The Art Of Baking Bread In A Wood Fired Oven

Can anything be more rewarding than making your own bread?  At Manna from Devon Cooking School they make bread as it should be made, using first class ingredients, lots of time and heaps of respect.  Join passionate, professional baker David Jones on his new 'Bread and Baking in a Wood Fired Oven' course and allow his enthusiasm to rub off whilst gaining the confidence to regularly make your daily bread.

With National Bread Week taking place this year on 12th - 16th April it's a great time to book yourself on to a course on either 12th May, 9th June and 7th July (£135 per person).  There are a limited number of places due to the personal, small class sizes so book early to avoid disappointment.

Commenting on this new course, David says: "Once you have a basic understanding of bread making there are endless possibilities.  It's so satisfying to be able to make your own Ciabatta or Focaccia for lunch or serve freshly baked English Muffins for tea and then later in the day impress your friends with a home baked Sourdough loaf.  The bread making process is quite addictive and cooking it in a wood fired oven adds a great element of fun, as well as depth of flavour."

As part of Real Bread Maker Week (7th - 13th May), David Jones will be hosting two free taster sessions about making bread on 15th May (10am - noon and 2 - 4pm).

In addition to the fore mentioned courses, David and his wife Holly are also hosting wood fired oven taster days on the cooking school's fabulous Bushman wood fired ovens.  If you're thinking about investing in a wood fired oven or would simply like to try one out before booking a course call ahead and go along to the cooking school on 7th June or 26th July (free, 11am for two hours) to give this style of cooking a go.

Alternatively, if you're interested in the full ins and outs of how to cook in this style oven and would like to know how to cook everything from scallops to tandoori chicken in a wood fired oven then book one of the following days: 13th April; 11th May; 8th June; 6th, 27th or 28th July (£135 per person).

For those of you who are looking for a fantastic selection of inspiring bread recipes, buy a copy of Holly and David Jones' 'Wood Fired Oven Cookbook', which is available on Amazon and in independent bookstores (Aquamarine, RRP £9.99).  Packed full of helpful tips, beautiful photography and easy to follow recipes, which can be cooked either in a wood fired oven or in a conventional oven, this cookbook is perfect for both the novice bread maker and the experienced baker.

In addition to individual and small group bookings, the wood fired oven courses are perfect for larger groups, both from the corporate world and also groups such as Scouts where there is a need to learn about cooking outdoors.

There are also various other baking classes including 'An Introduction to Sourdough'; 'Mastering Artisan Bread', 'Italian Bread' and 'Essential Bread' taking place over the summer months at Manna from Devon.  You can also learn all about smoking, drying and curing at the cooking school or go along to their hugely popular 'Fabulous Fish' course or one of their much loved Asian or Mediterranean cooking days.  Finally, something for your children, Manna from Devon hold pizza parties where lots of fun can be had learning how to make dough and cook with it. 

Manna from Devon Cooking School is positioned in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Kingswear.  The stylishly decorated, homely kitchen and the outdoors' decking overlook simply stunning views across the Dart estuary to Dartmouth.  In addition to the main kitchen there is a second kitchen which is in the style of a bakery.  

As well as its cooking classes, Manna from Devon Cooking School also produces a selection of delicious double chocolate brownies and sticky puddings (Sticky Toffee, Sticky Chocolate and Walnut, and Sticky Banana and Ginger) which are available at www.mannafromdevon.com.  This heavenly range of products is also available in a number of deli's and independent stores and at various food festivals across the south west. 

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