Saturday, June 22, 2013

Baking Artisan Breads at Sur La Table

 

I always felt that hand-made, artisan style breads were extremely time-consuming and difficult - especially Brioche. However, I love the taste of home made bread, so I had to give the class at Sur la Table in Palo Alto a try. Above, the ingredients for Whole Wheat Country Bread with Olives and Rosemary.


The key to making bread is patience, proper ingredient ratios, and a KitchenAid mixer with dough hook! Above, the Whole Wheat Country Bread with Olives and Rosemary taking shape. Be sure to chop the rosemary very finely or else your bread will be woody.



Whole Wheat Country Bread with Olives and Rosemary right out of the oven - be sure and use a silicone mat on your baking sheet to prevent sticking.


We also made Brioche Rolls with Herbs and Cheese - this was much easier than I though it was going to be. I've always been intimidated by Brioche!


The Brioche dough is very sticky and can be hard to handle, but the end result is worth the effort.


Our finished Brioche rolls, above. They were incredibly delicious (must be all that butter).


Sur la Table's classroom/demo kitchen, above. There is a video monitor above the instructor's head so that you can see everything in detail as he's talking.


We made Ciabatta too - I must say that our handiwork was delicious! Better than a restaurant.



A close-up of the Brioche rolls - I am no longer intimidated by Brioche!

Sur la Table offers classes in the Bay Area in Palo Alto, Los Gatos, and Santa Rosa. I've signed up for an Ice Cream and Gelato workshop in August - just in time for really hot weather.

Jamilla



2 comments:

  1. This is so fun to see, and it looks really yummy too :-)

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  2. Yum! Looking very, very tasty! Yeah, I bake my own bread once a week since I am not a fan of bread I can found at nearby grocery stores. It is actually very easy to bake bread, and not so time-consuming at all. Also, you really do not need special kitchen gadgets. I mix everything with my two hands. :)

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