As an open hearth cook, it’s helpful to know how to make bread. This seemingly simple item was
French camp style bake oven
present, in one form or another, at nearly every meal in the early years of this country, just as it had been in Europe. I’ve studied and experimented with baking bread, both on the hearth and in what is known as a “beehive” or brick bake oven. However, my opportunities for doing so have been limited, and thus my confidence level in my bread baking skill is fairly low. The good news, however, is that bread is universal and the methods and processes of preparing and baking it are essentially the same now as they were back in earlier centuries. The present can inform the past! And so, ever eager and willing to learn and to strengthen my overall cooking skills, this week I am taking an intensive five day bread baking course.
The class started today at one of those “other” culinary schools. Working in groups of two, we made three different breads, along with a sourdough starter that will be “fed” daily and then used at the end of the week. My goal is to become more comfortable making bread, so that it becomes almost second nature. I’m also hoping to just get more practice in using yeast.
It’s been a bit of a slow start, so far. Oddly enough, I’m having some difficulty with the recipes, because they’re not in a form that I’m used to. Yes, I’m more accustomed to the early 19th Century and earlier format! So, it gets a bit confusing at times. But hopefully, by week’s end, I’ll be as adept with modern recipes as I am with historic receipts. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Oh, and BTW…Chef Faith (the instructor) told us today that it’s much better to weigh your ingredients, because it’s more accurate. Hmmm…that’s exactly what cooks of earlier centuries did. Guess they had it right all along, ay?! HUZZAH!
