Our apprentice baker, Danny visited Copenhagen to get training and experience with a busy bakery. We got his thoughts from his time in Denmark.

What attracted you to be an apprentice baker at Brød?

I've enjoyed cooking and baking as a hobby since I was a kid and always considered having a career in it. It's something I'm really passionate about but didn't know where to get training or experience from. I saw the vacancy advertised and applied as i didn't want to regret not going for it in the future.

Before the trip feelings

I felt a little apprehensive but once I had a chance to research the bakeries, city, tourist sites and getting around then I was super excited. A little nervous going over there to work as a student but what an incredible once in a life time opportunity.

At Den Helt Rigtige Bager

I started Thursday morning at 8 am at a very busy time. The bakery and front of house was buzzing with activity as orders were being packed up in one area, sandwiches being made, customers being served, cakes being decorated and a whole host of things were being prepared in the bakery. I was greeted by the owner Berit introduced me to everyone then I got changed into Brød uniform and started immediately.

I was taken under the wing of head bakers Klaus and Tommy, while working alongside an apprentice. The bakery was split into two shifts 7am-2.30pm (day shift) and 1am -9.30am (night shift). I started by laying pastry into cases for strawberry tarts (Jordbærtærte), this would be the beginning of having to make, decorate and package over 1000 of them. The day continued preparing pastry products, cleaning trays, shaping bread and other various tasks. During the night shifts we made bread rolls, baked off product and I assisted with whatever I could.

I started to feel more confident, as it was like nothing I’d experienced before, the slight language barrier made things interesting and fun. On my last day I was thanked by the owners and other staff while enjoying a leaving beer.

Favourite things

Although I did make a lot of strawberry tarts, it was an excellent experience to be part of the whole process. The bakery made a huge variety of products so it was nice to taste my way around what was on display. There were some really tasty spinach filled rolls which I would like to try back in our bakery.

Experiencing Copenhagen

After adjusting to the night shifts I tried to get out in the mornings after my shifts. Thoughtfully, the bakery lent me a bike so I was able to cycle around which was really handy and nice to feel apart of the city. The weather was very hot while I was there so I visited a couple of tourist spots but mostly wanted to relax and soak up the culture and food. I was also lucky to be in the city as Denmark celebrated 'Sankt Hans' a traditional festival where everyone has a knees up overlooking large bonfires in harbours and out on lakes.

The next step

I was really inspired by the food culture in Denmark and how people are so passionate about it, it's definitely something I want to bring back and hopefully use inspiration from my trip to inspire new baked goods at Brød.