I love baking bread, so when I received the invitation to be a baker for a day from the team at Bread&Spices, I eagerly accepted. I swapped my home oven for a professional bakery oven, played with the dough, kneaded, scored, and baked. I even wielded the peel to remove golden loaves from the oven. I excitedly awaited the moment when someone would buy the baguettes I had made. Throughout this experience, I met truly passionate individuals who were generous enough to share their knowledge with other. Now, with joy, I follow their example and share what I've learned from them with you.
EAGERLY AWAITING BREAD
On the day I was set to be a baker for a day, my biggest concern was not to be late; I didn't want to miss a single minute among the doughs and properly baked bread. I calculated my departure time, factoring in what I assumed would be heavy traffic. It wasn’t heavy at all. Someone up there must have been looking out for my eagerness, as I had a clear road to the bakery, arriving a full half hour early for our meeting!
But, as everything happens for a reason, I used this time to immerse myself in the atmosphere and lose myself among the tables where people were indulging in lunch delights or perhaps just enjoying a coffee and a croissant. I admired the loaves displayed behind the counter and watched the Bread&Spices team bustling about, trying to cater to the desires of all the customers.
Bread&Spices is a cosmopolitan concept, combining a bakery, patisserie, and bistro. They prepare around 150 types of bread from different regions of the world, including France, Italy, and the Scandinavian countries, ranging from traditional loaves to extravagant combinations where bread is reinterpreted in increasingly creative ways. All of this starts with the simplest ingredients: water, flour, and salt. And from the oldest method of making real bread: with natural sourdough. I was already thinking about the crunchy crust of the perfect French baguettes that I was about to learn to make.
However, I didn’t have much time to get lost in my thoughts because Mihaela, the owner of Bread&Spices, greeted me with a smile and led me to the back, where all the magic happens. She made sure I was properly equipped to feel at home. You might expect a business owner to occasionally check in with the team, ask how things are going, and then move on with their own tasks. However, Mihaela is not that kind of owner. She is a true baker and works alongside the other team members, creating bread together with them.
We get straight into the bread-making process, as the old saying goes. Mihaela first shows me the essential element that forms the foundation of the loaves in her bakery: the natural sourdough, lovingly cultivated and fed daily since the bakery opened. It is so cherished and respected that everyone knows its special day: on March 8th, the sourdough turns 3 years old!
Amidst the rising dough, freshly baked loaves, and the bustling bakers at work, I try to keep pace with Mihaela as she pulls a large batch of dough from the refrigerator. To me, it seems like a vast quantity, especially since I've only ever made bread at home; however, for them, it's just a typical amount for the bakery. My curiosity gets the better of me, and I bombard her with questions about techniques and the everyday life of a baker. “Do you need help?” one of the guys interrupts, noticing the heavy container of dough in her hands. “I’m fine, thanks,” Mihaela replies, then adds with humor, “Do you think anyone carried the bread trays for me in France?” That's all it takes to pique my interest further. As if my fascination with France wasn't enough, Mihaela speaks with such respect and admiration for her teachers at the École de Boulangerie in Paris that I can't help but admire them too.
BREAD WITH SINCERITY
“It takes a lot of passion to be a baker,” I tell her. “Passion, resilience, patience, and integrity,” Mihaela adds, and I find myself increasingly drawn to the role of a baker. There are fewer and fewer people today who talk about integrity, but it is something she values highly; she understands that many lack the patience to wait for the sourdough to rise properly, for the bread to ferment just right, leading them to rush the process or resort to shortcuts with little tricks. However, she knows that crafting truly good bread requires time, and she respects that. To bring a genuinely great loaf to life, you need no tricks: just natural sourdough, water, flour, and salt. That’s it.
Simple ingredients, one might think. However, I discover that it’s not quite so straightforward. Precisely because they are simple, these ingredients are chosen and handled with the utmost care. The water isn’t just any tap water; it’s filtered to a specific temperature, adjusted according to the temperature of the flour and the surrounding environment. The sourdough is nurtured in-house, the salt used is sea salt, and the flour comes straight from the heart of France. I learn all this amidst specific movements and techniques for shaping the dough. I’m taught how to handle it, how to touch it gently so as not to ruin it, how to press it, and how to transform it. My excitement grows with every moment spent there, and while the freshly shaped baguettes rest, the team teaches me how to use the crane, how to place the bread in the oven, and, most importantly, how to use the peel to retrieve the freshly baked loaves from the hot oven: beautiful pavés that make you smile at just the sight of them.
BAGUETTES AND EMOTIONS
Just as I finish taking out the pavés, it’s time for my baguettes to go into the oven. Before that, however, they need to be scored, and I learn that this too is not done haphazardly. There are specific rules to follow: baguettes are like tailored suits, each with a different cut. Depending on the ingredients, the number of slashes is determined: the traditional French baguette has five cuts, the classic baguette has four, and the seeded baguette—like mine—has a single cut running along its length.
After a few tentative cuts, I glance once more at Mihaela, who makes it all look much easier than it truly is. Gaining confidence, I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it. I follow the instructions closely and begin to transfer the baguettes to the oven, where I position myself with a sense of excitement.
The thrill of watching them rise, golden-brown and releasing the most enchanting aroma I know, is only surpassed by the anticipation of seeing the first customer come through the door to buy one of the baguettes I’ve made.
INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION
I could go on for a thousand more things to say, but I'm afraid I've already taken up too much time, so I'll set the rest of the stories aside to rise for another day. In short, Mihaela thought that for someone without any baking experience, I did quite well. However, my back had a different opinion, feeling the effects of the muscle soreness caused by the paddle I used to take the bread out of the oven the next day. The job of a baker is no easy feat, I told myself: you wake up before dawn, your body aches, and you need patience and integrity—it's far from simple. But how wonderful it is to be a baker and to know that the bread made by your hands ends up on tables, bringing joy to people.
PHOTO GALLERY (photo credit: Ionela Stoica - Pupile Gustative)
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