We all love freshly baked bread. I love the aroma that fills the entire house when I bake bread, and to say that I trip on it would be an understatement. I have been a fresh bread convert since I baked my very first bread last year. But more often than not, I find myself in a time crunch and end up buying the Multi Grain bread from outside. When I received an invite for a special bread making workshop
from the folks at Eat Around The Corner in Bandra, I made sure I cleared my schedule and made time to improve my bread making skills.
We started out with a huge community table set for us and introductions happened, after which we were escorted inside the kitchen with the very famous Chef Chetan and Chef Sunil, who head the team at Eat Around The Corner along with their other establishments like Pizza By The Bay.
The bread selling culture in our country is a very funny one, if you ask me. There is the famous Wibs Bread, followed by the usual Britannias and Relish, but one should really have a look at the ingredients section of these packets. These breads comprise a lot of added Sugar and all the health freaks who go out and buy the Brown Bread should know that a lot of them also have added Molasses or simply Brown Sugar, as Sugar makes the bread darker. I am very happy to see bakeries coming up and selling fresh bread to the public these days and in that respect, kudos to the evolution in bread making.
EATC stocks all these breads too, from Multi Grain to Pita to Whole Wheat to a French Baguette to a Focaccia, they have it all. We got to learn how to make the Multi Grain Loaf and a French Baguette.
Chef Sunil shared important tips about what goes in their 9 grain bread, in what proportion and why.
Just to watch the dough being made in an industrial style mixer was heavenly.
And then we were taught how to knead the dough post its rising.
And we also got to try our hands on it and try different variations including stuffing Chili Chicken in one of the Multi Grain Rolls.
In the mean while, a Fruit and Nut Cake batter that was eggless and quick was fixed and popped into the oven!
And then we moved on to Baguettes!
I got to make my own Baguette! 😀
And we did this all while we sipped on some Four Seasons Rose and snacked on Chili Chicken.
We almost did not want to leave as the beautiful aroma of the Fruit Cake encompassed the kitchen but we had a feast to look forward to! Talk about being spoilt for choice.
The Salads at EATC were outstanding. I loved the Chicken Salad as well as their fresh Tuna Salad.
The Pizza was a downer though. Nothing spectacularly awesome.
The Quiche was soggy and not very exciting either.
I had the Scrambled Egg with Sun Dried Tomatoes on a Garlic Bread with Sausages and Fries (You guys know I love my breakfast at any hour) and absolutely loved it!
We got to try their Mindblowing, I repeat Mind Blowing Cheesecake and Red Velvet Cake. A salute and a big hug to Chef Sunil for getting both of these spot on. The Cheesecake frosting was not grainy at all, and the Red Velvet was yummy and light in itself. The Baked Lemon Cheesecake is the best Cheesecake I have had in Mumbai. By far. I would even go so far as to say that it would give Indigo Deli a run for its money.
We could not resist the wide variety of desserts so we took some back home too, and the Apple Pie was to die for. I am definitely going back for desserts. The Oatmeal cookie was perfect with my Coffee too.
And of course, how can the meeting be complete without some crazy pics with a crazy bubbly buddy!
Not to forget the Fruit and Nut Cake that we baked, which we got to sample.
I plan to bake my own Baguette sometime soon. Watch this space for more!
As for Eat Around The Corner, I wish them all the luck and hope that they soar even higher and maintain their standards. Job well done!
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