@HappyCrafter

Thanks for asking about this! No I didn't gain weight. (I certainly could have. But I was careful.) Most of our focus was on the baguette because the techniques required to produce a true baguette are the foundation of all artisan bread baking. However we also produced quite an array of other breads as well. I also studied pastry-making. However I haven't kept up with that the way I have bread baking. It's just my wife & I & we can't (& also shouldn't) eat it all!

The 2 primary things I learned were, first, to bake according to the French technique. In most American bread books (at least the older ones... this has changed somewhat over the last few years) the liquid (typically water or milk) is constant & flour is added to create a workable dough. In the French tradition, the flour always remains the constant & all other ingredients, including the water (or milk) are added as percentages of the total flour. The other major thing I learned was how to work with what is called the "baker's percent". And, as a result of that I'm able to create my own recipes & have no real need for recipe books. I calculate my bread recipes in grams which are much easier to work with than pounds & ounces. And this technique has spilled over into our regular cooking which we now do in grams.