Apprenticeships

We have been thinking a lot about apprenticeships lately.

We’ve had a few and there’s a tonne of changes we’ve made to our thinking.
One thing we’ve started focusing on is videos.

Videos are a great tool for training.
They reduce the need for apprentices to always be under the supervision of a skilled baker who can teach the basics while also problem-solving their mistakes (efficient use of labour and considered wage cost).
They help standardise expectations in our bakery (product consistency and better teamwork).
They support self-directed learning (narrowing your employee pool to motivated learners).
They are translatable resources (opening up to a wider pool of potentially excellent employees).
They support colleagues with visual evidence of why we do things the way we do (easier teamwork).

Here is a video Dusty threw together recently.
It is rough (he’s a busy guy);
It is short and he strives for shorter (the average attention span of the next generation is supposed to be about 3 seconds these days - see my earlier point about motivated learners);
The language is clear (he used ChatGPT to write his script in clear and concise language - (“busy guy”) - so it is very translatable);
He teaches the expected practice correctly for the Dusty way (leading to consistency, quality and efficiency);
He makes one or two points explaining the why. K.I.S.S.

Understanding these points and then asking questions to learn more is how we can grow an Apprentice towards a Senior Baker.

We can’t guarantee that everyone will watch and learn from these videos, but we can promise that the good ones will know how to use them. Those are the bakers to watch.

A video on how we want the team to view and manage waste.

A wastage report is pretty simple at heart (see a recent example here, where training was the solution). This kind of report gives us the information we need to ask the questions that lead to improvements every day. It helps you manage for waste, skill, machine needs, cost efficiencies and more.

Dusty talks more about this kind of decision in his LinkedIn posts - if you’re more interested in the business side, then hunt him down (Dusty the Baker, link in socials buttons below).

Anyone can learn a skill if they commit to trying and if they’re passionate enough about overcoming the struggle. Teaching is next level.

#Perseverance
#Curiosity
#CapableLearners

KID-FRIENDLY EASTER TIRAMISU

Kid-friendly Easter Tiramisu

This is Nessie Sharpe’s non-alcoholic, no caffeine and no raw eggs version of that beautiful Hot Cross Bun Tiramisu you spotted here yesterday. It’s another great way to celebrate Easter with your family. It’s also another clever way of re-using this classic fruit bread!

7-9 hot cross buns
1/2 cup boiling water
2 TBSP unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2-3 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg
3 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP custard powder
1 cup milk
1 cup mascarpone
1 cup whipping cream
2 TBSP icing sugar
Chocolate Easter egg to grate

* In a cup mix hot water, cocoa powder and sugar. Set aside to cool.
* In a double boiler, whisk the egg, sugar and custard powder till smooth, whisk in the milk slowly and then continue whisking over heat until thickened. Take off heat and allow to cool.
* When egg mixture is cooled, whisk in mascarpone.
* In a separate bowl whisk whipping cream wit icing sugar until soft peaks.
* Fold into mascarpone mixture.
* Cut hot cross buns in half.
* In a baking dish, layer:
Mascarpone mixture, Grated chocolate egg, Bottom half of hot cross buns, Half the cocoa mixture, the rest of the mascarpone mixture, more grated chocolate, the top of the hot cross bun dunked in cocoa mixture
* Extra grated chocolate egg to finish

📸 & recipe by Nessie Sharpe @bakingequalslove (check her out for more food inspo and deliciousness tips)

Look around the #7daysofbread here or on Instagram for more tips on how to use bread to its full potential and save yourself both money and time during the week.

**bread hacks = solutions to food waste = money saving meal planning. Everybody wins

HOT CROSS BUN TIRAMISU

Another #7daysofbread suggestion from @bakingequalslove
This is ideal for an Easter dessert. It offers you a delicious way to use up your hot cross buns and spare Easter eggs:

Hot Cross Bun Tiramisu (photo and recipe by @bakingequalslove)

1 hot cross bun
~30mL espresso / strong coffee
~30mL Marsala / coffee favoured liqueur
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup whipped cream
1 TBSP icing sugar
Chocolate Easter egg to grate

* Fold whipped cream, mascarpone together with icing sugar.
* Add sugar to hot coffee and let cool. Add Marsala and stir.
* Cut hot cross bun in half.
* In a glass, layer:
Mascarpone mixture, grated chocolate egg, bottom half of hot cross bun, a couple of Tablespoons of coffee mixture, the rest of the mascarpone mixture, more grated chocolate, the top of the hot cross bun dunked in coffee mixture
* Grated chocolate to finish

For the reel version, go to our Instagram April ‘23 page:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cq111DCpglU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

📷💭🙏 For more beautiful photos and food inspo, check out: Nessie Sharpe @bakingequalslove

For other #7daysofbread ideas, have a hunt around for the hashtag on our site or Instagram. We’ll keep adding to it!

