Breads and Breakfast Pastries

My freezer is full of bread that I will most likely never eat. Truly. Check out the damage at right. I sometimes lose track of just how much product I'm making at school, but am strongly reminded when I open the door to dig for Boca patties (...or sorbet).

I have learned so much about bread during the past two weeks, mostly pertaining to mixing methods and chemical reactions. My classmates and I were taught three different ways to produce bread, each yielding a different crust, crumb, and shelf life.

whole wheat bread ready to be baked

baked whole wheat bread
French baguettes
beer bread in the oven

farmer bread (with walnuts)

country bread formed into shapes

Besides bread, we also focused on breakfast pastries such as brioche, croissants, danish, waffles, and beignets...

croissants

chocolate croissants

almond croissants

brioche topped with almond cream and sliced almonds

beignets, both fried and waiting to be fried

Next week we start on petit fours: dacquoises, eclairs, mini tarts, macarons, etc. Just in time for my dad and sisters' visit next weekend.