The Abbotsford Convent Breadmaking Class

"The warm complex aroma of a freshly baked loaf of bread can be an utterly tantalizing experience" - Convent Bakery

I was at a luthiers exhibition a few weeks ago at the Abbotsford Convent. I went to the Bakery for a coffee. Seeing a class in progress in the actual bakery made me sign up there and then. Making one's own bread is such a pleasure and I hadn't made bread in a while. I first read about the Convent's bread baking classes 2 years ago but at that time, they were booked out. Their classes include bread making, pastry making, nougat and panforte, brioche, danishes and croissants.

The Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne, was built in 1901. There are 11 historic buildings and gardens spread over 6.8 hectares on a bend of the Yarra River. It is surrounded by the Collingwood Children's Farm and parklands and is approximately 4 kilometers from the CBD.

The Convent Bakery in the kitchen annexe played an integral part in the self-sustaining life style of the Sisters of Good Shepard. The magnificent wood fired masonry ovens still stand today after 108 years and are used for baking wood fired bread and pastries. The bakery is open seven days a week for a full breakfast and lunch and Friday nights at the Boiler Room for wood fired pizza.

I arrived early in anticipation of a great day. I wasn't disappointed. The day started with a lovely cup of coffee and croissant while I waited for the other participants to arrive. The class was taken by Dan Thyer.

First, we made Aussie style scones for our morning tea which we had with raspberry jam and cream, and the rest to take home.

Then we made pizza for our lunch

and a calzone to take home for dinner.

And we made 2 types of bread:

White sourdough and rye sourdough

Another Great Day!!!!

Scones:

• 400 gm self raising flour
• 30 gm sugar
• pinch of salt
• 40 gm butter
• 250 ml milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and with clean hands. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch (1 cm) cubes. Rub the butter through the flour mixture until you get a consistency like bread crumbs. Add the milk. Don't over mix, just gently bring it all together otherwise you will over-develop the gluten in the flour and the scones will be tough. You can add a pinch of cinnamon and 80 - 100gm of sultanas at the mixing stage if you like. Divide the mixture into 10 portions and roll each portion in to a ball. These can be rested for up to half an hour if you don't want to bake them straight away. Bake at 12 -15 minutes.

Pizza/Calzone Dough:

• 500 gm plain flour (or wholemeal flour)
• 10 gm salt
• 25 gm sugar
• 60 ml olive oil
• 15 gm instant yeast (25 gm for wholemeal)
• 320 ml cold water

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. With both hands, mix it until it forms a ball of dough. Take the dough from the bowl and place it on the bench. Knead the dough for a further 15 minutes until the dough is developed. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover it for a further 2 hours so it can proof. Split the dough into 2 or 3 pieces according to what size pizza/calzone you are making. Flatten the dough to fit the shape of your tray. Baste the dough with garlic flavoured olive oil then pizza tomato sauce, leaving a half inch border around the edge. Cover the pizza with your choice of toppings (I used pepperoni, fresh tomato, artichoke, marinated red peppers and olives) then sprinkle over cheese. Don't over-do it with the topping or you will have a soggy pizza. Bake at 230°C for 12 - 15 minutes.

For the calzone, only cover half of the dough with topping. Fold the unfilled half over the filled half and press the edges together. Cut 3 to 4 slits in the top of the calzone to let the steam escape and bake as for pizza above.

White Sourdough:

• 500 gm baker's white flour
• 10 gm salt
• 85 gm levain (sourdough culture)
• 30 ml olive oil
• 10 gm instant yeast
• 1 small pinch vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
• 300 ml cold water

Mix and form dough then place on the bench and knead for 15 - 20 minutes. Place the dough into a bowl sprayed with olive oil and cover for 2 hours for proofing. Your dough should double in size during this time. Place the dough on the bench and give 10 minutes to rest before molding into shape then final proofing for 45 minutes. Bake at 210°C for 30 - 35 minutes.

Rye Sourdough:

• 700 gm white baker's flour
• 300 gm rye meal
• 20 gm salt
• 200 gm rye levain
• 70 ml olive oil
• 20 gm instant yeast
• 1 tiny pinch vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
• 650 ml cold water

Mix and form dough then place on the bench and knead for 15 - 20 minutes. Place the dough into a bowl sprayed with olive oil and cover for 2 hours for proofing. Your dough should double in size during this time. Place the dough on the bench and give 10 minutes to rest before molding into shape then final proofing for 45 minutes. Bake at 210°C for 30 - 35 minutes.