Jones - Bread Ahead The Expert Home Baker A Masterclass in Classic Baking

Bread Ahead came to life in 2013, but my journey started long before that. I had always had a love of baking, lucky to grow up in a household where homemade bakes were a regular occurrence. My mum was a keen home baker and dished up some cracking desserts that I still cherish today. So, it was quite a natural step for me to move towards pastry. In 1986, at the age of 15, I began my professional life as a chef in Thackerays House in Tunbridge Wells. Those foundational years are still to this day what fuels my work and my passion for food. Ive had the privilege of working with some of the UKs most innovative and inspired chefs in a number of landmark restaurants. Each person and place has shaped who I am as a baker today.

When the opportunity came up to take on the space at Borough Market, I knew exactly what I wanted to create. Bread Ahead was founded on a few key principles that Im proud to say we maintain to this day: tradition, quality and seasonality. We favour slow fermentation processes when making our breads and sourdoughs this is more labour intensive and takes a really strong knowledge of the process, but the end result is more than worth the effort. We also like to stick to traditional recipes, inspired by classic British and European baking. Were not into fads and gimmicks, just good, honest bakes. Of course, seasonality plays a huge role in what we do, too. Surrounded as we are by the abundance of seasonal produce in the market, its hard not to be inspired by the selection of fresh fruits and veg that change throughout the year. We try to carry all of these principles over to the bakery schools, teaching home bakers to respect the process, to adopt traditional techniques and work with the seasons.

Ultimately, this is exactly what Ive tried to convey in this book. These recipes are a collection of personal favourites, tried and tested treats from the bakery school and our customers top picks from the bakery, which all reflect this very way of thinking.

This past year of pandemic and lockdown was a moment in our lives that Im sure we will be feeling the effects of for some time to come. However, for many (and certainly for me), it gave us the chance to reflect on what is most important to us. I have been lucky to have been able to use this time to re-connect with home baking. This may sound odd, but it was a moment for me to create dishes in my own kitchen for my own family that might not work in the larger scale of the bakery. I found myself returning to recipes that I hadnt baked or eaten for years. It was a nostalgic journey for me. Sharing these recipes on Instagram showed me how others were connecting over baking at home too, and ultimately it created a whole new dynamic to how we work at Bread Ahead. We created a number of ebooks with some of our classic and newly developed recipes, which proved to be an overwhelming success. I knew that this was the moment to write the second book.

Our bakery schools are a huge part of who we are and what we do at Bread Ahead. We started with one table in the Borough bakery in 2014 and have grown this into five classrooms across London. Our schools give home bakers the chance to develop their confidence and skills. I hope that the guidance in this book will have the same effect and encourage you in your baking journey. The most fundamental piece of advice I offer to home bakers is the importance of patience and practice. Stay committed and you will see great results. I have been baking for over 30 years and Im still learning something new every day.

Taking the Bread Ahead Bakery School online was another huge step that really opened us up to a global audience. During the 2020 lockdown, we began our Instagram live baking tutorials, connecting with thousands of home bakers across the globe at the same time every day for months. This was one of the most interesting experiences of my life as a baker. I was blown away not only by the sheer enthusiasm for baking, but also by the skill levels so many home bakers had developed. Over the past 18 months, we have built a worldwide community of baking enthusiasts. I have felt humbled to see how one bakery in London could unite people from all over during a moment when we couldnt reach each other physically. Through our online workshops we see how our students have built friendships, share tips and encourage each other through the process. This digital world of baking has been a truly rewarding endeavour.

There are some things that will always remain true at Bread Ahead. We live for tradition. Christmas, Easter, Lammas Day these moments shape our calendar and, of course, our bakes. Our approach will always remain artisan. There are some areas of the business that will evolve, but as home bakers and professionals there are some elements that will always be done by hand like the washing up, that will never change.

At the Bread Ahead Bakery School our mission is to build confidence in home bakers. We dont teach you to read recipes, but rather to develop your own baking intuition. We do, however, encourage you to use recipes as a formula and foundation on which to to build. Each chapter in this book offers bakes of differing complexity and requiring varying levels of skill. We recommend starting with the more foundational recipes and working your way up to the more complex bakes as you build on your knowledge and skills. Dont let this stop you from diving straight in, though! If theres a particular recipe thats jumping out at you, then go for it. Passion and enthusiasm will always yield great results.

There are certain key factors to remember as you work your way through this book. Always read the recipes a few times before you start baking youll feel more prepared and go into it more relaxed. Look at how long it takes and plan ahead. Weigh out your ingredients and have all the kit to hand before you start. These are your first steps to success. Your equipment and ingredients will also play a role in the end results the butter you use, the type of flour, the efficiency of your oven so get to know your kitchen and the ingredients you use. Finally, explore your own creativity. We are here to guide you, so take these recipes, master them and make them your own.

From my perspective, baking is quite simply a way of life. I feel incredibly fortunate to have found baking for many reasons. Yes, to a great extent I am somewhat of a bakery geek (the first thing I will do when I travel anywhere is look for a local bakery to see what they are up to usually this will lead to an interesting conversation with a like-minded soul), but its important to remember that baking is a craft and, like all crafts, it takes dedication, practice and patience to master. From my experience, I do believe that anyone can learn to bake fabulous bread. It really is about sticking to the key principles and following the basic rules of the game. Once you understand this, you are well on the way.

This is really key. Many recipes are in two stages. We often use either a sourdough starter or a pre-ferment, which needs to be made or refreshed the day before. This process will activate the yeast cells and develop lovely, natural flavours. It is a process that simply requires time and there is just no shortcut for this.