Bull in a China Shop

Good day today...decent push. Williams shaping is improving although he still needs to focus a bit more.  Benjamin was slow again today so Alexandre was kicking his ass hard. He’s an employee, William is just observing and I’m a stagiare...same like when Yann was here. They’re all big talk but then mess up or can’t perform. A little humility goes a long way...I know when to shut up and just work. I’m there to learn so I don’t have a chip on my shoulder, if I’m not open to being told something it’s not possible to learn is it? Day was pretty ok except for around 10am when we were late for an order of dejeunettes because Benjamin forgot to divide them after everything else and shaped slow. Then while he was baking them, he was baking them too long so I took over and as we were changing trolleys, I knocked the one against a till which was next to the side of the display glass and broke it. FML. I had literally cm on each side to spare but still. Had to discard some cakes too because of glass. Felt really shit.

But life goes on...I asked to pay for it but Mme Pozzoli wouldn’t let me. Apparently it’s happened before. And the moved the till before but moved it back a short while ago. Izam also was smiling and joking a bit today...I can see he’s relaxing more and becoming part of the team. He’s only 16...made me think about when I did job shadowing while still in school...around his age as well. I even remembered my 1^st burn, although 10 years later it’s gone. I remember how and why it happened too.

While cleaning up Alexandre and I were talking again. He complimented me saying that I learn quickly which was cool to hear. And we then started talking psychology and work ethics...I really enjoy these chats at the tail end of work. Topics become so deep. Really thought provoking. Everyone needs to stay focused and keep on learning...otherwise you start to die inside.

Alexandre asked me to start at 1 tomorrow with him so we can knock out an order before the others come in so we aren’t delayed at all so gonna nod off soon but now it’s a perfect excuse for Monster!!! Although I don’t really need an excuse for Monster do I? J

United Nations

Today I felt really tired and not at 100% speed. It was evident this morning as we were a bit behind schedule but I think it’s also because Yan wasn’t really doing much. At one point I had to do the epis, dejeunettes, fiscelles, Florentines and pain aux noix and he was only doing pain viennoise and wanted me to shape the petit miches...I was like are you f***ing serious man..

Alexandre also mentioned that Yan was even talking to him as if he was Yan's assistant...wtf...my bosses are Alexandre or Mr Pozzoli, not yan. At one point I wanted to just deck him as he kept telling me to do this and do that... even Mr Pozzoli commented later in the day that it must be difficulty working with “chef Yan”.

My scoring wasn’t that great today but it’s weird as Alexandre said that the reason my scores were opening up so aggressively was because it was proved too much which goes against convention thinking. If there’s too much activity then once loaded, usually the bread will flatten but I think with predominantly levain breads if it proves too much then once loaded there is an increase in steam production due to so much yeast being active and it just rips open from all the force.

I think that its maybe the length of my scores need to be bigger and the spacing needs to improve. Just scoring deeper doesn’t help as it would flatten the bread.

After work I stopped at a shop called Lyon tandoori and bought a tandoori chicken wrap in naan bread which was super tasty and cheap. I stopped in a park on the way to Croix Rousse to just chill and eat for a bit. It's beautiful being able to take time out to just enjoy the nature and the sun and just everything.

Once I got home I slept for a bit before prepping for the meeting I had planned with some friends to celebrate braai day!!! I got some baguettes from the bakery and cooked up some caramelised onions, some pork sausages (not the short fatty ones from South Africa, but a normal sausage, just with pork meat. I also used some fig chutney which Fatiha gave me as I couldn’t find any in the shops.

When I got to the pente to vue with the big rock in Croix Rousse I bumped into Cat who is the last person who will be staying at Fatihas place for a while and she joined us in our picnic. It was myself, cat, Ana, Marie, Marion and Chris. 

Chris & Marion

Cat

Ana & Marie

Awesome View

I had a blanket and we all sat down, ate our ‘boerie’ rolls [Boerewors Rolls ], had beer and wine, cheese and biscuits and snacks and just talked and chilled. Later Natalie, a German who actually spent time in Durban joined and it was so cool as we had a swede, a German, a Canadian, a Spaniard, 2 French and myself all speaking French (ok I wasn’t speaking as much as everyone else but anyway). It was really a great way to spend the evening.

Just another day at the office

Today was pretty standard; it was me, Alexandre and Yan (same pronunciation as Jan). I preshaped the baguettes while Alexandre used the “diviseuse” (divider) and Yan did the pain bio. I’m getting the hang of the shaping but it’s also very dependent on how much or how you flour the dough and surface as like I said before it’s a very soft dough and coupled with being cold (wet) makes it difficult to handle.

I’m definitely speeding up though. Standard stuff charentais, flutes, dejeunettes [170g] (tradition, campagne and multi cereals...roll for sandwiches), fiscelles [150g] (means string in French...Alexandre told me to just think of a g string...; p). I helped shape the kamut and spelt. And also the pain de seigle Auvergne (rye bread, speciality from Auvergne which is the region in France where Mr Pozzoli is from, it has a rye leavain and is mixed on the day and then put in the prover so the dough is warm and then to shape it, you flour the dough in the bowl, flour your hands, all with T85 rye flour, and then form a point with your hands and scoop a piece out, correct the weight and then gently form in a round shape and put seam side down in a pailles. It’s not formed a lot so you have a dense texture and the top cracks nicely...will take a pic soon)

I helped Yan with the pain viennoise and then shaped the baguettes with the machine. I’m also more efficient with that as well, but the height of the table kills my back because to place the last baguettes on the couche I have to stretch far.

I got to score some baguettes and load them in the oven this afternoon which was cool but it was frustrating for me because I’m used to a certain angle of scoring as well as using more of my wrist and here they cut at a much straighter, oblique angle down the middle as it doesn’t affect the regularity of the form during baking (scoring – laminé) on my second batch I improved but it’s about 70% of how it should be. Like most of the different things here, it’s just a habit that I need to get used to.

After the baking they have a special vacuum to clean out the oven, not using a big brush, and it’s long and has a thick PVC sleeve so you can hold it. Only think is the pipe is metal and gets flippen hot...

But generally there isn’t much flour in the oven as they don’t need to use much flour during proving or loading the breads as they have the couches and tapis respectively.

Chef made pate feulleteille which is like puff pastry but it normally has sugar in it and when they make a “savoury (salé)” pate it’s the same but just less sugar. Like most French pastries, it’s mixed for a long time at a lower speed. They made cheese straw type snacks with this, one flavour with seeds and one with spices and cheese. The other day chef made a pastry with fennel (fenouil) seeds that was shaped into rings and baked and meant to be had with an apéro which was pretty cool.

After work I went into the cellar to play with the cat...I still don’t know what to call him. But when he sees me now he meows and tries to attack my shoes and rub himself on me. He loves playing and ends up biting and scratching my arm but when I stop he forces his head under my arm or hand.