A review of a yeasted bread class held at Occombe, an organic farm in Devon. It’s the first Baking Matters course held for home bakers, but there are plenty more to come.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Baking Matters bread making class. I regularly bake my own bread, but I am by no means an expert. There is always plenty more to learn.
My regular bake is a rye sourdough loaf. I’m happy with this: I’ve kept the culture alive for nearly five years now and it suits us very well. However, it’s always good to have a repertoire and try new breads and baking methods.
I have little experience of baking with white flour so I was particularly looking forward to this Basic Yeast Baking course where we were going to make oven bottom bread, soft dinner rolls and Chelsea buns.
Baking Matters
Founded by John Royce in 2001, Baking Matters has recently branched out. Traditionally it advised commercial bakers but now it also aims to give practical help and advice to potential and actual home bakers. The online website is a free resource for all and offers much in the way of guidance and expertise.
John is the teacher in this new venture and on our course was ably assisted by his daughter. Learning from him was a complete delight. He is a traditional British master baker. With his many years experience of running a bakery as well as teaching, he has a lot of knowledge to pass on.
His passion for real bread is infectious and it made the whole experience entertaining as well as educational. Other courses offered by Baking Matters include pastry making and cake baking.
Baking Matters Class
This was a small class of seven home bakers selected to trial the very first bread making course. This was very much a practical hands-on workshop. Three bakes in one day was a tall order and we were certainly put through our paces. I think we all learnt a lot; I certainly picked up a few tips.
At school, way back when, I was taught to knead bread in home economics. So I was interested to see that John employed and recommended the exact same method. That is pushing the dough out with the heel of your hand then rolling it back up again. To watch John do it so quickly and so expertly was an education in itself.
After weighing the ingredients, we all had a go at mixing the flour and water directly on the bench. This was done by making a bay with the dry ingredients then pouring in the water and working it gradually into the flour with our fingers. Much as you see Italians making pasta.
I found this quite a nerve-wracking experience and I was convinced we would have flour and water all over the floor. But we all successfully managed to keep everything together on the bench and create a working bread dough. It was very satisfying.
Baking Matters: Chelsea Bun, Fresh Yeast And More
I was particularly thrilled to learn how to roll Chelsea buns correctly. Pull back on the dough as you roll to stretch it and make it tight. Learning some new ways of shaping dinner rolls was an added bonus.
John is very keen on using fresh yeast which he says is now widely available and keeps for a long time in the fridge if properly stored. As a fan of fresh yeast myself, I was really pleased to find we were using it on the day. If you’re unable to get your hands on fresh yeast, he reckons dried active yeast is fine, but advises steering clear of instant yeast, which contains all sorts of unwholesome additives.
I was less keen about the use of Trex as I like my fats to be as natural as possible. If I wasn’t vegetarian I would use lard, which is what John suggests as an alternative. However, it did give the bread a lovely soft consistency. The bread rolls were things of beauty, the bread was light but substantial and the buns were possibly the best Chelsea buns I’ve ever eaten.
We came away with a pack containing detailed instructions of the recipes we’d created along with accompanying illustrations. This was just as well as I couldn’t remember all of the roll formations nor how to fold the oven bottom bread. We also came away with a big smile on our faces and an impressive array of bread and buns. The car journey home was an olfactory event in itself.
I must have learned a lot as I went on to become a judge at the World Bread Awards.
Chocolate Chelsea Buns
So where is the chocolate you are probably wandering? Well! I had meant to take along some dark chocolate to chop up and add to the Chelsea buns BUT I had to leave so early in the morning and was in such a rush I totally forgot it. AND I didn’t even have a hot chocolate at lunch time. I may be losing my touch!
I have already made chocolate Chelsea buns at home, but I think I need to make them again now I’ve picked up a few tips.
Occombe Farm
The course was held at Occombe Farm near Paignton, a 700 acre organic farm run by the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust and certified by the Soil Association. It was a first visit for me and I was really pleased to discover it. Not only does it have a visitor centre with lots of family events, but it aims to help connect and reconnect people to the food that they eat.
