Rasheeda Begum was depressed. Her conservative in-laws had refused to allow her to attend a one-day baking class in Kochi, conducted by Jeemol Koruth Verghese. Rasheeda’s husband works in West Asia. She threw several tantrums and stopped eating. When the 30-year-old’s family eventually relented, she travelled 93 km from Guruvayur with two relatives who stood guard outside Eva’s Healthy Bakes while she attended the classes.
In the end, it turned out well for Rasheeda. “She has a natural talent,” says Jeemol, 34. “Rasheeda picked up the techniques very quickly, and now she is baking all types of bread and has become a star in her locality. It has given a boost to her self-confidence.”
Jeemol’s baking classes are popular in Kochi. “You can say I am a bread activist,” she says. “I want to make people eat home-made bread. It’s much tastier.”
Mass-baked bread has a lot of preservatives to make it last a long time. The ingredients in a commercial loaf include gluten, palmolein, potassium sorbate, calcium propionate and sodium bezonate.
“A home-made loaf consisting of unbleached organic flour, sugar, yeast, water, milk, oil, salt and egg has a much shorter shelf-life,” says Jeemol. “It’ll go bad in two to three days. But if its refrigerated, it can last a week. You just need to steam it.”
Among the many types of breads Jeemol bakes include whole wheat, baguettes, organic semolina, cibatta, rosemary, braided breads, Olive Herbed Foccacia and the Jewish Challah. “The Challah is a traditional Jewish bread, which is eaten on the Sabbath,” she says. “It is made with honey, olive oil, eggs, but has less sugar.”
Her most popular bread is the Italian foccacia. This is made of yeast, olive oil, thyme, herbs like rosemary or basil, black olives and caramalised onions. “Many of my students have never heard of it,” she says. “When they take it home, their families love it. My children also like it a lot.”
Her classes are attended by women aged 16 to 65. “Some want to make healthy bread at home,” says Jeemol. “Many children suffer from various allergies, so it is important to provide them with the right bread. Some are looking to learn new things, while others want to start a business.”
Varsha Anil, the youngest participant, has an ambition of being a chef. “When I grow up, I am planning to go to France to learn baking,” she says.
Deepa Vijay says: “I attended Jeemol’s class without telling anyone. The next weekend I baked a yummy loaf and surprised my family, who always considered me zilch in the kitchen. I realised that the process of making bread is a stress-buster for my marketing job.”
“You need to make bread with passion. I feel such a deep sense of satisfaction when the bread rises in the oven. I love the brown crust and the smell,” says Jeemol. “When I make bread at home, thanks to the aroma, it does not take long for my neighbours to know I am baking. I always give them a few loaves.”
She wants to open a retail outlet to sell organic breads. “My aim is to make a limited quality, so that the entire lot is sold. That way, every day there will be fresh bread. They will be slightly more expensive than commercial bread because of the cost of the ingredients,” she says. “But they will be healthy.”