water in the dough

some baking students regard water in breadmaking as the most unimportant ingredient of all. just because you don't pay for it that much the way you shell out for a tub of butter or a couple of eggs shouldn't diminish the importance of water, which in my view is how most students in breadmaking do. when i was just starting to learn how to make bread, this was how i got the beating. by underestimating the role of water. in cakes and cookies, water or liquid should be very, very exact, no more no less. in breadmaking, the water content is variable. meaning, it could go as high as 65% today, and only 55% the next day. this is why, a breamaking student needs the aid of science to fully understand why and how come? when i try to explain these things to my students, i get many blank faces, whooo, like you have to repeat it over and over, and hope that the next time you see each other he or she has some idea of what you are talking about. i mean, i understand why it is hard, the many variables involved, such as the temperature, humidity, the weather, really, the ingredients you use, the type of flour, and sometimes even the age of the flour, etc.,,,,, hello, i know some of my students want to ask me, are you sure you are teaching the right class? this is not a funky chemistry or biology class is it? but if you ask me, if a student does not get this one right on the money, better switch to brownies or scones. if a students just follows what therecipe says, and worst if it is in cups, eeek, it will be a waste of time. well, i suppose some could get away with it, but why be a mediocre baker when you could be the master baker?

the other day, my brother brought home a bag of rolls since i couldn't bake again. i noticed the tightness of the rolls' grain and the very soft texture despite this. if you are an experienced baker, you will be able toexplain why this is so, and even imitate it if that is what your family wants for this type of bread. breadmaking is a challenging, fun, therapeutic and everything else, i hope you make it your challenge for this year. to make your own bread!!!!

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3rd Class Flour, What's It All About

For starters i cannot make this Hard Monay if i did not bring any 3rd class flour or soft weak flour to New York. Once i ran out of 3rd class and tried Cake Flour, it turned bad, do not even think of using All Purpose, it will be soft but not chewy as this one made with yes, 3rd class indeed. So third class is hard to find here in the US if you will use that term. You have to say or look for soft wheat flour, that's it, not hard wheat flour, not cake or All purpose but something in between these two. It is easy to find in the Phil., just ask your local bakery suppliers and they know it is Tercera. Tercera is not for bread, bakers use it basically for cookies, cakes and other pastries, but we bakers know how to create bread recipes using part of this flour with the bread flour or hard wheat flour. It makes a softer version of any of your fave breads, with a cheaper price tag. Plus if i own a bakery, i get to use the third class for my cakes and cookies, lowering my food cos

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When someone emailed me about Kape at Pandesal, i suddenly felt home sick. Just these two words. Dipping Pandesal in coffee. Who got this phenomenon or practice started? We all know the colonial Spanish era and Gregorio Zaide mentioned our fondness for idling around in the history books (Juan Tamad and siesta), but for breakfast? Who wants to jump up and down when you wake up? This is the answer. Dunking the warm, crispy Pandesal into hot, steaming coffee. How did this thing start? Who invented it? What made the Pinoys dunk their Pandesal? Maybe the Pandesal in those days are rock hard, or maybe it is one way to sweeten the bread. Baka may alamat dito. Is it because the Pandesal is salty in those days? After all, sal means salt right? The Italians love to dunk their Biscotti in coffee, but the Biscotti deserves it. Seriously, Biscottis if not dunked in coffee can give you a free tooth extraction. But the Pandesal? Okay to some, it cools down the coffee. Don't tell me they

How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

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