Italian breads at Bertinet
Yesterday was day three and we were all beginning to get a bit tired. But there’s no pussy footing around with Richard in charge, he expects us to work hard. Olive oil doughs are a lot wetter than the French and white doughs we’ve been getting used to. It’s the same basic technique, but the dough feels very different. Fortunately the hard work was worth it…
Possibly the best focaccia ever
By the end of the day we had produced:
a beautiful focaccia with olives, wild garlic, poached garlic and rosemary
many cute ciabattas – these were exquisite
gorgeous little rolls filled with pancetta and pine nuts, others with ham and slow dried tomatoes
great pizzas – it was just like a kids’ party, Richard showed us how to make the bases and then let us loose with the toppings. I went for tomato, salami, and olives
some lovely grissini – we went a bit off-brief, so there were various shapes and sizes, but it’s really hard to make them all the same length, believe me
An Italian feast
Obviously lunch was a massive carb-fest, with a little smoked salmon and cherry tomato pasta dish for good measure. But it was impossible to stop eating – it was all so delicious.
Luckily Grandma and Grandpa Battenburg came to join me in Bath for a couple of days, so they helped me consume a selection of breads and cheeses last night in my great little Airbnb apartment just round the corner from the cookery school. We bought a bit of salad from Waitrose for the sake of appearances.
Watch this space for news of brown breads, sweet dough and the other delights of day 4. I have to go out for a drink with my new baker friends now…
Mmmmmmm PIZZA! Cor, this all looks great. I love focaccia too – can you teach me how to make it when you get back pretty please?
Ooh yes – Richard B told us that the best way to practice and perfect is to teach our chums – you are on!
I gave him the blog to read and didn’t seem to notice the mystery ingredient!