Artisan Bread-Making at The Open Bakery Workshop
It had been one of those frantic weekend mornings – decluttering, grocery shopping, and endless laundry. You know the drill. Head baker Csaba Bozo was waiting at the door of The Open Bakery’s Workshop in Kemptown with a slightly stern look on his face. Oh dear, I thought, this really is like going to school! I needn’t have worried – Csaba broke into a smile and welcomed us in.
Getting Started
We took our place at the large central table alongside the dozen or so other hopefuls enrolled on an afternoon dedicated to artisan bread-making. Laid out before us were all the ingredients and equipment needed to make and bake – and then take home – four types of bread that afternoon. . A warm bready scent filled the air.
As Csaba started to explain what we were going to be doing, a feeling of almost transcendental calm descended upon me. Bread-making, it turns out, is exacting, rule-following, methodical and physical. I could, for now at least, give myself over to the process.
It was a revelation. This feeling of peace is why people make bread – why it became such a hit in lockdown, and why it remains a hobby for so many. Baking is bliss.
The Joy of Kneading
We started with a seeded tin, mixing the ingredients in large bowls and then tipping them out onto the big communal table to start the kneading. Physical, time-consuming and completely meditative, kneading requires a muscular push and pull alongside belief that the magic will happen. Deep breath in, deep breath out.
Then suddenly, there it is. Dough. Smooth, marvellous, sticky, fragile – we mix it with handfuls of mixed seed, then plop it delicately into a basket to prove. In Csaba we trust.
Doughy Delight
We went on to mix, knead, pinch, prep and plop the dough for a farmhouse loaf, an unctuous focaccia and four glazed brioche buns. Each preparation brought its own childish joy. The farmhouse had to be stretched and folded; the focaccia nudged into place, then poked with ‘cat-playing-piano’ fingers.
But it was the brioche buns, which we pressed and rolled under our hands till they magically formed into beautifully domed little masterpieces, that really blew my mind. How does this work?! I’m obsessed.
A Well-Earned Lunch
With our breads proving on the warming shelves, we paused for a well-earned communal lunch. Daisy – Csaba’s assistant – who had been seamlessly helping to make sure each baker had the right ingredients and equipment for every bake (and quietly doing all the washing up – thank you so, so much, Daisy!) – had also been carefully preparing the meal in the background.
We sat down to two huge and completely delicious vegetarian quiches, served hot from the oven with fresh mixed leaf salad and plenty of delicious bread. I don’t know about you, but this is just about my favourite kind of lunch. A really good quiche is hard to beat – and these were some of the best I’ve ever had.
We followed up with filter coffee and individual moelleux au chocolat. Then there was plenty of time to get to know our co-bakers – some of whom were keen amateurs and others curious beginners. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.
The Final Bake
After lunch, we baked bread together, sliding our dough into the hot ovens while Csaba explained the process. We watched in amazement as bread after beautiful bread rose, crusted, gilded, and landed on racks in front of us. And oh my gosh – the aroma – the peerlessly delicious smell of freshly baked bread.
The Perfect Ending
An afternoon of ‘work’ had produced enough bread to feed an army (or at least our family) for a month (or at least a week). We packed up our sacks with lovely loaves and went home relaxed and happy, confident in our new skills and more than a little bit pleased with ourselves. We left The Open Bakery with our sacks full of bread and our minds free of clutter – the perfect end to a perfectly baked afternoon.
To experience your own baking bliss, The Open Bakery’s workshops run regularly in Kemptown. Learn to make patisserie, sourdough, macarons and more…
