Creativity in business- Friday 23 August 2013

As part of the postgraduate diploma in entrepreneurship offered at the University of Cape Town, students are offered the opportunity to do one of three elective creativity courses. Writing, music or bread making.
I selected the bread making course, run by a start-up in Cape Town BREADrev.

It was hosted at a beautiful tea room Montebello, in the suburb of Newlands. Three "Rocket Ovens" were set up and roaring, with large tables set out in front of them. We arrived to find two balls of dough, or boulangers of commercial dough ready to be shaped, proven and baked.



After learning the basic techniques of working with dough, we shaped the bough into loaves and baguettes and left them to prove on the top of the ovens. We then made cheese sticks with unbleached, slow ground flour, which were enjoyed with butter, jam, tea and coffee. By the time we were finished, the bread was finished proving, ready to be marked and baked.

The ovens are maintained at a temperature of 220 degrees Celsius, which takes continuous attention since they use wood. The beauty of using a wood oven is the additional flavour and the artisanal product that you create. Next week we will be making our own dough, which I look forward to as the art of baking lies in the dough.

The creativity in business allows students the time to relax a little, reflect and foster an environment of investing in ourselves as people.