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If
you want to know how to make real bread, then Paul Merry, a master baker
with boundless enthusiasm, is your man.
In the beautiful setting of a working watermill in Dorset, his
PANARY courses are empassioned weekend workshops where bread is made
and discussed in equal measure. Around the long,
central table that fills much of the classroom, beginners and aspiring
artisan bakers alike weigh, measure, mix and shape under Paul’s watchful
eye. He carefully explains baker’s percentages, the importance of slow
fermentation and the need for good flour. At least 20 per cent of the
people in these courses are professionals in food in some way; but most
students are household bakers who want to get better. He says: “ I find
it a real pleasure to teach. First of all, I enjoy sharing my knowledge.
That’s the principal thing. The second is that I like the contact with
the different people who pass through my hands”. 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. “Paul Merry is
a calm and patient teacher, good at confidence building, and offers
an endless stream of vivid insights into the mysteries of yeast, gluten
and kneading, on the principle that the more you understand, the better
the chances of you doing things right.” “You
taught us a lot in a very short space of time: how to prepare, work,
and handle dough. The course itself was excellent. We all had a good
time and I certainly came away with a much better understanding of the
breadmaking process.” “I
enjoyed the advanced course. I found particularly useful your focus
on method, rather than simply following recipes. And thank you also
for the hands-on opportunity to work with a wood-fired oven.” “I
cannot recall ever having returned home from a course bubbling over
with so much enthusiasm. I can hardly wait to put into practice what
you taught me. My wife’s reaction to the bread I brought back was that
it reminded her of how bread used to smell…..”
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Paul
Merry, your teacher, built his own bakery outside Melbourne,
Australia, where he was an artisan baker for 10 fulfilling years. In
Britain he is a traditional baking consultant, a designer and constructor
of wood-fired masonry ovens, and a teacher. He conceived and
implemented the first series of baking courses called 'Leavens Above' for
the Village Bakery, Cumbria, where he remained for several years.