If you haven’t made bread before Covid-19, I’m pretty sure you may have given it go at some point over the past 14 weeks. I know I did! Well, it’s not as easy as it looks – that is all I am saying.

For Rita Gower, Professional Baking program Chair and Instructor at VIU, the challenge was not baking the bread, as she is a master baker with many years of experience and a passion for European bakeries. Her challenge was ensuring students gained the necessary deep understanding of the scientific principles that lead to the successful baking of bread, while learning remotely via the virtual classroom.

Teaching and Learning the Scientific Principles of Baking Bread via Technology

The video that follows is evidence of such learning. Rita has kindly shared with us the Assignment she created for her students so that other instructors may adapt this framework for their own practice. In addition, the VIU Baking students willingly agreed to share the video of their class presentations. Thank you to all!

Assignment: In Class Group Presentations: Sourdough/Rye/Enzymes

Presentation Date: Friday, March 27, 2020 at 11 AM via Zoom

Maximum length of presentation: Ten minutes plus five minutes for class discussion (15 minutes total)

Format:  Up to you.  Could be an oral presentation with charts or other visual media.  Power point is acceptable.  You could do a skit or other theatrical production.  You may NOT stand and read from a piece of paper!

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Other Requirements: 

  • The class will be split into groups and each group will be given a question to discuss. Each group must come up with two open-ended questions related to their topic. 
  • After 2-3 minutes the groups come back together and the class will discuss as a whole. 
  • Questions need to be vetted by Chef Gower and are due on Thursday, March 26, 2020.  You can email them to Chef Gower.
  • Group tasks must be assigned (list of names will need to be emailed to Chef Gower on Wednesday, March 25, 2020). 
  • You must use credible sources of information and state in your presentation where you obtained your information – Wikipedia is not your best source of information.
Image by fancycrave1 from Pixabay

Sourdough Presentation: – Julie, Tracy

Must include (but not limited to) the following:

  • History of sourdough
  • The role sourdough plays in modern baking
  • How to make and care for a sourdough starter
  • Different types of starters that can be made and different ingredients that can be used
  • The science of sourdough – how does it “start”, why does it continue to flourish if well cared for? What kills it?
  • How to obtain different flavour profiles
  • Compare and contrast breads made with sourdough only, versus sourdough and yeast breads (could do some taste testers!)

Rye Breads Presentation: – Nyssa, Hunter, Nicole

Must include (but not limited to) the following:

  • History of rye bread
  • Rye bread as it is made today in different parts of the world
  • How to be successful in making rye bread
  • How enzymes affect rye bread
  • How the starch component of rye bread doughs needs to be handled
  • Reasons for why sourdough is so often used in making rye bread doughs
  • Different ways to handle 100% rye bread doughs versus rye and wheat blended bread doughs

Enzymes Presentation: Kiera, Marco

Must include (but not limited to) the following:

  • History of enzymes in bread doughs – who discovered they were there?  How did bakers figure out how to control enzymes?
  • What role do enzymes play in bread dough making?
  • How are enzymes introduced into bread doughs?
  • Identify various enzymes and what their effects are on bread doughs and dough ingredients
  • Describe the differences between doughs that utilize enzyme development and doughs that do not
  • Are there possible negative side effects when dealing with enzymes in bread doughs?
  • What types of environments are required for enzymes to thrive?
  • How are enzymes affected by environment?  Temperature, type of water (hard, soft).

Class Presentations: VIU’s Professional Baking Students April 2020

We hope you enjoyed this class presentation and that you learned a thing or two while watching it. I know I did!

If you have questions, please contact Rita Gower rita.gower@viu.ca