Bread care

First few days: Not in the fridge! Unsliced is best.

Keep it on the counter wrapped in a cloth (clean teatowel works!). You can use a slightly damp one if you want to overnight, then pop it in a hot oven for five minutes or so to refresh it. You’ll find what works for you with your oven quick enough.

Avoid keeping it next to windows or in direct sunlight.

After days 1-3 ish: Sliced into the freezer works great!

As do toast and croutons (soups and salads!),
bruschetta (where do I even start and do you seriously have enough bread left over to feast out properly?!),
breadcrumbs (amazing meatballs and crumbed fish and chicken or schnitzel and all the other delicious crumbed dishes…)

You can freeze bread fresh and whole (even better). Then just refresh it in a standard oven 10-15 minutes (you know your oven and how crispy you like it!). This works so well, you might not even notice the difference! Only thing is… how much freezer space do you have???

Note: sourdough lasts longer than unfermented bread because the acidity of the starter inhibits bacteria and molds.
(The exception being those packaged ‘breads’ you buy that don’t go moldy after two years forgotten in the back of your cupboard; what the heck are those things made with???? Nothing grows on them!!!!)

As for croissants, pastries and baguettes: eat immediately if possible! There’s a reason French bakeries usually do small batches of these throughout the day.

To refresh these, though, just pop them in the oven for a few minutes (not too long!).

Want to know more? Try: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/the-best-way-to-store-bread/

The 7 Days of Bread

“The seven days of bread” is a concept Andrew Whitley talks about in his book Do Sourdough: Slow Bread for Busy Lives. I am fully in tune with this idea. Yup. That is the life. He explains :

“As soon as it is baked and cooled, the process of ‘staling’ begins. Slowly, the starches harden and the moist crumb dries out. In sourdough breads, the flavour becomes more pronounced and ‘mature’. With each change comes a new adaptation to what the bread can offer.” (p.129 Do Sourdough: Slow Bread )

“Without time, sourdough fermentation has no meaning. And I would argue that our pleasure in baked bread is one-dimensional (if not illusory) if it excludes any part of a loaf’s passage from newly baked to stale.” (p.128 Do Sourdough: Slow Bread )

His seven days of bread are explained like this:

Day 1 : Fresh
Just out of the oven. No butter (but some self-control) needed. Perfect

Day 2 : Sandwich
Still soft, but firm enough to hold a filling.

Day 3 : Toast
Drying out. Toasting both crisps the outside of the bread and softens the starches of the inner layer of the slice (unless you go on too long). Best eaten just warm, not hot.

Day 4 : Bruschetta
Getting quite dry but not ‘stale’. Toast lightly, top with peppers, onions, olives, goat’s cheese, etc. and finish under the grill.

Day 5 : Crisp breads
Drier still. Slice very thickly with a good bread knife, lay out on a baking tray and dry out in a very low oven until completely crisp.

Day 6 : Croutons
Hard tack. Slice into 1.5cm cubes, fry in a little olive oil (they’ll try to soak up a lot) until they are taking a little colour. Cool, bag up and use later or simply toss into a green salad.

Day 7 : Breadcrumbs
Probably beginning to crack a little as the interior dries and shrinks. Grate or use a food processor. Bag and freeze. Or stir a little olive oil through the crumbs with your fingers and use to top a vegetable casserole.
[Ref: pp. 130-133 Do Sourdough: Slow Bread ]

…So there you have it. Man may not be able to live off bread alone (for long), but this is how you make your bread live for you. I reckon, if you’re not making your own sourdough like Andrew Whitley teaches (worth a try!!!), then:

Day 8 : Buy More Bread

Do Sourdough: Slow Bread for Busy Lives by Andrew Whitley

Visit https://www.breadmatters.com/ for more from Andrew Whitley