Good afternoon everyone,
Well, we've got the first Hot Crossed week under our belts. The spice mix fills the kitchen with an unmistakable smell whilst the dough is mixing, and this year it includes some very special samples of cinnamon and clove, imported directly from Sri Lanka by Mohamad, with whom Hugo struck up a conversation at the bus stop directly outside the bakery. You'd be amazed what's emerged from bus stop chats over the years, and serendipitously a regular supply of directly traded spices is something we've been seeking forever.
If you've heard more laughing and giggling coming from the back of the bakery of late, it's because we were blessed with the presence of one Sam Luntley, star of the Glasgow baking scene and dear friend. Sam and his wife Anna wound up their beautiful bakery 287 at the end of last year, and whilst between hospitality projects Sam came to help out our scant bread team for a few weeks. It goes without saying that Sam was a joy to spend time with, but having another baker worldly wise in soft, stoneground flour also meant that we could bounce some ideas around. To the untrained eye Sam's method of mixing dough is almost identical to ours, but in changing one tiny but crucial aspect of the process around how additional water was incorporated, he was able to develop a slightly stronger, more homogenous dough. I won't bore you with the details, but we have now adopted his technique and are enjoying the results in the final product. When something like that happens after all these years of baking, it serves to prove the importance of always having an open mind and that in the bread-making process every variable matters. According to Sam, the same could well be said of ceramics, the other string to his bow. You may have noticed
We were also fortunate enough this week to welcome Morgan, head baker of Jolene, for a dough shift and Andy, formerly of Bread by Bike, for a couple of days. Cue in-depth chats about dough tubs and scales, leaven schedules and tray dimensions. Fun, invigorating, and always so interesting to chat to other bakers about their process and philosophy, and have to verbalise ours.
Finally, we have news of a potential new neighbour in the Covered Market. Many of you must have visited Arbequina, on Cowley Rd, for delicious tapas and great drinks, but you may not be aware of the close connections we share. Hugo's brother is one of the co-founders, the other co-founder was at school with Hugo, and the general manager is married to Aneta, our much-missed baker and longest serving employee, currently on paternal leave. Naturally, we were delighted to hear that Arbequina were going to join us in the Covered Market. They are taking on the site that was formerly Blue Blood Sports, and for those with slightly longer memories Macsamillion Shoes. Arbequina in the Covered market is an ambitious and exciting project, and to help get things off the ground they have launched a crowd funding campaign, details of which can be found here.
As always, thank you for reading and thank you for visiting us,
Enjoy the sunshine,
Kate and Hugo