We are very happy to announce that our first bread baking class held at Astillero Verde was a great success!

This class was intended to be the first of a series of classes, in which we not only share baking and cooking skills and methods but also try to inspire the students to use local and seasonal ingredients, avoid processed food, and make nutritious and healthy meals, that are not only good for them but also for the community and the land. Further more, we hope the knowledge acquired in these classes can be put to use as a source of income, if the students so desire. This is specially important in a low-income area, such as Punta Morales, where women have very little access to employment and many earn a living by selling home made products.

CLASS OVERVIEW

Five members of the community attended this practical class on bread baking, held at Astillero Verde. During two intense days of sharing, the students were taught the basics of bread baking through the making of three different breads: a seeded white loaf, a wholemeal loaf and a recipe of their choice. It was a highly interactive learning experience, hands-on from the mixing to baking.

On the first day, students were introduced to all the stages of bread making (mixing, folding, bulk fermentation, shaping, proofing and baking). They learned the theory and reasoning behind the techniques and methods used and were able to feel each step on the way with their hands and senses. By making breads with both white and wholemeal flours, the students understood the differences between these two kinds of flour in terms of their workability, flavor, and most importantly, the difference in nutrition value. They also learned fire-making skills and how to fire and prepare an oven for bread baking.

On the second day, the students had the chance to formulate their own recipe, using a baker’s percentage formula, and develop their bread using the knowledge acquired on the first day. We also talked about the metabolism of yeasts and bacterias and their role in bread making. Understanding these processes is the first step to control bread flavor, nutrition and timings. Finally, we emphasize the importance of slow and long fermentations and introduced the sourdough starter, hopefully opening some interest for a future class on sourdough bread making and sourdough maintenance.

We still had time to make a delicious banana cake with the ripe bananas we had in stock and wholemeal flour for more flavor and nutrition. We ended the class tasting our breads with pesto made with basil plants from our Huerta and homemade guava jam that Asdrubal kindly shared with us, while Charlie presented us with a delicious ceviche, with pianguas he had harvested that morning at low tide in the mangroves surrounding the shipyard.

CLASS OUTCOME

By attending this course, students acquired a set of skills that will enable them to execute all the stages of bread making and understand and control the processes of fermentation. Most importantly, they have now the knowledge necessary to independently formulate their own recipes, which will allow them to continue baking bread at home. Students are now also more aware of the qualities of the slow artisanal bread baking, opposed to the fast industrial processes, and the benefits of using wholemeal flours as well as integrating more fibre in their diets. With this ideas in mind and the know-how gathered in this class, we hope they can make better informed decisions when it comes to choose their ingredients and that they slowly switch from depending on mass produced, highly processed food, into making their own products. This transition will not only be a step towards a healthier lifestyle but it also has the potential to re-shape the small scale economy of this area.

FUTURE LEARNING

We intend to continue providing baking and cooking courses for as long as there is interest. At the moment we are gathering data on what are the interests of the community regarding this topic, in order to develop classes that are truly relevant and that target the specific needs of this area. A few possible future classes are wood fired pizza, sweet doughs, savory doughs, homemade yoghurt and cheese, fermented vegetables, fresh pasta, amongst others.

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