Next Level Bread & Baking

Course outline

• Understanding flour and making a farmhouse loaf

  In the first lesson, Andy will teach you all about flour and how to be instinctive with breadmaking.

  You’ll learn about ratios of water to flour, fresh versus fast action yeast, and baker’s percentages before learning how to make a classic staple at River Cottage: our famous Farmhouse Loaf.

• Slow it down for more flavour

  This lesson dives into the popular subject of ‘slow rise’ loaves which are on the edge of sourdough and brilliant entry-level breads for those wanting to move into wild yeast fermentation. Andy will show you how to prove loaves over an extended amount of time as well as guiding you through the different stages of folding and shaping to give you loaves with the perfect rise.

  He also focusses on local, wholegrain flours, making the Rustic Farmhouse Loaf from the first lesson but with different flours to show you how well-sourced local, organic flour can really transform the outcome of simple loaves. In this lesson you’ll learn how to make baguettes.

• Focaccia & Ciabatta

  Master these two classic Italian breads with one brilliantly versatile dough.

  Andy will show you how to incorporate olive oil into this bake and how to make both a light, airy focaccia and beautiful slipper shaped, crispy, chewy open textured Italian ciabatta. Both are joyous to make and an even a greater treat to eat.

• Finishing with something sweet

  Enriched loaves are made by adding butter and eggs to a classic dough to give it a more cake-like texture and a luxurious richness famous in French baking.

  Andy will share his secrets for perfecting butter-rich brioche and then he’ll show you how to transform this dough into light and pillowy doughnuts and swirls of cinnamon buns.

  You’ll also get the secret recipe and step-by-step instruction to make a River Cottage favourite: our Spiced Fruit Loaf with tea-soaked fruit.