Brief baking hiatus
Too embarrassed to bake in my father’s house…
Our family is sneaking in a quick visit to wish our LA clan a merry Christmas. I haven’t baked in two days, and the only giving has been one of trying to keep our things from invading every corner of my parent’s clean home. I could never outgive my parents–nor would I ever try. They are the most generous people I’ve ever met…
But bread baking isn’t far from our minds. My brothers are just about to launch a new commercial baking enterprise, and yesterday we got to visit the construction site. There were dough mixers, conveyor belts just for baguettes, proofers, retarders, and a lot of talk about a certain dough cutter… There is an artisan oven being installed as we speak. It was a great field trip–so that’s what I’m bringing you today. A peek into Etxea Bakery; they will be testing bread in their new custom, Italian-made oven before the New Year arrives.
Dad and Chris, the contractor.
Such pretty new machinery
The intermediate proofer
Loves the machines!
Enormous proof box--got locked in one of these in St. Louis once. Almost ended up in the headlines...
Baguette conveyor belt
Bare bones of a rack oven--you insert a full rack on wheels into the oven for baking
Michel and his crew are installing the Italian-made, custom deck oven
My son with a very odd conversation piece from years past
The Woman and the Wheat 
i can hardly wait!!!! these photos bring lots of memories with them! TG