The Joys & Trials of Being a Bakery Owner

Hello Everyone!!

Hope the year is treating everyone well thus far!
I know it has been for me! Ever since I dove into the adventure of becoming a gluten free baker it has been a nonstop adventure. What I love is taking on items that you would never think to even go gluten free - like croissants or laminated doughs and tackle them. Wednesday I am making gluten free croissants and next week, crusty gluten free bread.

I don't know about everyone else that is gluten free that is out there, but one thing I miss the most is good, I mean really good, crusty bread. Or nice and light bread in general. I appreciate the attempts of some bakeries to provide gluten free bread, but being a professional baker, they fall short. Most seem to be a crumbly dense brick. I want something that is not gritty, that isn't dry, something that you can't even tell is gluten free. And apparently I will have to make that myself.
So, be looking for pictures of the progress as I keep creating more gluten free experiments! Above are some examples of the recent successes.
And again, if anyone ever has any questions, I am always more than happy to answer them if I can.

Its A New Adventure!

So, we are expanding into the realm of entrepreneurship! Just got our own specialty bakery up and running.
Feel free to check us out - www.terrapinpastries.com or on Facebook under Terrapin Pastries.
It has been a goal of mine for quite some time to be able to work one on one with customers to get the product that they are looking for, as is the case, I am sure with many bakers that I share my profession with. What I hope to establish is a great open door policy that no matter how difficult or impossible you might think an item might be, by working together, we just might get it accomplished!

Yellow Beauty's Question

First, my apologies for taking so long to get back to you. My computer had other plans for me apparently. : )
For professional baker's we have it easy. We are able to plan ahead, have all the recipes right there, and simply call in to order what we need and then they even deliver it the next day! Nice!!!
But what about baking at home?
Especially if you are starting from scratch?
Which, I got to experience recently. : ) Quite the experience.
There are two approaches that I take to getting ingredients. The main one, if you are only doing a few recipes, I would just take the actual recipe in the store with you. That way you don't short yourself on an integral ingredient or forget that one item that always seems to be forgotten and believe me, I have made countless return trips to the store for just that item. But, taking the recipes with you has definitely helped me out with that.
The other approach is a more long term approach to shopping. I go to specialty stores as often as I can and by specialty, I mean literally just spices or just chocolate or a flour mill. That gives you the chance to establish a relationship with the smaller stores and instead of supporting the larger chain stores, you are supporting the small business owners. Plus, one perk of the smaller stores is they tend to be knowledgeable in their product and can offer substitutions or other tips to help you get to where you want to be!
Hope that answered your question! It was a good one!

What Works Best For You?

Happy New Year everyone! Hope everybody had a safe holiday season!

I often find myself just stopping to watch other people in the industry working and this can occur anywhere.... The restaurant I work in, the grocery store, farmer's markets, if there are people cooking or baking, you can pretty much find me watching. : ) By watching these people in their element and doing what is natural to them intrigues me....
Often times it launches me into the whole thought process over the fact that there are so many different techniques out there for what we do. That further complicates things when you are trying to train someone because what works for you does not necessarily translate well to the next person.
Take that a step further. I usually end up reading cookbooks like I am sure other people would read a novel. I don't simply flip through to the recipe that sounds the best, I read it front to cover. And over the course of time, you can see what is essentially the same item duplicated so many times over and always with one minor alteration or substitution to make it easier for the baker that wrote it. Bakers tend to be masters of tweaking the recipe to suit our needs. We are taught this from day one. Only have a certain amount of an ingredient? Rewrite the recipe to work with what you have.

So, I guess what I can only stress to everyone when I get asked "What technique do I use?" or, "what's the easiest way to do this?" Find your comfort zone. Become acquainted with the recipes you are working with. Know them inside and out and over time, you will figure out what is comfortable for you. What works best for you will not necessarily what works for the next person down the road, but if it gets you stellar product, then go for it!!