Last year we ate lots of homemade breads around here. We even enlisted some friends to help eat them and give their opinions on the various recipes. The reason for all the baking? I had signed up to test recipes for Peter Reinhart. He was working on what is now his latest book Artisan Breads Every Day.
Recently he was in town at a local shop teaching from that book. Naturally I signed up myself and my husband to attend. Having been to a class of his before, we knew we'd get to sample some wonderful fresh baked breads, but we had no idea what was coming.
The class was amazing. Somehow he managed to turn out ten or so different breads for us to sample all while teaching us how to make them, directing several helpers, keeping track of three different ovens and answering questions. It was quite something to watch as he juggled different breads in the ovens and kept track of the time in his head. He would be teaching us to make one thing while remembering to stretch and fold the hearth bread dough on the counter and occasionally would reach over to test the doneness of a bread a helper had just pulled out of the oven. All without seeming to miss a beat or lose track of anything.
Meanwhile, we got to touch the different doughs he was making to see how each felt. And, we ate. We ate and we ate and we ate.
Above are some of the breads we sampled - challah, crumb cake, chocolate babka and a sticky bun. There were actually three versions of the sticky bun to sample, several shapes of challah were demo'ed, two varieties of babka as well as fruit buns and several hearth breads.
Remember that old Alka Seltzer commercial? Truly even I couldn't believe I ate the whole thing!
But I did and it was all delicious. Most of the recipes were new to me. My husband isn't a huge sweets eater and I am. I find that it is safer to rarely make sweet things because I will eat them all myself which makes for too much Marcella. Mostly I had tested the savory recipes out of the boo k- hearth breads, biscuits, pretzels, etc. It was great to see different breads being made and for sure the sticky buns will be making an appearance at our home soon. I just need to decide which of the three sticky toppings to choose.
I was also able to get my copy of the book signed, and my husband managed to snap a picture of me with Peter Reinhart.
Tonight we're baking the ciabatta from the book. PIctures soon.
-- marcella
Oh, Marcella, how wonderful! I think I'd have died and gone to heaven with an opportunity like that! :)
Oh my gosh. What terrific fun. I love baking and love eating the
stuff even more. Wish I was near you so I could help you eat
the sticky buns you are going to bake! Too cool that you and your
dh enjoy this all together.
Sandy, it was really delicious! I wish I could eat things like that every day because they were so good. I guess that's why they call them "treats" though.
Taria, I wish you were here to bake together too! That would be so fun to have a baking buddy.