Bread and Candles: Rethinking the Aesthetics of Bread

One of my personal goals this year is not only to push my own understanding of what bread baking can be beyond just water, flour and salt, but also to introduce a different aesthetic of bread to the people around me.

This goal led me to the Bread and Candles concept: a fine-dining-style event with several courses of bread and butter, combined with wine pairings and candlelight. For the first venue, I chose the greenhouse of the Prugerka city garden.

To be honest, I expected the evening to be beautiful, but it turned out to be one of the most beautiful events not only for me, but also for the guests, judging by the feedback I received afterwards.

What made me even happier was that this minimalist concept, built around the holy trinity of sourdough bread, butter and wine, worked amazingly well. Beautiful handmade candles by November Collective helped create the atmosphere throughout the evening.

The bread and butter menu consisted of:

Cheddar baguette with Parmesan butter

Miso seeded rye bread with smoked salmon and chive butter

Potato bread with rosemary, served with butter and bryndza from Farm(a) pod Vtáčnikom

The Almond Crown, a dark malt bread with almonds and figs, served with crunchy roasted almond butter

Chocolate and cherry panettone with whipped butter and mascarpone, served with edible flowers

The butter and dairy products were prepared by our friends from Farma pod Vtáčnikom, while our friends from Tajna Winery selected the wine pairing for each course.

I’m absolutely thrilled and excited, and I’m already planning the second part. It was simply too good to remain a one-time show.

Enjoy some pictures.