This week was our last of term one, before we all head out on our placements, but the baking was as full on as ever!

Monday saw us making Mexican pastries, Bath buns & Maple & Pecan loaves.  The Mexican pastries were similar to a Brioche; a sweet enriched dough, shaped in a little bun.  They were slightly sweeter than Brioche, & were topped with a sweet paste, which we coloured & shaped using a shell/conche mould.

Mexican parties, ready for baking!

Two of the pastries were topped with a chocolate based topping, others were left plain & topped with sugar nibs instead.

Next up were the Maple & Pecan loaves, & they really were gorgeous!  The maple syrup wasn't too overpowering, just a slight hint of sweetness.  We added sesame seeds to the mix, to boost the nuttiness & it really worked.  Pecans also happen to be one of my favourite nuts, so I adored this bread!

Lovely Nutty Loaves =)

The Bath buns were next; epically fruity, sugary little buns, they went down a treat as well!

Usually, at the end of the day, there are a few loaves & sweet buns left over for the staff to take home with them... There were no Bath buns left!  We had them still warm from the oven, & they really were amazing!

Tuesday we had a French baking masterclass from two guys from Moul Bie.  We used their flours to make baguettes, & a variety of other loaves. 

It was great to have more practise at moulding & cutting, & to work with French flour, but the gents from Moul Bie did kinda hog all the mixing!

Wednesday was our last day of baking, & we made Cornish Saffron Loaves, Stottie Cakes, Turkish Pide & Challah breads.

The saffron loaves were actually really nice; I wasn't sure at first as I'm not a massive fan of saffron, but the bread was lovely, sweet & fruity =)

Ready for Baking

Almost all gone!

The Stottie breads were really tasty as well, I'd heard of them before, but never tried one.  The loaves are a traditional oven bottom baked bread, & are usually flipped over halfway through baking, giving them a flattened appearance.

They were really tasty too, very light & fluffy!

The Turkish Pide breads were lovely as well; they're a flat bread with a lovely soft dough =)

They were brushed with egg wash, then topped with sesame seeds & poppy seeds & scored with a pizza cutter (to help prevent them bubbling up too much in the oven).

The Challah breads are a traditional Jewish plaited loaf, enriched with honey, eggs & butter, & they were huge!

My plait, ready for proving

They rose so much in the oven, & were a dark golden brown colour.  They're similar again to a Brioche in texture; less sweet, but very tasty!

Thursday, me & my fellow Dairy students headed off to the Good Food Show at the NEC, Birmingham, to see the World Cheese Awards, & generally have a foodie day!

The World Cheese Awards were huge! I've never seen so much cheese in one place before; all kinds of cheeses, in all shapes, sizes & flavours, from all over the world.  There were even a couple of cheeses from my home county of Shropshire; Belton Cheese Ltd's Creamy Lancashire won a gold! =D

We spent the rest of the day wandering round, looking at the stalls, & stocking up on free samples!  My favourite stall of the day was Demijohn, the liquid Deli.  They had the most wonderful drink (which will remain unspecified, because it's a Christmas gift for someone I know, & they read this blog!)

I also treated myself to a lovely raw milk goats cheese; a little pricey at £10.00, but I think it'll be a great way to introduce my family to the wonders of raw milk cheeses =)

Today is our last free study Friday, & while a few people have already gone back home to prepare for their placements, a lot of us are heading back in to School today for an epic Christmas lunch.  It's been a lovely week, a great way to end the term & it's even been a little emotional (I think it might get a bit more emotional at lunch!)

I'll post again before I start my placement, but for now, I'm going to finish my packing & head out for a last coffee with the girls before our lovely lunch =)