Approachable Artisan Bread
The definition of artisan is a worker who is in a skilled trade — especially one that involves making things by hand. My roles have changed over the years in my restaurants all the way from apprentice to owner. And along the way I have learned a few approachable breads.
My first job at the family business was hand rolling and baking breadsticks at eight years old. It wasn’t a hard job or a stressful job, but it did three main things. The first was to keep my wild eight-year-old self busy and out of the way while my parents and staff worked our busy restaurant. The second was to serve amazing skinny sticks of sourdough goodness to our customers. The third was that it was the first time ever my family let me be included in working at the family business.
Those breadsticks were the foundation of my baking career. I learned the nuances of cold/warm dough, how to proof dough in a small kitchen and that amazing chemistry of baking and how it affected my doughs.
Focaccia dough was my second. I learned how to shape at 12, working morning prep at our family restaurant while being home schooled for a year because even at 12, I was still pretty wild. That focaccia was amazing, easier to make and serve than breadsticks and also great for sandwiches.
My next adventure in non-pizza breads was with hoagie rolls at my first independent pizzeria outside of my family’s restaurants at 24 years old. I realized that with a little finesse I could basically take those same breadsticks and make these amazing rolls that have made some of my favorite sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life.
A decade later as my family retired, and my role increased at the family restaurants in my 30s, I’ve realized that bread bowls and bread loaves were easy to create after my millions of dough balls I had produced over the years.
In my 40s, I still love to learn and consider myself a perpetual student of dough. I love any chance to visit other pizzerias and learn their tricks and techniques of these breads. Garlic roll sliders were game changer after visiting John Arena at one of his Metro Pizza locations in Las Vegas.
So, join me in a fun filled, hands-on demo making all these different styles of bread out of a run of the mill NY pizza dough! Learn something new or share something new with us fellow artisans at the Pizza and Pasta NE show at the demo stage!
Will Grant owns That’s a Some Pizza in Bainbridge Island, WA.
Will Grant, owner of That’s a Some Pizza in Bainbridge Island, WA, and Sourdough Willy’s in Kingston, WA
Sunday, October 1
11:15 am to 12:15 pm
Demo Area
Approachable Artisan Breads
Will Grant, Owner, That’s A Some Pizza
You can make outstanding artisan breads in your pizza oven right there in your pizzeria. Will Grant will show you how! Learn more about the Education Schedule at Pizza and Pasta Northeast at the Atlantic City Convention Center on October 1-2. Visit ppne.pizzatoday.com.
