Tweet
Peter Reinhart was in town yesterday to do a class on his new book Artisan Breads Every Day. It was a delight to watch him work with dough again. He makes the most amazing lean dough by hand. Almost like he waves his hands over the dough and it is suddenly together, manageable, and bouncy. I paid CLOSE attention this time (my third) and I need to spend some time with flour and water!
Interesting class - started with lean dough, then a sweet dough (for sweet rolls, crumb cakes, and kolaches), a challah dough, and a rich butter dough (for chocolate/cinnamon babka). His message in this class was especially useful to beginning bakers. "Learn these four doughs and you can bake almost anything."
While many of us on this site know this it is probably worth explicitly stating, there is no difference between lean dough for boules and baguettes and ciabatta, focaccia, and pizza dough OTHER than hydration, handling, and baking. Yes, boules tend to use bread flour and baguettes AP, but pizza doughs use both also.
I had done challah before, but never worked with sweeter doughs, That was fun. The sweet rolls and kolaches were great and a different twist. I will begin doing those soon! The versatility was really neat.
After the class, Peter, the class staff, and a few other students went to our primo WFO pizzaria for some late night dining and what a repast! Platters of salumis, prociutto, warmed olives, chunks of parme, and roasted mushrooms, Platters of house burrata, Italian burrata, and fior de latte. All with pizza flatbread with herbs. Then pizza margherita, prosciutto w/arugula, and yesterdays special which had soppressato, fingerling potatoes, mozz, rosemary, herbs, and more. And finally, platters of tiramisu, panna cotta, polenta cake, and more. Wines were a friulano, and a Montepulciano.
Didn't get home until 1:30 this morning. And I can hardly move! What a meal!
I will test some of my observations from class soon and share my successes.
What a night!
Jay
Interesting class - started with lean dough, then a sweet dough (for sweet rolls, crumb cakes, and kolaches), a challah dough, and a rich butter dough (for chocolate/cinnamon babka). His message in this class was especially useful to beginning bakers. "Learn these four doughs and you can bake almost anything."
While many of us on this site know this it is probably worth explicitly stating, there is no difference between lean dough for boules and baguettes and ciabatta, focaccia, and pizza dough OTHER than hydration, handling, and baking. Yes, boules tend to use bread flour and baguettes AP, but pizza doughs use both also.
I had done challah before, but never worked with sweeter doughs, That was fun. The sweet rolls and kolaches were great and a different twist. I will begin doing those soon! The versatility was really neat.
After the class, Peter, the class staff, and a few other students went to our primo WFO pizzaria for some late night dining and what a repast! Platters of salumis, prociutto, warmed olives, chunks of parme, and roasted mushrooms, Platters of house burrata, Italian burrata, and fior de latte. All with pizza flatbread with herbs. Then pizza margherita, prosciutto w/arugula, and yesterdays special which had soppressato, fingerling potatoes, mozz, rosemary, herbs, and more. And finally, platters of tiramisu, panna cotta, polenta cake, and more. Wines were a friulano, and a Montepulciano.
Didn't get home until 1:30 this morning. And I can hardly move! What a meal!
I will test some of my observations from class soon and share my successes.
What a night!
Jay
Comment