Fr. Dom’s most popular live demos
Basic Bread and Beyond Fr. Dom shows you how to mix and knead a basic dough, and then demonstrates beginner’s techniques to shape braids and rolls that make you look like an experienced baker. In the Scone Zone Scones are the perfect small breads for breakfast, lunch, tea or snack. You can have them warm from the oven in 30 minutes, and their flavors vary from buttery to sweet to savory. We’ll make four recipes from Fr. Dominic’s new cookbook, Breadhead Breakfast Treats--both sweet and savory scones. Ex Uno, Plures: One Dough, Many Breads Fr. Dom will demonstrate how a single basic sweet dough recipe can be used for breakfast breads as diverse as Lemon Fantans, Chocolate Babka, and Apricot Orange Blossoms. Autumn Harvest Breads In the fall it's finally cool enough to bake! Discover the delights of breads like Spiced Apple Shortcake, a Harvest Braid with apples, cheese, ham and walnuts, Pumpkin Scones with a cream cheese filling, or traditional Irish Barm Brack for Halloween. Herb Breads with a Meaning Combining baking with history and gardening, Fr. Dom demonstrates three breads which use symbolic herbs to send messages of compassion and support to those you love. Pizza Night with Papa Dom! Forget DiGiorno and delivery! Fr. Dom can show you how to make first rate pizza dough, a savory sauce in just 8 minutes, and gourmet pizzas like Spinach Pesto pizza with baby bella mushrooms, Four Cheese Tomato Top pizza, and Asparagus Mornay pizza. Don't worry--there's Italian Beef and Muffaletta pizzas for the carnivores, too! Christmas Morning Treats Fr. Dom demonstrates some quick breads that can easily be made on Christmas morning, including Chocolate Orange Biscuit Twists and Shortcut Stollen, plus some festive coffeecakes and braided loaves for your holiday brunch table. What Kind of Bread Shall We Be? Need an inspirational talk for your church group? Fr. Dom relates how different breads are symbolic of the great diversity of spiritual gifts and Christian service, and helps you discover what kind of bread you can be. About Costs The usual cost for a demonstration of 2 hours or more is $200 to $400 plus travel expenses, depending on the difficulty of the recipes, length of the demo, what equipment I need to bring, etc. I can't usually accept an invitation if it involves flying (too much equipment to check) so there is a charge either for mileage or for vehicle rental plus fuel. If an overnight stay is involved, I prefer to stay in a rectory or religious house, which is usually cheaper than a hotel. Some of these costs are negotiable for church groups---it never hurts to ask. |
Remote learning programs for librariesDuring the pandemic I received a request from a nearby library wanting to continue programming for their patrons without in-person presentations, and I was happy to oblige. I quickly found out that librarians talk to each other online a LOT and before long was getting requests from all over the United States! I have created a series of narrated PowerPoint presentations with step-by-step instructions and lots of photos, and they proved just as popular as my live demos. The programs are about an hour long and are usually offered through the library’s Zoom account. I take questions throughout the program through Zoom chat, and also allow for questions after the program. Links to the recipes are provided after the program, which can be emailed or posted on the library’s website. I allow the program to be recorded and offered for viewing on the library’s website, but only for the two weeks following the program, after which I ask that the recording be deleted. I ask that library publish a link to my website www.breadmonk.com. Regarding fees, here’s my practice: After we choose an appropriate topic, you decide what such a program might be worth to you and your patrons. Then take a look at your criminally underfunded program budget, and offer me the amount you can actually afford! I have received everything from $50 to $250 and never been disappointed. Some programs I have done in the past: Basic Bread and Beyond 7 Herbs for Beginner Gardeners Herbs for Breakfast Foods Valentine Puff Pastry Treats Papa Dom’s Pizza Party County Fair Foods at Home Autumn Harvest Breads Bake Your Way Through the Holidays: Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and beyond. Christmas Morning Treats Easter Brunch Symbols in Light: The hidden meanings in church stained glass windows Some of these programs were developed because of a specific requests from a librarian or their patrons, so let me know if you are interested in other subjects. |