Bread of my Fathers

Steven Oxford, a fourth generation artisan baker.

86

dorset.greatbritishlife.co.uk

Artisan Baker Fourth generation, artisan baker Steven Oxford has been working throughout the night to prepare Oxfords traditional English breads.

Traditional methods, great ingredients and baking daily has kept Oxfords bakery at the top of their game for over a century. Richard Pardon meets artisan baker Steven Oxford.
unrise, I find myself knocking on the stable door of a century-old bakery at Alweston, near Sherborne. I may be bleary-eyed at this ungodly hour, but inside fourth generation artisan baker Steven Oxford has been working throughout the night to prepare Oxfords traditional English breads. Established in 1911 by Frank Oxford, the bakery recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. Despite the introduction of modern plant bakeries and new technology that shortens the time it takes to make our daily bread, Oxfords prides itself in producing real bread, handmade and using carefully sourced local ingredients with no preservatives or additives. Having grown up in the area, I tucked into Oxfords freshly baked goods on a daily basis. The bakery was only metres down the road, so the mouth-watering smell of their freshly baked goodies often wafted up the road and permeated through our house. Eventually I grew up and left the area to pursue a career as a professional photographer in London, but a personal photographic project, featuring portraits of people in their working environment, brought me back to my childhood home. I asked Steven Oxford to star in my I Am series as an Artisan Baker and to share his story. Little did I know how passionate Steven is about his profession; he happily talks about the ins and outs of baking and shows me how he works. Its a testimony to their skill that Oxfords havent changed their methods or recipes for over four generations. Steven believes that its these traditional ways that are key to their continuing success. Ingredients are still combined using the original 1911 dough mixer used by Frank, before being
dorset.greatbritishlife.co.uk

Steve flours the surface before he starts kneading

Fresh out of the oven

The dough for each loaf and roll is carefully weighed to ensure uniformity in shape and size

87

Ingredients are still combined using the original 1911 dough mixer, before being kneaded by skilled hands, using techniques passed down from generation to generation.

kneaded by skilled hands, using techniques passed down from generation to generation. Finally, it is left for a long prove before being cooked in their original Edwardian oven, which is now fuelled by oil. In the little time I spent with Steven he generously shared some of his tips for making great bread. When it comes to ingredients, make sure you source the very best you can. We work with lots of great fresh ingredients starting with a really good quality flour right through to using gorgeous local cheeses for our cheese breads. Every day racks of freshly baked goods, straight out of the oven, are carefully laid out in an impressive display on the shelves of their shop in Cheap Street including Dorset blue vinny loaves; organic spelt loaves using locally grown spelt, milled in Dorset; malted wheat
88

Coburgs; long-fermented Danish cobs and traditional Dorset lardy cakes from a family recipe passed down the generations. Youll also find local free range eggs, honey from the local woods and local milk. A pattern repeated at their other two shops in Blandford Forum and Canford Cliffs in Poole. Watching Steven in action is to watch a master craftsman at work; he makes it all look so effortlessly easy, but baking is second nature to him, its almost instinctive. Temperature and humidity can affect the dough fermentation so its important to make sure you have a control experiment, he tells me, as he prepares an array of loaves and rolls for the oven. Take a note of your room temperature when you bake and judge for yourself whether the day is cold or not. Developing this skill will allow you to

alter other factors in bread-making, like temperature of the water or the dryness in the air. So for example if you bake bread in January use warmer water, when you bake in July use cooler water. If you live in a draughty house, cover your dough so it doesnt dry out. Getting used to your surroundings and the environment you bake in is all-important if you want consistently good results. Stevens down-to-earth manner and love for his profession has people flocking to his School of Bread where he teaches the basics of bread-making. Practice makes perfect. People often see me baking at one hundred miles an hour and to an extremely high standard. I often joke the first ten thousand are easy to get right, and after that it becomes a little easier, he laughs.Bake things that you like to eat, he advises, as he takes a swig of his tea.
dorset.greatbritishlife.co.uk

Steven uses a peel to slide some loaves into the original Edwardian oven

Artisan Baker

A long proving time is key

SOURCE IT
You can nd Oxfords loaves and cakes and ne local foods at their three shops: Oxfords, 34 Cheap Street, Sherborne DT9 3PX, 01935 812642 Oxfords, 24 Salisbury Street, Blandford Forum, DT11 7AR, 01258 458 062 Oxfords, 23 Haven Road, Canford Cliffs, Poole BH13 7LE, 01202 708268 . They are also at the following farmers markets: Wareham; Broadstone; Winton; Christchurch; Salisbury; Weymouth; Sherborne; Blandford Forum; Verwood The School of Bread: Runs every Wednesday between midday and 6pm. For more information visit oxfordsbakery.co.uk. Follow Steven on Twitter @ oxfordsbakery

Creating a plaited loaf

Coconut Macaroons This is Stevens fantastically easy family recipe for beautiful golden brown, chewy coconut macaroons. Makes two dozen 4 large (120g) egg whites, at room temperature 1 cup (200g) granulated white sugar teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract cup (60g) cake our, sifted 3 cups (300g) sweetened shredded coconut Method In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt until nice and creamy and warm to the touch. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, our, and coconut. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours, or until rm. Preheat the oven to 170 C, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place heaped tablespoons of the batter onto the parchment, spacing several inches apart. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool.

Dont try things just because youve seen famous chefs create them on television. Get back to basics and master the classics. All the recipes that Oxfords create belong to me, and I create them because I like to eat them; Im not one to follow a trend. Talking of which I ask him about the rising trend of people with wheat intolerance. He shakes his head, The major difference between a mass-produced loaf and a wholesome, healthy, tasty loaf is that real bread has no time constraints within a real bread bakery. Dough needs time to ferment so that the yeast can feed off the natural sugars, and the starches can be broken down. Id put most wheat intolerances down to the processed bakery products available, which ferment in your belly rather than the bakery! The biggest key to baking bread is fermenting time. Oxfords are clearly passionate about
dorset.greatbritishlife.co.uk

making real bread, but statistics show that only 2% of all the bread sold within the UK is made in the traditional manner. Lets all pull together and make some bread to see if we can at least get this over 3%, says Steven, adding, It would be a travesty to lose our Great British baking heritage just because there is more profit in mass production. With Steven at the helm of Oxfords bakery, hes almost evangelical in spreading the word about real bread, and hopes to teach others to create bespoke breads at his School of Bread. A session starts at 75 and includes everything youll need from Stevens personal recipes to the baked goodies you take home at the end of the day. Mix together the boundless knowledge and enthusiasm that Steven posses and youve got a recipe for a deliciously unforgettable experience!

89

PHOTOS: RICHARD PARDON