Two-Day Courses

Basic Breads & Fermentation

An introductory course with discussion on yeast, the fermentation process, and flour. You will become competent at kneading both white and wholemeal and learn about shaping sticks, rolls and loaves. See the development of magical gluten, be guided about feeling the state of proof, gain confidence about final baking. Basic doughs and more flavoursome overnight doughs are made; strong flour is compared with weak; use a “ferment” to make rich fruit buns; learn the tricks of the trade for croissants. Tour the mill.

British Traditional

Good old-fashioned cottage loaf or London bloomer, learn the handskills needed for these shapes, as well as the familiar tinned loaves. Use sweet English wholemeal and blends of white flours made by English millers who know how much Canadian to add. Work with longer fermentation times to make bread with remarkable flavour, experience overnight starters known by British bakers as “sponges”. Learn about malted breads, rye breads, and tackle a few of the vast panoply of English rolls. For the sweet toothed there will be the almost forgotten family of doughcakes enriched with butter and fruit or saffron. Tour the mill.

Festive: Basic and British Traditional courses before Easter will feature the Hot Cross Bun. November Basic will feature stollen for Christmas

Next come bridge rolls made with the whitest of white steel-ground flour and enriched with butter. Under Paul’s encouraging eye and through his clear remarks we learn about different types of flour, how to shape cobs and bloomers, and to roll up pan loaves tightly. We make rye/wheat mixtures and use the giant mixer to create a dough for cottage and farmhouse loaves. We form the bridge rolls with delight and the plaited loaves with even more. Our confidence increases and so does our bantering…..Paul is an excellent teacher…
— Ian Irvine, The Independent Magazine, June 2005

Continental, Italian & French

Make memorable loaves with that open bubbly texture that we get in Continental breads. Learn the professional baker’s approach to using a poolish for making a real baguette, use the Italian overnight starter biga for achieving the correct texture for ciabatta. Cann Mills sourdough leaven (levain) will be on hand for making splendid pain de campagne loaves proved in baskets, and we shall blend rye with wheat for a typical complex continental effect. On this course we endeavour to capture the perfect “rustic” loaf, and we shall extend the range to include yeasted pastries – try your hand at croissants. Tour the mill.

Sour Dough

Examine traditions from Europe that led to the whole style of baking we know as “sourdough”. Understand processes and help explode some myths and fanciful practices that surround sourdough. Compare leavens made with tiny amounts of yeast in the French manner with the purer method of harnessing wild yeasts to be nurtured into potent maturity when you follow certain rules and practices. Enjoy making unforgettable sourdough loaves with flours of wheat, rye, and spelt. Learn bakerly methods of refreshment, handling the sourdough, proving in French baskets, and loading them into the oven. Tour the mill.

If you have any inclination at all towards baking, I recommend making sourdough yourself. Paul Merry’s PANARY courses in Dorset are an excellent way to start: he has a knack for demystifying a process that is sometimes overcomplicated in bread-making books.
— Nikki Duffy, The Guardian Weekend, May 2005

Sponges & Pre-ferments

An exciting new course that reflects the sophistication and interests of today’s enthusiastic students. Learn about the wide family of pre-fermentations generally, both British and Continental. Work with wet starters such as the British “ferment” to make both savoury bread and sweet buns; overnight “biga” and “poolish” from Italy and France, making flatbreads, ciabatta and baguette; make firm dough-like overnight “sponge” for remarkable British breads on the second day; compare sponges with the other established pre-fermentation system where some dough is held back from the day before, aptly called by the French the pate fermentee method.

I would like to say how very much I enjoyed attending your first Sponges and Pre-Ferments course recently. I thought it was extremely well organised, we covered many different breads and techniques and I learnt a huge amount from you. The whole weekend was all I hoped it would be and more, your catering was superb ( we were treated right royally), you were interesting, informative, very good humoured considering our lack of expertise, and entertaining. I shall be saving my pennies up to do another course with you before too long, I hope.
— Stephanie Barrett, May 29, 2010

French – with Sourdough

Work with levains and poolish to capture the essence of French breads. During the two-day course learn how to manage the sourdough leaven (levain) and use both wheat and rye levains to make incomparable rustic breads which keep for days, some with nuts and raisins added. The flagship loaf will be the rustic pain de campagne. With the poolish enjoy a vast baguette workshop, and learn handskills for making French shapes. Yeasted pastries too, croissant and brioche.

N.B.

• The wood-fired oven can be used by request on any course.

Day one of all courses begins at 10am with subsequent days beginning at 9am. The day finishes between 5 and 6pm. Unless otherwise stated, all courses run at Cann Mills, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 0BL

SPOUSES AND PARTNERS – are welcome to attend drinks in the bakery.

Upcoming Two-Day Courses

September

October

November