A Pastry Chef Internship
Using the resources I now had available to me, I reached out to one of my former classmates from the baking academy to see if I could spend some time at his family’s bakery. They specialized as a “Konditorei”, which uncomfortably can be translated to ‘confectionery’, but would be better described as a pastry shop.
Pastry and cake creation was a large part of the baking examination process, but as I had mentioned in those entries, my experience was less than desired and, therefore, my skill set was still lacking. The young man from my time in Dresden had pursued his master baker certification while his older brother had already received his master pastry chef designation; their father had earned both. I signed up for a two week internship in order to learn as much as possible.
As my internship was designed more for my benefit than it was for theirs (read: my help was not needed), I started the first week completing small tasks like glazing donuts or helping move product to and from cooling areas. I used this time to ask about the various processes I witnessed about me. We discussed the differences between expensive fondant and powdered sugar paste. We also discussed when it was necessary to use couverture or a mix of less expensive chocolate alternatives. Finally, discussions of fat content in Wiener Boden (a cake sponge) was hashed through, but without conclusion.
As I have come to learn from my various internships, there is always one worker that takes a dislike to my adventures; this person usually makes comments on how unrealistic my expectations are, or how much time I would need to invest in order to ‘really’ understand this work. Sometimes they portray their comments as helpful, as if they are bestowing their wisdom on me; other times it is just heckling. Luckily, at this internship, the token reality-checker made sure I understand that my new master title did not imply that I was skilled. It was duly noted.
I spent most of the first week upstairs working with a trio of bakers. It was very relaxing, and we had some good discussions. The young man does not work in the bakery; rather, he manages one of the cafés owned by the family business. However, he did make some time to show me around the neighborhood; we visited a local cave where legend says a former emperor dwells waiting to return and take back his kingdom. It was a pretty cave; a great place to age some cheese and lager some beer.
The first week ended with an introduction to ice cream. Ice cream is one of the products assigned to pastry chefs (although bakers also often gain the knowledge). The young man’s brother showed me the ins and outs of making this treat. We walked through pasteurization, flavor creation, and sugar requirements. I continued asking questions until he ran out of answers. I applaud him on his patience.
The weekend was spent in Dresden where the newly-designated master bakers received our official diplomas and celebrated over speeches and dinner. I had prepared a video upon the request of one of the organizers; I was not overjoyed with the results, but ultimately no one cared. I ended up spending the weekend at my buddy’s place and saw some things that were best left unseen; but that was part of the experience.
Upon my return to the internship, I had asked if I could spend more time with the pastry chef as that world was new to me. We worked on various cakes and I ultimately leveled up on my buttercream knowledge and consistency in decoration and symmetry. By the end of the week, the young man’s brother was no longer disappointed in my output.
The young man’s father is a huge fan of Trabants. I, too, am a fan and asked if we could make a short tour. I have often seen and admired these mass-produced vehicles from East Germany times, but I have never ridden in one. So, the young man got his father’s permission, and the two of us tootled down the road to a local castle and back. He explained to me how the three components of the vehicle were intended to work; all of it was awesome. I would put this Trabant tour as one of the top ten highlight of my time in Germany thus far.
The second week ended with my birthday celebration. The family put together a nice evening with grilled meats and great local wine. The young man’s brother even created a new-styled cake for my celebration: peanut-butter buttercream. It was delicious; and I was able to take the leftovers home with me, which I diligently polished off. The young man’s father gifted me a pastry bag and various tips as well as a dough scrapper; excellent gifts, fitting for my time with them.
My final day in the bakery, I was tasked with making a large Eierschecke. We had learned to make this cake as a part of our practical exam and my former classmate brought the treat back to his family’s operation. As he was still manning the café, I was asked if I could do the honor of baking it for that week. I failed miserably. It had been over six months since I have last baked an Eierschecke and that was the fourth I made in my life. A final excuse, this was almost four times the quantity we made for the exam. It was not pretty; I overcooked the egg whites and the final mass was clumpy. I was later told that the cake was still sold out. Perhaps it was not that bad…
I made my way back to Erfurt with a much better understanding of the requirements to be a good pastry chef, new set of skills and tools to perform that work, and about three-fourths of a birthday cake. Definitely a successful time in Artern.