It has a farm shop, an on-site cafe and a permanent cookery school offering a wide range of courses suitable for all. With eleven work stations, there was plenty of space. The school is well equipped and we each had our own workspace and oven. All the ingredients and equipment needed were provided including some lovely orange Baking Matters aprons.
There was a steady flow of tea and coffee throughout the day to keep us hydrated and socialised. As both the deli and cafe were so convenient, we all bought our lunch in one or other of the venues. As it was a nice day, most of us bought pasties and sat outside in the sunshine.
Out of all the animals I saw on the farm, it was the organic free ranging hens I was most impressed by. You don’t see many of them these days. When I found out I could buy a dozen of their eggs for only £1.20, I got ridiculously excited. What a bargain.
Some Tin and Thyme Bread Recipes You Might Like
- Apple & hazelnut spelt rye sourdough
- Cheese baps
- Hot cross buns (vegan)
- Malted wholemeal & rye loaf
- Triple chocolate bread loaf
- Wholemeal spelt burger buns
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. Have you attended a baking class before. What did you think and have you any top tips? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more ideas for courses and events, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them.
Choclette x
With thanks to John Royce for the above mentioned course and to Janie of The Hedge Combers for giving me the opportunity of attending it. I was not required to write a positive review and as always all opinions are my own.
Kecia'sFlavor Breakthrough says
What a wonderful class! I would love to take that… I can’t bake! The breads look so good!!
Choclette says
Thanks Kecia. I’m sure you could bake – it really isn’t difficult.
anyonita green says
What a lovely masterclass! 🙂
Choclette says
It was fun Anyonita 🙂
Aunt Bee says
This made me LOL about the missing chocolate!!! What a lovely post, the bread looks great and sounds like you had fun and learned a lot!
Choclette says
Thanks Brandi – forgetting the chocolate is really a shocking state of affairs 😉
London Unattached says
I’m laughing here. I think that is the FIRST post I’ve ever seen from you without chocolate in some form!
Choclette says
Well it’s true, they are very few and far between and this one really was meant to have chocolate in it – hey ho!
Morgan @ Peaches, Please! says
I love classes where I feel like I’ve learned a whole bunch, and bread making is definitely an area where there’s plenty to learn. Sounds like you had a great time.
Choclette says
Thanks Morgan, I really enjoyed it and there is indeed so much to learn.
Heidi Roberts says
Days like these are great for skill building!
Choclette says
Indeed Heidi and my skills always need improving 😉
Sylvia F. says
Looks like fun time, I wish I had something like this close to my town 😉
Choclette says
It was fun Sylvia – sadly not very close to me though. It was quite a long drive.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I love days like this Choclette. So much fun and breadmaking is so satisfying.
Choclette says
They absolutely are Jac, I’d love to do more.
Stephanie Pass says
Wow, this looks like so much fun! I would love to do something like that.
Choclette says
I would highly recommend it Stephanie – making bread can be so satisfying.
Janelle Shank says
looks delicious!
Choclette says
Thanks Janelle – it was all delicious and made a very nice change from my normal loaf.
belleau kitchen says
I’m very jealous. I’ve got do stuck in a rut with one recipe and technique I’d live to learn more.
Choclette says
It’s good to have a go to recipe Dom, but it’s also fun to ring the changes from time to time.
Vintage Folly says
It looks like you had a great time and you seem to have a learnt so much!! x
Choclette says
There is always so much to learn – it’s what makes life so exciting.
hurny2009 says
Wow these look very delicious! I love homemade fresh bread. The smell straight out the oven is gorgeous! x
Choclette says
I find the smell of homemade white bread is especially good and not one I’m very used to.
Nayna Kanabar says
This sounds like a great masterclass I love home baked bread especially the aroma that fills the entire house.
Choclette says
The smell of breaking bread is one of the best Nayna and it made my car journey home quite intoxicating.
Louise Smith says
My mouth is watering! I love homemade bread. I have the urge to go and make some now. Yum 😀
Choclette says
Thanks Louise, there is nothing quite like homemade bread.