Can't Hardly Wait

The Fashion department at the Art Institute held their first annual fashion show, and I helped make the desserts for the event. I baked the spice cake on Wednesday, then Thursday morning started pumpkin praline tarts. After baking all day, we also served the desserts that night.

Then it was bread time. Most of the recipes we use are from Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery andThe Bread Baker's Apprentice. The recipes are delicious, with detailed instructions and pictures. But there's a lot of down time, waiting for the bread to ferment, then proof after shaping.

We make focaccia with olives, peppers, cheese and herbs for the student run restaurant.

We also learned the traditional baguette made with a sourdough starter. The starter adds flavor and the developed yeast makes the dough rise.

The baguettes were very dark on the bottom and stuck because we didn't put enough cornmeal on the pan. But I've been assured that bread in France can be burnt without a raised eyebrow.

I tried a tiny piece of this jalapeno cheddar bread, because it had a crazy amount of peppers in it.

This looks like a loaf of white bread. Surprise!

It's marbled rye! Layers of a light and dark rye doughs are rolled together to make the swirl pattern, or a bulls eye.

This is a miche after it has been shaped and allowed to rise for the second time. "Miche" refers to the shape of the loaf, which may or may not mean "butt cheek" in French slang.

The loaf is topped with cheese and roasted onions, then baked.

The miche, baked and sliced.

This potato, cheddar and chive bread should have been shaped like a torpedo, with pointed ends. Instead, it looks like a salamander.

Until you cut it open and the cheesy goodness bleeds out. This bread is best when it's warm.

Then we have the life of the party, black pepper cheddar bread.

It's a tender bread with a kick of black pepper.

I also decorated my first fake cake all by myself. I covered styrofoam in colored fondant.

I would have liked to cover the cake in my little gumpaste flowers, but ran out of time. It also needs a topper, like some white doves.