November 22, 2024
Dear Panarians,
At last I am in the final straight with the book. (When I refer to it with my long-suffering family I call it The Book). Editorial rigour and choosing its final style and shape have all turned out to be far more demanding and time-consuming than I could have possibly imagined.
As always I recommend my forthcoming courses, with new dates running up towards Easter.
In the bakery on my commercial Thursdays, work has been progressing well now that my current apprentice, Lukas Lee, is beyond being a fledgling baker and carries the burden of a good portion of the day’s work. He earns his keep by taking a substantial amount of the day’s bread back to London where he has interests in markets. He has become my biggest ‘shop’.
For the Baker’s Topic accompanying this newsletter I thought it would be apt to have an excerpt from the book. From the field of flatbreads the chosen one to explore is focaccia.
BOOK NEWS
Publication date will be right at the end of March, with the ‘launch’ itself occurring in Shaftesbury and perhaps a second launch in London. In late January/early February I am making an offer: early purchasers will get 10% off. By then I would know its price, and I shall have set up a structure for receiving payment and making satisfactory despatch. About all that there will be another newsletter.
UPCOMING BAKING COURSES
NOVEMBER
- Tue 26th — Sourdough Baking · 1 day (*COURSE FULL*)
DECEMBER
- Tue 3rd — Basic Festive Bread Baking · 1 day
FEBRUARY 2025
- Sat 1st — Basic Bread Baking · 1 day
- Tue 4th — French Baking · 1 day
- Sat 15th — French Baking with Sourdough · 2 day
- Tue 25th — Sourdough Baking · 1 day
MARCH
- Sat 1st — Going Professional · 3 day
- Sat 8th — Pizza & Italian Baking · 1 day
- Tue 11th — Basic British Baking · 1 day
- Sat 22nd — Nordic & Germanic Baking · 1 day
MAY
- Sat 3rd — Woodfired Oven · 1 day
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE – get in touch if you wish to purchase the following:
I have a stock of boards (the flat plywood boards bakers use to rest or prove dough pieces or to carry them across the bakery to the oven,etc.). They are the same size as bakers’trays, and could be cut down to smaller sizes. £12 each
Bakers’linen. From the bolt of coarse unbleached linen, 80 cm. wide, I cut any length you order, priced per metre at £8.
That’s it Panarians, until my next book news report.
Good baking, Paul
