Bake for a Living
Earlier this month I had the privilege of attending the Bake for a Living course offered at Seraphina’s Oven here in town. This little bake school is amazing! Run by Martin Barnett it is a place to learn all about sourdoughs, pizza making, laminated doughs, and even chocolates. They offer a little bit of everything, and I want to take them all. This was the first time Martin offered the Bake for a Living Course (BFAL) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a lot of information (10mo of schooling smooshed into 4 days) but I haven’t stopped thinking about it and it’s been 3wks. Day 1 left me completely drained and questioning what I’d got myself into. But by the end of day 2 I was thoroughly invested and loving every moment.
(Thank you Jen for the photo!)
We learned about important items to have in your bakery, what to consider when pricing products, how to properly scale recipes (called formulas), and we had several guest speakers. We also got to bake several things throughout the week. Learning to appreciate that one recipe (challah for example) can be used in many different ways. Then the second to last night we, in teams of two, prepared pizza & dessert for a handful of school mentors. These were chefs from the local farmers markets, and teachers from the culinary program at the university. Was a brilliant networking moment and it was fun creating pizza flavours that would stand out. I don’t think Martin quite expected us run away with the creativity like we did, but it was worth it. It was the first time I’d prepared a meal for non-family/friends, and yes it was stressful! My partner and I had selected a pizza that sounded strange on paper but oh man it was good! AND, not that I’m bragging, it was the only pizza to get completely devoured. Definitely going to be making again: mortadella pistachio with Parmesan/blue cheese crema.
That’s ours in the middle. Bottom is prosciutto, brie, pear, arugula, and a balsamic reduction. Top was a roasted pumpkin, goat cheese pizza. All were delicious!
But I digress. Since the class I’ve been unable to get the idea of a business out of my head. I catch myself pondering products, names, packaging, etc. I’m not sure when I’ll put this all into action but it’s fun to think about it all. One huge inspiration is Sharon from Alderlane Farmhouse Bakery. She started her business by dropping a basket of goodies in the teacher’s lounge at her child’s school, and now runs a huge 20’ market stall in the summer, and 8’ in the winter (limited space indoors). It is possible! I travelled up to Comox a couple of weekends ago with a friend I made in the class. We chatted with Sharon a bit and I was able to see her setup in action. Trailer full of bun pan racks loaded with goodies and a large display case packed full of drool worthy treats. Someday I hope to have a setup like hers!
Small selection of treats baked during the first couple of days.
My biggest hurdle, aside from trying to afford a sheeter for all the laminated dough I plan to make, will be determining which market to attend. I don’t plan to leave my current job at the kitchen shop anytime soon so am only looking at one market but the question is which? Beyond that, I’ll need help choosing a name. My daughter wants Rage Bakery to stick with my current brand, but I’m not sure. If you have any thoughts or suggestions I’m all ears!
No recipe today but I am playing with the Bourbon Brown Sugar frosting from my pumpkin cake, and pairing it with my favourite chocolate cake. Assuming it works (why wouldn’t it?!) I’ll share next week. Just need a bit of time to assemble and photograph it. Also playing with cardamom buns (my latest obsession).
Cheers for now!
All breads baked in a wood fired oven!