Hello all, sorry again for the lack of updates...

Well, this is our last week of term before placements start, really can't believe how fast its gone!

We've had a busy couple of weeks, so lets start with patisserie, which was all about meringues  =)

We started out with a basic meringue recipe, which we piped into lovely hearts (all together now - Awwwwwww), and after that we moved onto Congress Tarts.  They use a meringue based topping, which contains almonds, giving it a very marzipan-like flavour and texture  =)

We also made a boiled meringue, for that classic dessert, lemon meringue pie!  I think the thing to remember in future is to not go crazy with the meringue, otherwise the pie comes out looking a little bizarre!

Once it had cooled down, the topping did settle back down, so it looked less odd, and it was very tasty  =D

Once the meringue hearts had cooled, the insides were painted with melted chocolate, then filled with whipped cream and topped with fresh fruits.

The following week we carried on with the decorative breads, creating an epic sculpture which  included a pair of mill-stones, a beautiful cobbled courtyard floor, almost exact replicas of the stone walls surrounding the courtyard, my windmill, with brilliant working sails (courtesy of Rose), a lovely woven basket, baguettes baked by Alex, and a whole range of tiny breads, cheeses, milk churns, goats, peels, flour sacks and flowers  =)

It really was quite something!

I don't have a picture of the whole thing yet, but above are Clare's fab courtyard floor, and my crazy windmill  =)

I absolutely promise to update tomorrow with the latest from this week (baking actual tasty bread!) and tomorrows patisserie! 

For now though, I have to start thinking about packing my bags... Time really needs to go slower!

Goodness, I have been a bad blogger... =(

I am sorry for the lack of updates recently; a combination of epic reports and difficult family circumstances have resulted in a distinct lack of updates...

So where did I get to?

Oh right, Wayne was off on his holidays, so we were being looked after by Emmanuel (who took us through sourdoughs, my last update I believe) & then Clive, who was to take us through traditional British breads.  I think I covered the first couple of days; knots & malt loaves.

We did try the malt loaf in the end, & I must admit it was very tasty =)

We made another malt loaf over the next day, using dates & black treacle.  This loaf I was less keen on, but then I'm not a huge fan of black treacle.  We also made Lincolnshire Plum Bread, which, despite the name, contained no plums at all!

It was very tasty though, more like a cake than a bread in truth, it was quite dense, but packed full of raisins & currants  =)

We also made some Teacakes, & they went down a treat!

Alongside all these lovely fruited breads, we also made Scottish Morning Rolls, & Milk Rolls, which were both lovely again.  The Scottish Morning Rolls in particular were very soft, & slightly sweet.

When Thursday came around, we were back in the Dairy, this time to make soft cheese!

If all went to plan, we were hoping for a brie-style cheese, all soft & lovely  =)  This was a quicker process than the lactic cheese from a couple of weeks back, & it ended up with us having to stir the curds by hand!

Being elbow-deep in warm, soft curd was an interesting experience; it was lovely actually, slightly hypnotic & rather therapeutic  =)

The curds were eventually ladled into the moulds, & we should be able to bring them home soon  =)

I had to go home at the weekend, & circumstances meant I missed Monday  =(

But, I was back at School raring to go Tuesday morning!  Just in time for decorative breads!  I decided to throw myself in at the deep end and attempt a cornucopia  o.0

Luckily, it turned out alright  =)

I also tried my hand at some sweet little roses  =)

Wednesday was spent designing our epic bread sculpture, which we're making this week  =)  But seeing as that's being constructed as we speak, I'll save that for the next update.

I'll leave it at this for now, & treat you to all the news from flour confectionery tomorrow  =)

Hi gang  =)

Apologies for the lack of posts over the weekend, and pre-emptive apologies for the no-doubt sporadic posts I'll get out in the next couple of weeks!

Things are getting rather hectic at School, with two big essays due in this month, including our Business essay, which has, quite frankly, the broadest essay title ever invented... o.0 

What with those two, plus Dairy reflections every two weeks & reports on super hydrated doughs & the key pre-ferment systems, I think the next couple of weeks are going to be tough.  Might have to invest in some coffee!  (See, it's not all about making & eating tasty breads & cakes & cheeses, we have to do actual studying as well!)

But no matter  =)

This week we'll be looking at traditional British breads, almost all of which are made using sponges.  This meant today was a fairly quiet day, we set down sponges for Scottish morning rolls, fruited teacakes, malted wheat loaves, a honey & bran loaf, & last but not least, an oven-bottom bread with 60% pre-fermented dough.

Once those were done, we set about making up a slightly enriched white dough, using a sponge set down yesterday.  The dough was fairly firm, being quite a low hydration, although this did make it easier to mould & shape  =)

I made a two-strand plait, called a 'Jews Button', supposedly after the buttons you used to get on coats  =)

And this simple, but effective swirl.

Doesn't look like much now, but once risen & baked, it was quite impressive!

The bread was really very light, with a very soft white crumb, & a proper crusty crust  =)  This type f bread, whilst not my favourite of the course so far, certainly has its place, & would make a very nice bacon buttie  ;)

After that we made a fruited malt loaf, using malt flours & extracts.  Not entirely sure how well malt extracts fit into artisan baking, but Clive, our tutor this week, is keen for us to experiment with them.

The breads look a little like your usual malt loaf, & smell quite chocolaty, despite the absence of cocoa in the recipe, but I guess that's where the malt flour comes in  =)  We haven't tried them yet, apparently they're best after a day, so I'll let you know tomorrow if they were a success!

For now, I'm going to relax with a well-earned cuppa, & hope it doesn't snow again overnight - quite enjoying this cycling lark now I'm doing it again!  =D