An amazing October

Craft Bakers and Butchers Extravaganza:

I am the youngest member of the Craft Bakers Association.  I joined two years ago after I read one of their leaflets in my goody bag from The World Bread Awards.

I like to follow what is happening in bakeries across the country.  I have been fortunate to visit a few bakeries which are members of the Craft Bakers Association.  This had included visits to Dunn's Bakery in London and Slattery's in London.

I was very excited when I saw that there was a CBA event in Harrogate that I could attend and was really pleased that I would be able to do one of the demonstrations.

Because I love making marmalade, as well as cakes and bread,I decided to demonstrate a marmalade cake with my own special homemade marmalade made from Ave Maria organic sevilles.  I talked through my process of making marmalade as I made my cake.  I was really pleased as lots of people came along to my demonstration including a number of other members of the Craft Bakers Association and the Worshipful Company of Bakers.  I handed out samples of my marmalade, and my marmalade cake.  I added some California Walnuts to my bake as I had been given some that morning and thought they added a nice texture to my cake.

I was really pleased and surprised to be presented with a copy of the Craft Bakers Association Book of Breadmaking" which will be really useful to work through.  George Fuller, Chair of the association really encouraged me and said that the Craft Bakers Association would be there to help me.

Afterwards I had a chat with John Foster MBE who told me lots of interesting things about bread and who has invited me to his bakery.

I talked to lots of other people who have offered opportunities to visit their bakeries.  I will organise this during the next year in my holidays.  I love to see how different bakeries work and the processes they use in baking.

The World Bread Awards:

I entered the World Bread Awards for the third time. I created three loaves of bread, A Fruit and Nut Challah bread with Persian spices, Scrumptious Saffron bread and a Goat's Cheese and Herb Cornbread.  I adapted a basic cornbread loaf for my cornbread recipe, I adapted a challah bread recipe with my own Persian twist - and used Edd Kimber's saffron bread rolls recipe to make my own creation. I got some great feedback for my breads and was complimented on the creativity, elegance and attractiveness of my loaves. I got runner up this year.

 At the awards ceremony it was great to catch up with a lot of people who have helped me with my baking, and others who have offered further opportunities to help me. I'm hoping to encourage more childrens entries next year.

 A day with John Swift:

Yesterday I spent a day in Swifts Bakery in Clee Hill, Shropshire. John Swift starred on the brilliant programme "Victorian Bakers" and he is a fifth generation baker.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning a different perspective to baking bread. John taught me how to shape which I have been struggling with ever since day one. I shaped lots of different things including butter buns, chelsea buns and a variety of loaves. I was really impressed with how much bread is made in the bakery each day.

Thankyou so much to everyone at Swifts for making such a great day for me!

Getting ready for the World Bread Awards

I love taking part in the World Bread Awards as I love trying experimenting with new breads and getting expert feedback on them.  I have fantastic news....I am a finalist again so will be off to the awards ceremony to find out what the judges made of my bread.

Here are the breads I made:

1.  Goats Cheese and herb cornbread

I saw cornbread for the first time at a food festival.  I loved the colour and flavour and so decided to put my twist on a basic recipe I found on the internet.  I added local smoked goats cheese, and my own home grown herbs.  I decided to use a 6-stranded plait which I learnt from following YouTube.  I found the plait easy to do with the video.

2.  Fruit and Nut Challah with Persian Flavours

I have been inspired by Persian Flavours after trying some white chocolate with Persian spices at Paul A Young Chocolatiers.  I love the combination of pistachio and rose as it looks pretty and tastes good.  I mixed up my own Persian Spice mix by combining lots of different spices.  It was difficult to grind the rose petals so I added a little granulated sugar and it blended down.  I tried this bread several times, adding different amounts of spice and fruit.  I also tried rings and straight plaits. The bread has a nice combination of flavours and textures.

3.  Saint Lucia Saffron Buns

I have always wanted to bake with saffron, and decided to use a Edd Kimber recipe for St Lucia Saffron Buns .  Instead of doing single buns, I decided to shape them into a ring.  I also added a little cardamon for extra flavour.  The smell of the bread was amazing, and I was pleased with the colour of the buns.

I had lots of fun trying out these new shapes and flavours.  I am looking forward to hearing what the judges think of them.

This month I am very excited to feature in the Real Bread Campaign's True Loaf publication.  Here is my article.  You can read the whole magazine when you join the Real Bread Campaign and keep up to date with news about the Real Bread Campaign