Winnipeg — A Winnipeg duo is helping others take on a popular pandemic hobby – baking bread. The idea came after Jared Ozuk, who has been baking bread both recreationally and professionally for 20 years, conducted a bread-baking tutorial with his family, He then got to talking with his cousin, Devin Henderson, about the idea of passing on these skills and knowledge to other aspiring bread bakers. “We thought it was so much fun and it’s so engaging and it really is a break from the norm during this time where we’ll all inside and not going out a lot and things like that,” Henderson said. Now the two are co-owners of Winnipeg Bread, which provides virtual bread baking classes offered in small groups. Winnipeg Bread offers classes with varying levels of difficulty, including intro to artisan bread, artisan cheese bread, and 30 per cent whole wheat bread. Ozuk, who instructs the classes, noted the tutorials are interactive, rather than just demonstrative. “Really, when it comes down to it, and it’s hands-on, usually people have questions and they don’t know if the bread’s risen enough,” he said. “So I thought, small groups, interactive and that way everybody gets a chance to talk, everybody gets a chance to show their dough to the camera and get feedback about it.” Ozuk said the classes are about four hours long, adding that the bakers are provided with an instructional video for some prep the night before too. “When I talk about making bread with people over the years, everybody always seems to be really excited to do it, but they’re just a bit afraid to,” Ozuk said. “I think the interest is always there, and I think even after the pandemic, the interest is still going to be there too.” Henderson said the classes are so engaging, people will forget that they are taking place virtually. “It’s nice that it breaks up that Zoom fatigue feeling that you get from communicating with your friends and family online,” Henderson said, noting that Winnipeg Bread will be branching out to margherita pizza and cinnamon bun classes. More information on Winnipeg Bread can be found online.
