Northern Ireland’s Krazibaker goes back to school!
Krazibaker, the Northern Ireland artisan baker, has opened a unique bakery school to help increase awareness of traditional Irish griddle breads.
The award winning business, owned and run by Mark Douglas, who has experience over 30 years in baking a range of traditional and contemporary breads, is aiming to create interest in Britain in the production of staple Irish products such as handmade soda bread, potato cakes, potato apple, wheaten loaves and all butter shortbread.
Douglas has won UK Great Taste awards for his shortbread, which is made using handmade butter from Abernethy Butter, another Northern Irish award winner.
While the bakery school is currenly based at his home in Dromore, County Down, he plans to team up with a local hotel to offer residential courses to attract the interest of baking enthusiasts in Britain influenced by the success of television cookery shows such as ‘The Great British Bake-Off’.
“Interest in baking skills especially traditional Northern Irish breads is stronger now than ever. The trend has also been encouraged by the growth in tourism in Northern Ireland and from presentations in London and Dublin that I’ve been invited to undertake particularly by Tourism Ireland,” he says.
He is also strengthening interest in Northern Irish soda breads by coming up with original products such as an Irish wheaten, a brown soda bread, using sultanas soaked overnight in Irish whiskey and then baked with cinnamon. “It’s an extremely tasty bread for breakfast as well as other times of the day. It’s another bread based on Northern Ireland’s great tradition of wheaten breads, usually known as brown sodas in Britain,” he adds.
Douglas has been developing awarness and interest in traditional griddle baking techniques and products at farmers’ markets and shows throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland over the past three years.
He specialises in “anything that can be baked freshly on a griddle”. All his freshly baked products are made without yeast or preservatives.
“The days when traditional breads like potato cakes and soda farls were regularly baked in many homes especially in Northern Ireland have long gone.
“It’s a skill that appears to be dying, and that’s sad because griddle breads are tastier. This recognition led me to attempt to do something to keep the technique alive. The bakery school is a logical extension of this commitment. I’ve already organised several sessioons and these have proved extremely popular. I’d be keen in particular to take the message about griddle baking to schools and women’s organisations.”
