They say you should never stop learning and growing, whether it is upgrading your skill at work or picking up new knowledge for a hobby. When Brasserie Bread invited me to attend their Home Baker workshop, I was thrilled I'd soon be able to add baking good bread to my list of skills.

Other Brasserie Bread baking workshops include Baking with Brioche, Baking with Grains & Seeds, Artisan Baking (Sourdough) and Perfect Pastry.

These classes are great as a gifts and can turn an ordinary weeknight into an evening of fun and productivity. The home baking workshop is ideal for those who want to get down to the basics of artisan baking. In a hands-on environment, we learn that baking good bread involves technique, practice, good ingredients and lots of patience. More specifically, we are taught:

1. The correct mixing and hand-kneading technique for even distribution of ingredients

2. The fermentation process and how to allow time for flavours to develop thoroughly and naturally

3. Hand moulding and shaping techniques

4. The art of scoring and then baking

5. Taste testing

The class overall took slightly over 3 hours. We ended up producing our very own baguette, schiacciata con l'uva (as seen on Masterchef), epi (a French "wheat stalk bread") and a handful of kalamata olives & fresh rosemary boule. Plus I got to take home these freshly baked breads and several others in an enormous goodie bag!

I thought it was time well spent! :)

Brasserie Bread
1737 Botany Rd, Banksmeadow, NSW
Phone: 1300 966 845
Web: www.brasseriebread.com.au

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JENIUS attended the Home Baker Workshop as a guest of Brasserie Bread.

I wasn't the first to squeal with excitement when Apple announced the release of the iPad... But since purchasing one, I can proudly say, it is so much more than a "big iPhone that can't make calls"! I don't think many apps have taken advantage of the iPad's full capabilities but having it on the bedside and in the kitchen has been amazing.

Here are five of my favourite foodie iPad apps:

Fish Ball ($1.19)
A single or dual player game based on a popular Asian street food item, fish balls. Gorgeous graphics and highly addictive.

SettleUp! ($1.19)
Splitting the cost of an event or dinner bill among several friends is a headache we have all had. SettleUp! lets you efficiently enter all the expenses and does the calculations for you, all within in a nice clean interface.

Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List (Free)
This is probably the first lifestyle app most people download. It's free and includes an enormous collection of recipes. Plus it has some handy features such as the comprehensive search (by main ingredient, cuisine type, meal/course, dietary consideration, dish type or season/occasion) and shopping list.

Smart Chef Suite ($3.99)
Perfect for the home cook, this app helps you find substitute ingredients for all your cooking, baking, dairy, herbs, vegetables, spices, alcohol and dessert; convert volume, weight or temperature and look up culinary terms!

Serving Sizer Pro ($5.99)
This app is awesome. Use it to organise or customise all of your recipes. The serving size converter lets you easily resize recipes based on the number of guests you need to serve - halve, double or triple the quantities without any hassle.

Have you come across any other cool foodie iPad apps? Leave a comment to share.