On my journey to making healthier chocolate bonbons, Jordi Bordas felt like the right next step forward. His B-Concept method takes patisserie to a healthier future. His elaborations are lighter, healthier and tastier. I simply had to take his course.

The ‘Introductory Course to Recipe Formulation’ is an intense 4 days encompassing 32 hours of studying. Both theory and somewhat practical, more on this later.

Our day started with a healthy breakfast at 8am every morning. On every day there would be a different travel cake and cookie to test from the course book. Twice we relished the pure joy of eating madeleines straight from the oven. Heaven!

Jordi’s Pastry School in Viladecans, Spain.

Group sizes are limited to 15 people for effective learning and on this occasion it was only 7. It was just perfect.

All of us attending had varying backgrounds and completely different goals. Jordi started us off by introducing ourselves and specifying what we would like to get out of the course. It ranged from lactose free to vegan and refined sugar free desserts.

Our first theory class was an introduction to the B-Concept method and why today’s world demands healthier desserts. Far too many of us consume refined products, which can lead to health complications at one point or another in life. That’s exactly why Jordi created the B-Concept method. He had to change his diet around and think outside the conventional norms of pastry making. Even so, most of his desserts still contain egg yolks, egg whites and sometimes gelatine.

By using coconut sugar, whole wheat flour or rice flour and fibres (among many other alternatives), we can create desserts that are good for our gut and digestive system. Especially fibres.

Every day was dedicated to one of the four basic pastry techniques.

Gelation, Aeration, Emulsion and Thickening. 10 years of pastry knowledge condensed into 4 days.

On day one we ran through various gelling agents and how they performed after the freeze and thaw process. As a rule of thumb, the more techniques you use in your creations the better. Working in team prevents syneresis.

Above you can get an idea how oligofructose and inulin catch water.

Mastering the right balance of water and dry extract is the foundation of a successful recipe.

Finishing off our days on a sweet note, Jordi’s assistant Jaume would hand out delicious tasters. Those were perfect examples of how to use the technique we learned that day. The desserts were well balanced, rich in flavour and so light. All of the recipes for the tasters are in the course book.

The last three days we spent formulating recipes in the morning and moving on to making the formulations. That was the practical part of the course. Unfortunately we didn’t get to be hands-on during the four days with Jordi.

It was structured in a way to give us a chance to create our own recipes in the morning (with and sometimes without Jordi’s help). In the R&D lab two streets down the road Jordi would demonstrate the making of the recipes for us. This was brilliant. It gave us the opportunity to use all the products you would not normally have in your kitchen and put them to the test. The following day we would try the samples and troubleshoot.

Why is this gelation leaking? Why is not as creamy or how can we improve the texture? How can we make it less sweet?

At the end of the course we created a total of 47 recipes. Our favourite ones were a tofu mousse by Adele, a macademia mousse by Chris and a tahini mousse with white sesame paste by Jordi.

Jordi also showed us his family bakery ‘Santacreu’ which is next door to the R&D lab. The entremets sold here follow the B-Concept method. If you decide to buy one of them you’ll have to wait 3-4 hours before enjoying them. This way it will hold its shape by the time you reach your home. Why, because sugar is a natural preservative and by using a lot of water, fibre and a reduced amount of sugar it won’t travel well for long. Definitely not in 28 degrees Spain.

He started working here when he was 14 years old. The oven in the lower right hand photo was built by Jordi’s dad. B stands for Bordas.

Besides entremets the bakery sells a lot of bread, viennoiserie and some savoury items.

Lunch time with the team.

Final thoughts

The B-Concept method gives you the tools to create your own recipes from scratch. Plus you’ll be able to convert existing ones into healthier versions. Cut out dairy, gluten or refined sugars if your heart desires.

You have complete freedom to be creative. That’s why this course is perfect for anyone working in the industry already or wants to learn how to make their desserts healthier. Either for their customers or for themselves.

My knowledge in patisserie is fairly limited, however understanding the basics and how recipe formulation works gave me confidence. If you can imagine it there’s the B-Concept method.

The one downside is the fact that you won’t get to make anything during the course. It’s aimed at developing your recipes with the assistance of Jordi. Making them and perfecting them through testing and tasting.

That said, Jordi and is team are simply amazing and looked after us very well. We had breakfast, lunch and dessert every day.

From a teaching point of view, Jordi would always make the time to answer your questions or clear your doubts. He’s extremely humble, down-to-earth and makes you feel welcome right from the start. His matcha lattes are incredible 🙂

The world needs more instructors like Jordi Bordas. Thank you so much!