Learn about natural cultures, make a starter, mix new dough and perform the "autolyse" on it, practice stretching and folding, preshaping and final shaping
Finally, score loaves and bake them in a Le Creuset dutch oven and a Rofco bread oven
All this in tandem with your instructor, and plenty of practice involved!
At the end of the course take away your bread, plenty of culture and flour, and you have made your first confident steps towards sourdough excellence
The three day residential course gives you a solid grounding in key aspects of artisan baking, covering:
Three full days gives you the ability to make your own sourdough bread "from cradle to grave". It covers the time span of more than 24 hours which is needed to ferment authentic sourdough, which is obviously not feasible on a one day course
The three day course has the further benefit that you can bake as much as you want on the morning after the course finishes. This means you are extending your tuition time beyond three days for free and can take home as many goodies as you can bake and as fresh as possible
Sourdough
The 3 day course has the same content as the 1 day, plus the following:
Laminated Pastry
Laminating dough (interleaving layers of dough and butter) is an advanced technique which forms the basis for many types of delicious pastries and baked products. Examples are croissants, danish pastries, vol au vents, some pies and wellingtons, it's a long list!
We guide you through the process of laminating, retarded fermentation, cutting and shaping, proving and baking
Most commercial croissants lack flavour because they a fast-fermented. Our slow-fermented croissants, pains au chocolat and pains au raisins are delicious miracles of flaky pastry
They are a tough challenge, requiring a lot of technical skill, but one that you will master with our guidance
Why Residential?
The three day course is offered as a residential course only. Why? Because the processes of slow fermentation (more than 24 hours for the breads and 36 hours for croissants) means it is important to be present during extended times in order to be fully involved and to monitor changes in the dough
Staying overnight might sound unecessary, but in reality you will find lots of spare time, especially during the afternoons, to relax, go for a stroll through the village or the orange groves, or simply chill on the terrace and enjoy the wonderful views
You can tailor the course content, over one or more days, with or without accommodation, to include any of:
We also structure one day courses for students who want to start their own micro-bakery. This will cover the hygeine, premises and food standards generally required before starting a licenced business, with practical advice on how to plan and grow the business
Intermediate or advanced bakers can also learn how to work with very high hydration doughs, work with "heirloom" wheat and cereal varieties and learn how to incorporate other natural ingredients into the bread