I’m planning a few hands-on skill labs — think 45 minutes focused on one technique, like shaping bagels or pastry lamination — on Tuesdays/Thursdays at 6:15 pm with mixers and tools provided, max 12 people. If you’ve taken our weekend workshops, would a short weeknight format help you practice between classes, and what topics or price point would make it worth your commute?
Bagel shaping at ‘6:15 pm’ works; include pre-made dough. $25–30 feels right; lamination might need two nights?
Short labs would help me keep momentum; the one thing that leveled up my lamination was a quick ‘flour brush pass’ before each fold and checking 4 mm with a ruler so layers don’t skate. I’d pay around $35 if we leave with a labeled slab to finish at home; 6:15 works for me but it’s tight without pre-scaled butter blocks.
I’m in for 6:15 pm if there’s a “staggered lamination” setup — prepped dough at each stage so in 45 minutes we do the lock-in, one fold, and a clean trim on a cold bench with the tools you’ve got. , commuting for just demo is rough; $30–35 feels fair if we also get a 250–300 g take-home block. @jrobinson2020, one step that fixed my layers was marking the dough’s “north” with a tiny notch so every fold stays aligned — could that be part of the checklist?
I park the ceramic vertical at the station and do two feather-light strokes per side on the 12" scimitar at your 15 deg/side, then wipe the rod with a damp towel so it doesn’t glaze — ‘almost no pressure’ keeps the bite and stops fat smearing. If I need extra grab fast, I’ll do a single pass on a fine grooved steel and go back to ceramic; too much diamond will chew that thin edge. You running an Idahone fine, or another brand?