Tag: BAKE!
New Cooking classes this year!
Over the years we’ve occasionally tapped into the skills and experience of our colleagues in the Zingerman’s Community and our friends in the food world at large to develop unique cooking classes at BAKE! This year we have a handful of special classes covering everything from traditional Korean cooking to a classic American Thanksgiving (which happens to be taught by a Brit!).
Pot Pie with Rodger Bowser
Meet seventeen year veteran, chef and managing partner of Zingerman’s Delicatessen, Rodger Bowser. He’ll lead you in making their famous chicken pot pie, including the aromatic filling and the flaky crust. Rodger will also demonstrate a fall-flavored green salad to compliment your pot pie. Head home after class and enjoy the comforting meal you created. Sharing optional.
Oct 3, 12:30p – 4:30p
Oct 3, 5:30p – 9:30p
Korean Bossam with Ji Hye Kim
Meet the woman behind San Street, a blossoming Zingerman’s business bringing traditional Korean food to Ann Arbor, currently by way of food carts and pop ins. In this class you’ll make two types of kimchi—the traditional fermented cabbage dish and another more fresh and quick version. She’ll demonstrate the curing and roasting of pork belly and make ssamjang, the accompanying dip. This meal together is called bossam. Ji Hye will share her years of research with you including the history of kimchi, ssamjang and the importance of fermented food in Korean cuisine.
Oct 16, 12:30p – 4:30p
Oct 16, 5:30p – 9:30p
Thanksgiving Dinner With Kieron Hales
Kieron Hales, Chef at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, has probably made more turkey, stuffing and gravy during his tenure at the Roadhouse than any of us will ever make in our entire lives! Come and learn from him how to do it up right!! Don’t be surprised by his British accent. He’s now a Yankee by choice! This class will be a combination of hands- on cooking, demonstration, tasting and lots of discussion. We’ll teach you to roast a turkey, discuss how to choose one and explore brining. Next we’ll make a stuffing, gravy (no lumps allowed) and a delicious side dish.
Nov 6, 12:30p – 4:30p
Nov 6, 5:30p – 9:30p
Roadhouse Classics with Alex Young
Learn to cook with Zingerman’s own James Beard Award-Winning Chef Alex Young. He’s ready to teach two Roadhouse favorites – Classic Mac ‘n Cheese and Ancho Beef Chili. You’ll learn how to make a classic and useful béchamel sauce, how to properly choose and cook pasta and how to think about creating variations of this basic recipe. Onto the chili, you’ll hear all about Alex’s adventure into cattle raising and how to develop depth of flavor in a dish like chili. You’ll receive a hero’s welcome from friends and family after this class.
Jan 16, 12:30p – 4:30p
Jan 16, 5:30p – 9:30p
A word from Amy Emberling, Zingerman’s Bakehouse partner:
Seven years ago when Frank and I started BAKE! we had no idea if anyone would come to a class. We didn’t write a business plan, or even “run the numbers.” We took a leap of faith and built a teaching bakery because we were inspired by the idea. We had a desire to connect with our customers in a new and different way. We wanted to share our baking knowledge in a fun and supportive atmosphere, so that people could bake successfully at home. Our idea blos- somed beyond our wildest expectations. Many of you come to class frequently (often with friends and family) and you’ve really advanced your baking knowledge and regularly bake at home. That was our number one objective and wow, it’s happening!
Many thanks for sharing your love of baking with us.
-Amy
The Zingerman’s Bakehouse was very pleased to welcome some of our friends from Hungary last week. Pastry chefs Augusta Auguszt and Gábor Komlós stopped by on whirlwind tour of the U.S. that included pastry shops in Chicago and New York City, among other destinations.
While they were in town, they stopped into one of our BAKE! classes to share some pastry-making tips and prepare their signature E-80 Cake, which was created by Augusta’s grandfather, Elemér Auguszt.
Among the visitors was Le Dog proprietor, Jules Van Dyck-Dobos. Mr. Van Dyck-Dobos, who is Hungarian, took the opportunity to chat with Augusta and Gábor and share a vintage Hungarian cookbook he’d inherited from his grandmother.
Augusta is part of a Hungarian pastry dynasty that spans five generations. The first shop was founded by Augusta’s great, great grandfather Elek Auguszt in 1870. The shop was well known throughout Hungary, and the business has survived oppression and closure under the Third Reich, and then as a satellite state of the U.S.S.R. But, the Auguszt family persevered, and their reputation for excellent traditionally made pastries and breads helped sustain their shop through the tough times.
The shop has since grown into three shops, Auguszt Cukrászda, Belvárosi Auguszt, and Auguszt Pavilion. All three are still managed by the Auguszt family, including Augusta, her mother Olga, and her sister, Flora.
Augusta and Gábor are just two of the many new friends made on our trips to Hungary, and whose collective input has been very helpful in developing the selection of Hungarian foods at the Bakehouse. Come by for a taste!If you’re interested in tasting this delicious and unique cuisine at the source, Zingerman’s Food Tours will be leading a trip to Hungary, October 15-25, 2013.
Szia!
Last October brought my first Zingerman’s staff scholarship, which is a really great benefit available to us, and my first trip to Germany to study bread making. I spent a week working and learning at the Dresdner Backhaus in Dresden. Let me back it up and give you all a little context of how the Zingerman’s Bakehouse got connected to the Backhaus.
The fifth-generation owner of the Dresdner Backhaus, Eli Kreutzkamm-Amueller, found out about Zingerman’s after reading Bo Burlingham’s book, Small Giants, which is about companies that aim to be great rather than big. She visited us on an American tour of small giant companies, came back for a ZingTrain seminar, and spent time with Amy Emberling, Bakehouse partner, discussing business practices and baking. Amy and Eli made plans to learn from each other. Eli came back with her production manager in January 2012 and they made their world famous stollen with us. Next I went to Dresden to learn about their bread baking tradition.
At the Dresdener Backhaus I got lots of hands-on experience with their stollen and a large variety of different rye breads. Nearly every kind of bread they make has some quantity of rye flour in it, even the French baguettes. The breads are marketed by what percentage of rye flour is in the recipe. One of the most interesting differences was their rye starter. It’s so strong that the scent of it knocked me back and made my eyes water. Rye starter is a sacred ingredient to German bakers. They even send samples from each batch to a lab to make sure that the bacteria are correctly balanced. Why are they so dedicated to rye?
The combination of the rye flour and the rye sour lends a stong rye taste to the loaf and as the percentage of rye flour increases, the longer the bread retains moisture and stays fresh. Also culturally and historically this is the most common grain. Rye is to the Germans as wheat is to us and corn is to Native Americans.
It was an exciting learning experience to see how a similarly sized bakery with a like-minded business sense operated. One very key similarity is that bakers around the world find drawing shapes and patterns on a floury bench is a great way to communicate!
During our visit, Amy and I picked out some really great breads and pastries to teach in two BAKE! classes taught by Eli and Tino the production manager last January. The classes were a complete success and lots of fun, too. From this experience, we have decided to put a few of the recipes that I learned to the test by offering you a couple of different varieties of German-style breads this March. We are planning to make a 100% spelt loaf called Dinkelbrot. It is dense, moist, delicious, and different from most of the breads that we are all used to. We will also make a roll called Vinschgauer which is rye based and has a very German blend of spices in it to give it a unique flavor. This one quickly became one of my favorites and it makes a mean salami sandwich. Stop in so that you don’t miss your chance to try some really special German breads baked at our very own Bakehouse!
– Shawna Sloan, Zingerman’s Bakehouse Bread Department