Bethesdabakin': Bethesdabakin 2007

Welcome to Bethesdabakin'

THIS August a gathering of bakers is taking place in the small town of Bethesda in North Wales.

Some are enthusiastic amateurs, others bake for a living. A few are somewhere between. Most have never met each other, but now consider themselves firm friends. All are passionate about baking real bread; the miracle of flour, yeast, salt and water.

All of this is largely due to the efforts of one person. Mick, the baker of Bethesda, who first conceived Bethesdabakin' earlier this year, and whose skills and indefagitable energy are an example to us all.

Mick first proposed this festival of bread on the forum of Dan Lepard's site, one of the great baking resources on the web. You can read his chronicles there, through the link on this page.

At present it looks as though at least two dozen bakers from all over Britain and the rest of the world will be descending on Bethesda for the bank holiday weekend. If you have stumbled on this site by chance, please feel free to join us. Sign up via membership of Dan Lepard's forum, where a charming lady called Teck Poh is taking names.

There is no admission charge, beyond your expenses, but everyone should expect to rise to the occasion, even if it is just to contribute a favourite recipe or help with the washing up.

We look forward to seeing everyone in August. Until then, peace and loaf -or should that be yeast and love - to you all!

April 25, 2007

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Bethesdabakin 2007

Well...it actually happened! I think everyone's expectations were met, and then some. The story can only really be told by all those who were there. To catch the accounts as they emerge, read the Bethesdabakin' thread at Dan Lepard's forum. The link begins here, but will doubtless continue for many pages yet.

For those interested in the more technical aspects of what went on, Dan has created the following wiki, also a work in progress.

I will add any other links to the event as they turn up. Meanwhile, if a picture is worth a thousand words, below here is a small photographic essay of just one day.

Finally, you may have noticed the countdown clock at the bottom of this blog. Nothing to do with me, but it seems to have decided to start up all over again.........