Here is the most fun way to make bread: prepare a massive pile of dough, brightly coloured with natural dyes; cut off a small section and flatten it out; place that pizza-like sheet on top of an industrial-strength blower and watch it inflate into a toasty, instantly edible balloon.
Blow Dough was the brainchild of designer Omer Polak, who created the one-day installation as part of Jerusalem Design Week earlier this year. The project was intended as a kind of homage to the ubiquity of bread in the city, which takes lots of different forms — from pita to bagel — in small street food stands.
Here, guests were given the opportunity to craft their own unconventional carb bulbs in a space that looks like a hybrid mad scientist lab, futuristic factory and experimental test kitchen.
Fresh veggie juices — think beet and spinach — were used in place of water while making the dough, which gave each batch a bold hue, then individual chefs were allowed to add their own dash of herbs and spices for a personal touch.
Every wooden workstation had a hole in the surface with an industrial-strength blower beneath. After setting the blob on top and securing it with a metal sheet, the power was switched on and a burst of 600C air would embiggen the bread and cook it at the same time. Brilliant.
I only wish the vid was in smell-o-vision. [The Fox is Black]