
In which we say hello, and suggest different ways of doing this course.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty
The information contained in this course has been verified and documented as carefully as possible and the authors have used their best efforts in preparing the course. However, the authors cannot be held liable for the use or misuse of its contents. The authors make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this course and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. The advice and strategies presented here may not be suitable for your individual situation, and you should consult with professionals where appropriate.
Health & Safety
The authors cannot be held liable for accidents or injuries resulting from misuse of ovens or other kitchen equipment, nor for any issues connected with ingredients or methods, including the management and usage of live sourdough culture.
Baking is a very responsible business and under-18s should be supervised by a competent adult.
If you want to know your dough, you have to know a bit about yourself!
Knowing what you're aiming for is half the battle.
Learn the most important questions a baker can ask. (Print out the downloadable pdf in the Resources for this lecture, and keep it handy for reference if you like.)
This lecture shows how the Seven Steps are connected to the Four Stages of the Dough. A pdf is available in the resources for this lecture, for you to print out and keep somewhere handy.
Learn the features and benefits of relaxed and tight dough.
Understanding gluten development as both a technique and a process.
Introduction to sourdough starter and leaven.
How to make and maintain your own starter culture.
Understand the significance of your choice of flour, for your health, for the planet and for your bread.
Tips on choosing ingredients.
If you are a beginner, it's time to learn the international baking system, and see how using percentages can refine the balance of your recipe.
Tips on technique development.
Dragan demonstrates how to knead effectively.
Definition of the Rock & Rolling kneading method.
See how to fold your dough.
Check different folding approaches for different kinds of dough.
Dragan compares autolysed and un-autolysed dough results.
Definition of autolysing.
Minor moves with major benefits...
How you shape up as a baker.
To inspire you in your scoring, pdfs of the diagrams are attached for you to print out in the resources for this lecture.
Discover a whole range of decorating techniques.
Test your shaping skills. Download the recipe and instructions for shaping The Olive Tree Bread.
How to make a harvest festival bread.
A printable pdf of the recipe for the Harvest Wheatsheaf is available in the Resources for this lecture.
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Baking to suit your own schedule
Mixing in bulk
Retardation using the fridge for rising/proving
Long fermentation
Building airy structure
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Baking to suit your own schedule
Mixing in bulk
Retardation using the fridge for rising/proving
Long fermentation
Working with spelt flour
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Autolysing overnight
Mixing in bulk
Retardation using the fridge for rising/proving
Long fermentation
Working with heritage flour
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Kneading in the bowl
Using the pre-soak method for seeds
Fermenting directly in the tin
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Kneading in the bowl
Shaping mud pies...
Using a 100% rye leaven
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Yeasted versus sourdough leaven
Enriching dough with cheese (note tender crumb)
Shaping and scoring
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Enriching dough using the rub-in butter method
Incorporating eggs and milk.
Shaping very wet dough into burger buns.
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Double-hydration (hyper-hydration/bassinage)
Folding
Handling very wet dough
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Kneading in the bowl
Enriching dough with olive oil & herbs
Folding wet dough
Cutting wet dough
Techniques practised in this masterclass:
Retarding fermentation in the fridge
Shaping pizza balls
Shaping pizza discs
Snapshot of the dough spectrum!
Understand the relationship between time, temperature and leaven.
How to boost your bubble factor.
Get the Fermentation Equation.
Use the fridge to make baking more convenient.
Please read this before you watch the next video; it explains the comments in the screen titles.
A gallery of good guys and bad!
Use a journal to track progress towards your personal baking goals.
What next?!
Ever wish you knew what was REALLY going on with your bread?
Are you unsure WHEN to move to the next step in rising/proving/baking?
Do you know WHY kneading, folding & shaping are so important, or HOW to apply these techniques to best effect?
Do you want to LEARN how to build and maintain better structure in your dough?
Are you frustrated when your bread doesn’t turn out like the photo in the recipe?
Or would you simply like to move on from baking BRICKS?!
Look no further.
Know Your Dough is designed to remove those mysteries, leaving you with the clarity you need to happily pursue your baking goals.
If you’ve already got the baking bug, you’ll know that dough is a living thing that sometimes seems to have a mind of its own. Whilst not claiming to be able to read the ‘minds’ of a squillion yeasts, we have produced this course to give you the equivalent of x-ray 'dough goggles' – i.e. penetrating insights into the structure, the texture, the temperament and the behaviour of your dough.
