We are looking for teachers

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zuff_yeah on 18 Oct 2018 at 14:27

 

 

Good evening,

my name is Filippo and I write from a beautiful city called Bergamo,

located in northern Italy.

I worked for a few years as a pizza chef in Italy and six months in

Greece. From one year I found out the bread with sourdough, and seems

that in Italy it is still a recent practice. There are few realities

willing to teach.

My girlfriend and I would like to open a micro bakery near our house

and we are looking for someone to teach a small business.

Produce 1 kg of bread is different to produce 50 kg

We would like to make bread with long fementations (using the fridge)

with sourdough and organic flours. At the moment I have a little

experience with tests done at home (after reading Tartine bread) by kneading by hand and cooking in

a "Lodge" cast-iron (waiting to buy a mixer and the Rofco b40 oven) if

anyone is interested and want to help us we will be honored.

We are willing to leave for all of Europe (Spain, England, Ireland, France, Germany Etc ..)

 

Thank you

 

 

 

Filippo and Linda

 

 

 

I recommend you contact Vanessa Kimbell at The Sourdough School.

Her website is www.sourdough.co.uk

If you need English lessons, I am a qualified teacher of English as a Second Other Language. 

Best wishes 

Chris 

 

Hi Chris, maybe I could learn english and sourdough lessons together. it would be wonderful. Thank you Filippo

Ciao Filippo & Linda!

Do you know about Matteo Festorazzi?  He is a very accomplished sourdough baker and teacher who has written a book, Lievitazioni Naturali, available as a download from Amazon.  People in the US say Matteo is "the Trevor Wilson of Italy" since his book helps people get control of crumb structure in their sourdough breads the way Trevor has with his book.

I believe Matteo runs a bed and breakfast in Perledo, a comune vicino di Varenna.  So he is very close to you!  He is on Instagram and has a blog through which you can contact him.  I have a question for him and have been meaning to use that contact, but haven't gotten around to it.

There is also a progressive panificio in Brescia (not Iginio Massari's Pasticceria Veneto -- another one, I think!) that I once read about but have lost its name and that of the baker who runs it.  I'm sure Michael Wilson (who posts very knowledgeably on Fresh Loaf about Italian baking) would know.

You should open your bakery in Bellagio!  It no longer has a panificio and has thousands of tourist customers looking for good bread every day!

PM me if you want to talk.

Ciao,

Tom

Matteo's book as well as blog and he is an amazing baker and in his book also talks about the Italian flours.

So, my advice would be to try to learn as much as possible about what type of flours bakers are using for SD in Italy and keep baking and practising and practising...

I also have a whole library of IG links and picked up a lot of little tips and hints just following the comments of a number of bakers....and for instance picked up a lot about what flour they use..etc.

Also, whilst the craze is about open crumb, many customers are quite happy with a sandwich type of crumb that is light and airy and tasty...

So, I would start with a simple low hydration recipe and see from there. I also have a little Rofco B20 rather than a B40 and once you have the Rofco there are also lots of posts on IG with a number of microbakers  who share their findings......

This site off course is also amazing and you can find lots of advice here and friendly people who always are happy to help. 

Sorry, if I cannot give more help with finding baking classes in Italy...and the best of luck to both of  you... Kat

 

thanks Kat,

I studied the tartine book, and several famous books. I have done a lot of tests but always of small productions with a good result. I am looking for a teacher also in England, France, Holland, Ireland and Belgium because in Italy people are wary of teaching. I think they are jealous of sharing. This is my thought..

and Richard Bertinet in Bath in England also does classes..and you might know of him due the books he has published..and he also is on IG

https://www.thebertinetkitchen.com/product-category/classes/

There are also a number of smaller bakeries that do mainly one day courses and maybe if you speak to them they could help you...

http://www.woostersbakery.co.uk/baking-courses  (I did a one day with them and they were incredibly helpful...) 

https://www.hoxtonbakehouse.com/classes/

This is thinking about this a bit creatively you might think -  but  you  could enquire  whether you could do a non- paid work placement with them or something like that and speak to a number of bakeries about options and learn while you are there? That depends on how much time you've got and budget etc. 

I find that people are very open and just from what I have seen on IG people have traveled and visited a number of bakeries that are friendly with each other. I recommend to start researching micro-bakeries via IG....

I found out about those on Instagram and although they are only one day courses they might take you in as an 'apprentice'?

Just a thought... Kat

 

i was in Italy quite recently Tuscany for a week and Rome for 3 days , previously in Lake Como visited a bakery near Varenna and also many years ago visited in laws faniliy at Malonno which is quite close to where you are i believe!

kind regards Derek

Toast

Gyorgy on 8 Nov 2018 at 08:41

Filippo, just arrived in Bellagio for a month, but no access to sourdough bread, or a kitchen to make it. Do you have any suggestions for good bread in this area?

Gyorgy