Exam #2 and Happy Hour

Friday was our second exam.  The day fit right in with the rest of the strange week.  I practiced making muffins and a sponge roll on Thursday night and was a little nervous about the sponge roll coming out ok.  The written test was straightforward and similar to the first one, but I was so concerned about the sponge, that I didn't double check my math (Mrs. Flora would be appalled).  I turned out a nice batch of muffins pretty quickly and moved on the the dreaded sponge.  Over baking the sponge by just 30 seconds can make it difficult to roll, so I ended up taking it out about 2 minutes too soon.  I also used the wonky oven against my better judgement.  Let's just say it's a good thing that I finished my written exam so early and made the muffins fast.  I had to remake the sponge as the first on was totally unacceptable.  I was a in a bit of a panic, mostly because I was kind of embarrassed that I had to make something again.  Luckily, I had plenty of time and my second sponge turned out perfectly.  I can't even believe how tight I was able to roll it.  I scored 100% on the practical but lost a few points on the written exam, but still got a 101.  Not a perfect score, but still the highest in the class by 1 point.  My friend KG got a 100.  Thank goodness for extra credit!  So, my final grade for Block 1 is a 4.0 and that makes me happy.  I will need all the points I can get moving forward.  We start the Bread Block on Monday and I am really excited about it.  We also have to write a paper on a bread that holds memories for us or that we are interested in.  I'm not sure what I will write about yet as we can't use cornbread, which is the most meaningful bread to me.  It's a quick bread and we have to stick to yeast breads.  Any suggestions?

Friday after class a few of us (those over 21) went to "Happy Hour" at noon.  It was fun to hang outside of class and in normal clothes.  We ended up staying out until about 8:30, so you could say we had fun.  I kept meaning to take some pictures, but it just didn't happen. We also ended up meeting my friend Kate out, so she got to meet KG.  I'm just glad the week is over and I'm looking forward to bread and a fresh start on Monday.  I'm off to my niece's birthday and to see the family.  Hopefully I will survive and live to bake another day.  Until then, ciao!

-The Queen of Tarts-