Free association : First week of Summer Term

Monday started with a 5 a.m wakeup. I had class at 7 a.m. It was a very odd feeling to be attending school in the month of June. We will be attending class 4 days a week (7 hrs a day), for 8 1/2 weeks, which is 3 weeks shorter than the regular school terms.

When I wondered into the bakery...I felt as if I hadn't left for the 3 week hiatus. The benches and the flour bins sat empty of clutter, lifeless and sanitary. They begged to be slapped with mounds of dough and a film of powder.

The hearth oven loomed, lifeless and cold. How odd? Students trickled in, their chef hats crisp and unfettered. So little mess.


After surviving my first and only dull week --- I say dull due to the fact that we had 2 days of Demonstrations, mainly for the new students' benefit. We were split up into groups with at least 2 new students, so that the more experienced 3rd term (me)or Management students could act as guides. I was looking for any excuse not to stand around, watching my group. I was itching to start baking again.

I have to say that Summer Term is quite different. There is no retail sales on Friday. There are only 4 stations to rotate.

And the culinary dept.(other side) actually has been cooking some decent entrées. Tender meat and veggies, flavorful sauces! These meals normally are not much about palate pleasing, as far as the line is concerned. The Banquet hall is another story, they have excellent standards (but those meals are not covered in my tuition, as the line is.)

Today we slowly moved back into production. I am in the bread station. We made some beautiful Challah (snail shaped) and Sunflower-oat, which was shaped into batards.



I am no longer concerned with technical jargon, I am determined to use my baking intuition. So far I have learned that my note taking has paid off, all that knowledge is soaking into me and bleeding out, like an oil to cloth.