Bread baking with Bread 41
So last week I took over Natural Born Feeder duties and popped along to Bread Nation, an organic bakery and its new eatery Bread 41. I was treated to a delicious morning of eating good food, baking lots of bread and learning from the pro Eoin Cluskey, the head chef! Needless to say, it was a nice change from my morning routine.
To start off the morning, we were treated to a wholesome breakfast in the new eatery Bread 41. This included a bowl of their house made yoghurt, fresh fruit and house made granola – all of which tasted insane! This was served with a generous plateful of fresh baked good including croissants, chocolate pastries, toast and sliced bread (FYI the croissants are a must try from these guys – they were some of the best I’ve had in Dublin and really reasonably priced too in comparison to a lot of places).
Once our bellies were full we followed Eoin into the kitchen and got the oven mitts out for a bread making class! When chatting it was clear to see that Eoin’s ethos is similar to Natural Born Feeder in that he wants to make good food affordable and accessible.
As part of the bread making course, I made three different breads, a chocolate and almond soda bread mix (I couldn’t resist chocolate!), a three-strand plait loaf (very fancy!) and tear and share bread rolls. Eoin guided us through the recipes and the role of each ingredient in making delicious fresh bread. He showed us how to knead the bread (which was a pretty decent arm workout!) and what consistency we were looking for in the dough and how to shape it.
Personally, I find cooking courses are a great way to learn about specific foods and appreciate the process that goes into making it from the ingredients used and the benefits they each provide! There’s also something so satisfying about making your food from scratch. I love bread and do love to make my own when I have the time but I’d never tried to make sourdough before or focaccia so this was all new to me and I couldn’t get over how simple it was (obviously it was that bit easier doing it in an industrial kitchen and following a pro!) but trust me it can be easily replicated in the kitchen at home and I was so impressed with the end result, if I say so myself.
For anyone interested in a bread making course, Bread 41 will be running a series of Thursday evening breadmaking classes, starting on October 18th. They will run from 6-10pm, are hands-on, and include bread to take away, recipes and refreshments. Class numbers are capped at 12, and the cost is €80. I really couldn’t recommend this more! What you will get from the class is:
- Learn how to keep your sourdough starter healthy and active
- Mix a batch of whole wheat bread dough
- Shape your very own loaf of bread
- Learn top-secret tips that will turn your home oven into a professional bread oven
- Bake a loaf of bread
- Eat a slice of fresh baked pizza + drink some wine/beer (drinks available for purchase)
And if you’re thinking about popping into the new eatery all the bread made and served in Bread 41 is naturally fermented and organic. Their menu looks delicious, check it out here. The menu focuses on fermented foods (to learn more about fermentation and gut health check out this post), making their own butters and jams, and sourcing local organic produce where they can, to support local farmers and suppliers which I love!
I’m a big fan of this place and already can’t wait to go back.
