Thursday, January 24, 2008

Baguettes in the Afternoon


If you have never had the privilege of watching the inner workings of a french bakery, you certainly have missed a treat!

Chef Pierre Lestieux of Asheville, NC invited the students from the Swannanoa School for the Culinary Arts at Warren-Wilson College to have a chance to see him at work and do some baking of their own.






Pierre casually created the dough in his large mixer above, then he began to separate the dough into several large lumps for using in various types of bread. He took one lump and began to create baguettes, and encouraged each of us to take some dough and experience the feel of what it is like to roll out the long loaves for baking.

After rolling out our loaves with our hands, he showed us how to slice the tops of the loaves so they will separate and expand when baking.


The loaves were then put in a 'proving oven' to rise before baking.


We also did brioche......


And croissant......
But most of all, we got to play in dough which certainly satisfied my creative inner- child!

1 comment:

yellowdoggranny said...

i used to love to make home made bread...and haven't done it in years and years..after seeing these pictures im tempted to give it a try again..even if i can't eat any of it.