops. We even stopped by the McDonald's that was my childhood playground (? not entirely correct term) but there wasn't a sense of deja vu. It was too new, too renovated, too done up. Sister and I decided that we want a shower that has a removable shower head as well as the rain shower head on the top.
We also stopped by Bunnings on the way home to have a look at the stuff they had there.
Not so into renovating so didn't really care too much what was on display but one day, in my own home... I would love to spend days exploring and planning.
I'm now working on two new projects. Salted pandan and coconut ice cream from an ice cream maker. Turned out good... a little too salty, not a fan of the neon green and still very soft so requires time overnightin the freezer but not bad for a first attempt.
Second project is green tea ice cream being whipped by hand. It is a fugly green because I did not add more food colouring. But flavour is there. Whipping by hand is a b*tch. Now you probably understand why i always say I am a lazy baker. Anything to cut the time and processes short please... I have been checking the mixture every half hour out of the freezer and whipping it again and again and it is still very soft and not airy enough! I feel like I'm running out of time. Or is it patience?
And so, I had a lovely weekend driving around the local.
Satuday, I finally got my breaducation class booked in and I was rather excited to do the afternoon course at Brasserie Bread. And I loved it, lots of fun. But not so many tips and tricks. A well-established, very successful bakery is not going to give you all their secrets just because you paid for a class...
The flour, yeast, oil, water was all pre-measured. We used their proofing rooms and commercial ovens. I don't think you are quite going to get the same result at home... no matter how hard you try and replicate - even with a recipe (which you do get). It will almost always be a little lacking.
But I still had fun kneading and shaping by hand. I was personally thinking that I'd never do it at home because of the time and commitment it takes. Why invest in a kitchenaid if you weren't going to use it?Sure, no worries when you got a spare 3 hours... but not when you are doing a billion other things which usually is the case on the weekend. Nonetheless, I felt that I didn't get much one-on-one attention because I got the grasp of the technique fairly early on. Boo. And okay, I know that our instructor Matt said that its really different when you shape by hand. You can feel the gluten structure, yadda yadda but I think with enough care, you can achieve almost identical results from a machine. Timing and getting it right.
So in this class, we made 2 schiacciata con l'uvas, 2 baguettes and 6 dinner rolls. And we also got a tour of the production facilities (amazing) and made me grin when I saw that they use the same brand of flour that I use. We also got to taste all their breads... the olive and rosemary and the caramelised garlic... yum. I have no ever eaten so much bread in my entire life. We also got to take some pastries and a loaf of sourdough home. Pretty yummy stuff. Must go to this place for allespresso coffee and brunch one weekend!
I was surprisingly pretty wiped but not (cause I was so loaded up on carbs) after this class so I'm really glad I had a quiet night in.
Today was a mixed day. I feel like I achieved a lot and also not much at the same time. I had a few egg whites sitting around. And due to the ginormous failure of last weekend's macaron project. I wanted to ensure that I still had the touch and that I could still do it. I took my time and lots of care and prevision and wholla, most came out looking damn good...! Not looked so good in many attempts. So I think the key is not to overwhelm myself. Quality not quantity.
Around about this time, Donna and Tab came to scavenge. And they were most welcome to take away the culls and the off bits. :P And also some of my bread! They didn't stay long and I didn't want them to because promised Mum we'd go and check out bathroom vanities and showers and what not.
And I've always known that the Punchbowl area had lots of these shops and I have driven past them countless times on the way to visit my grandma but not once did I ever stop to notice. Not until this afternoon when we were walking up and down Canterbury Road and visiting each of these shops. We even stopped by the McDonald's that was my childhood playground (? not entirely correct term) but there wasn't a sense of deja vu. It was too new, too renovated, too done up. Sister and I decided that we want a shower that has a removable shower head as well as the rain shower head on the top.
We also stopped by Bunnings on the way home to have a look at the stuff they had there.
Not so into renovating so didn't really care too much what was on display but one day, in my own home... I would love to spend days exploring and planning.
I'm now working on two new projects. Salted pandan and coconut ice cream from an ice cream maker. Turned out good... a little too salty, not a fan of the neon green and still very soft so requires time overnightin the freezer but not bad for a first attempt.
Second project is green tea ice cream being whipped by hand. It is a fugly green because I did not add more food colouring. But flavour is there. Whipping by hand is a b*tch. Now you probably understand why i always say I am a lazy baker. Anything to cut the time and processes short please... I have been checking the mixture every half hour out of the freezer and whipping it again and again and it is still very soft and not airy enough! I feel like I'm running out of time. Or is it patience?
