Another Class...

Brynwood Needleworks - Sheboygan Hard Rolls and Brat Buns

 

It was a busy day yesterday. Much of the day was spent with our heating serviceman, Dave, at the farmhouse. We're trying to pin down why two of our upstairs steam radiators aren't working, and so far, we're they're baffled. Dave had to check back to the office twice, and he may be back again today to take another shot at the issue.

While that was going on, I was making more bread. A loaf went up to Andy and Shelly's house, while the other will be a gift for another special someone. My plan is to deliver it today.

Then, I met up with my sister, Diana, for another bread making class at the Fond du Lac tech college in the evening. We signed up to learn how to make Sheboygan hard rolls and brat buns. We had a great time! Not only did we learn how to make them, but our instructor, Sue Horvath, also had us give them the ultimate taste test.

Brynwood Needleworks - An "Oostburger" and Herb Roast Potatoes

We also made herb-crusted roast red potatoes, hamburgers and brats on the grill, and a homemade roast tomato ketchup. After our rolls were all baked and cooled, we all sat down for a Q & A over our meals.

 

Sue and our other instructor, Tom Endejan, are really fabulous teachers. Not only do they share their knowledge for bread making (and more treats), they are also most generous with their knowledge of streamlining, cost savings, and other helpful hints. Then, to top it all off with a big, juicy cherry, they feed us! Diana and I are already planning our next class!

 

I'm getting down to the wire now to get ready to travel tomorrow. It's going to be a busy, busy day here at the farmhouse. Diana will be heading back to Minnesota (and her husband, Tom) while I prepare to see my own dear husband tomorrow. 

 

I'll be back to give you one more pre-trip post. My Saturday post will be from sunny, sw Florida. I think, just in time, too. I saw a weather report forecasting snow (SNOW?) for Saturday. I just added filling all the bird and 'possum feeders to my list of things to accomplish today. I'd better get after it.

See you Friday!

 

I Have Made Bread!...

Artisan Bread Class Results

Saturday was a day of learning, and it was so much fun! I drove to Fond du Lac to take a class at the technical college. Our instructor was Tom Endejan who, I confirmed that day, is an older brother of a great guy I dated for a little while in high school. Small world. There were eight other ladies who were there, like me, to learn how to make artisan breads. We certainly weren't disappointed.

Teaching Us About Artisan Bread Consistency

Tom taught us about ingredients, measuring, bread types and consistency, and we immediately got our hands-on experience. The students mixed up doughs for multi-grain, sweet, oatmeal and French (my class partner and I did that one) breads. We learned about proofing the bread, and how to treat it after it went through each phase of the rising process. I learned you don't have to beat up the dough (or yourself) to turn out a delicious, crusty bread. Tom also had two foccacia doughs in progress that would become our lunch before we left for the day.

Artisan Bread Classmates and Instructor, Tom Endejan

Here are the students with Tom (I'm behind the lens), and they're all holding a piece of the fabulous, crusty foccacia that had just cooled from the oven - and was our lunch.

We all brought home a selections of the doughs that we'd created in class, so we could bake those at home. We also brought home loaves of multi-grain bread that had been baked while we were learning, along with samples of the baked sweet doughs that had been turned into rolls and coffee cakes.

When I walked in the back door of the farmhouse, Handsome was there to take my bags from me. He was surprised at how much came home from the class, and after tasting everything, he declared the class a huge success. No more grocery store Italian bread (in ten different shapes) in our house. From now on, there will be freshly baked goodness from recipes we received in class.

I'm already scheduled for a second class in late October (Rustic Breads and Soups), but Tom is teaching a second class that takes what I learned over the weekend, further steps in the process. I'm going to the school this morning to see about enrolling in that one, too. (Handsome is encouraging me to go!)

I hope you had a great weekend. Our football and baseball teams (Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers) both won their Sunday games, which is always fun for us. Can you even believe it's already October? Where is the time going? What's the hurry? I'm still wondering what happened to September!

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Well, Happy October! I guess I'll just have to "roll" with it. (I really didn't mean to make that pun. lol) Gotta run. I'll see you Wednesday, after Tag checks in with you tomorrow.