Because, once you understand your dough, making outstanding bread will be easier than you ever thought possible!
Like baking itself, this course is:
a blend of art and science
a careful balance of theory and practice
The emphasis is on video demonstration and not too much reading.
PART ONE – BECOMING A BETTER JUDGE
In the first part, we show you how to ask and answer the questions that mark each of the Four Stages of the Dough, from first mix to baked item. Your ability to answer these questions is what defines your progress as a baker. As your judgement of each stage improves, so will your baking results.
You will learn how to handle the different modes of the dough; what it means when the dough is tightened, or when it is relaxed, or what difference it makes whether the dough is warm or cold, old or young, drier or wetter.
As the course unfolds, you will learn more about fermentation, including how to make, manage and troubleshoot a sourdough culture. You’ll discover how to use the relationship between temperature and time to build a baking schedule that's super convenient for you.
In our Bakers Toolbox, you’ll find a whole reference section on the use and impacts of various baking techniques. This is where you can build your repertoire of skills, and your grasp of baking theory, with the how’s, why’s and when’s for every technique. You can digest this in one sitting, or refer back to it as you need.
PART TWO – THE MASTERCLASSES
To accelerate your development as a baker, we use the middle section of the course to deliver 10 different recipe-masterclasses, each carefully selected to highlight a specific technique and a particular aspect of dough and gluten development.
• The Daily Bread - white, yeasted or sourdough
• Brown – yeasted or sourdough
• Heritage Brown – autolysed sourdough
• Heritage Seeded - yeasted & sourdough
• Sourdough Rye
• Cheese, Chilli & Garlic (yeasted & sourdough)
• Brioche Burger Buns - yeasted
• Ciabatta – sourdough
• Focaccia - yeasted
• Pizza – yeasted and sourdough
PART THREE - DOUGHOLOGY
With all that masterclass experience behind you (or before you, if you prefer to do this section first), you will be ready to delve into 'Doughology' – further insights into fermentation, time, temperature and retardation. This section will help you push forward in your experiments.
Finally, you’ll learn how to read your baked bread - which tells you more than you might imagine about your progress. We’ll show you how to record your observations and get the most from your analysis.
At The Artisan Bakery School, we (Dragan & Penny) have been demystifying dough for over a decade. We want you to love baking bread, so instead of just teaching you recipes, or baffling you with bakers voodoo, we teach you essential baking principles and techniques. That way, you can troubleshoot problems, be creative with more confidence, and measure your own independent progress from amateur to amazing.
5-Star Reviews for Know Your Dough:
What an amazing course. I'm a professional baker/pastry chef and this made me understand in depth what is happening with our dough, all the things forming and growing. Thank you!
Lara Melo
Here are a few of our favourite 5 star testimonials from our other courses:
This is a fantastic course. The photography, detail, and explanations are superb. All the important information comes together that will help anyone become a better bread baker. Many thanks to Dragan and Penny for sharing their knowledge to provide such outstanding instruction. I really loved the Masterclasses section and the video showing how to read finished bread and dough. Lance Pawlikowski
I gave five stars because the genuine enthusiasm of Penny and Dragan is so infectious, and all the various aspects are explained and demonstrated in such an easy to follow manner. I felt drawn in and couldn't wait to get a starter going. I'm looking forward to the time when I have rocked & rolled & chafed and, hopefully, ended up with a lovely smooth ball of dough - like the one that Dragan cradled in his hands so affectionately. Looks a little like play dough for grown-ups. George.E. Morley
Penny and Dragan removed the mystique surrounding sourdough and made it very "do-able." Really love the FAB recipe! Bobby Ollar
…The bonus too is they show the stages of dough development clearly and this was something I struggled to understand before this course. They keep it simple as bread baking should be. I'm really looking forward to more courses. Julia Bilecki
Dragan and Penny! Thank you for putting together such an awesome course. Incredible support, you know what you are talking about. Very insightful course. I really learned a lot, all of the additional advice/tips very helpful and useful. All the best for you. Marcelo Ariatti
The videos are priceless! Aden
Why not check out the promo video and the free lectures for yourself?
Remember, if all you need are recipes, there are plenty out there to choose from.
If you want to REALLY know what you're doing with your dough - start here!