How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

Your number one sin when making a tartlet is? Having your crust too thick. When i was starting to learn how to make these dainty sweet little treats, i had no idea what a 1/16th of an inch was so i ended up with not just a doughy crust but with a tartlet with too much crust and nothing in it. There are so many good pie/tart crusts out there, but since tartlets are usually on the sweet side, you are in luck. The sugar in the crust provides extra strength to the dough so it can hold its shape and at the same time, hold the filling as well. Read more on this in my Cakes and Pastry Page on the right.... ROLLING THE CRUST ON A LIGHTLY COATED OR DUSTED BOARD. ROLL THINLY, (SEE THE PICTURE) AND CUT OUT THE SHAPE OF THE MOLD WITH A FEW CENTIMETERS OVER HANG. PRESS THE DOUGH ONTO THE MOLD, PUSHING IT IN BETWEEN THE CREVICES. I USE MY FINGER TO CUT THE OVERHANG ONCE THE DOUGH HAS FILLED UP THE ENTIRE MOLD. turn on the heat once you have mixed your cornstarch with the milk, then ...

There is a huge discussion going on out there regarding home business/bakery in US States. Why others would allow and others would not baffles me. Like i said, if you earn well in the Philippines, you might as well just set up a business there rather than come here to work. Just a suggestion.  http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=586218&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=45

So far, the inclusion of the vital wheat gluten in my bread making solved the problem of having to deal with not having my usual brand of bread flour. I know for a fact that there are quite a huge selection of bread flour or hard wheat flour here in the Northeast but buying them is a problem. I was told Costco and BJ's have them, but the brands i am seeing is ???? Turning to the www for your flour purchase isn't that too inviting either, imagine  coughing up $9-$13.00 for shipping and handling per package? The ones i bought are quite satisfactory, i give them a 95% passing grade. Going back to the all purpose versus bread flour, there is a big difference in  water absorption, the volume, the make-up and texture. My biggest concern back home was that all purpose was more expensive so i did not use it when i bake breads. At P50.00 something per kilogram, (this is the "tingi" or retail packs you buy from your corner bakery supplier, not the Gold Medal or Pillsbury in th...

From Marilou See (Philippines) thank you for your emails, keep sending them... I love to hear your stories... The first time I made bread, mano mano po..ang lakas ng loob no? I study at Heny Sison , kaya lang wala ako natutunan kasi mixer ang gamit nila tapos yung mga assistant, di naman tinuro sa amin, basta pag nakita nila okie ang dough, inalis na lang sa mixer tapos binigay sa amin, para magknead ng around 1 minute voila  finish na. nagself study po ako thru internet at forum, there is one forum in Malaysia and Singapore based who are very helpful, who readily helps me understand breadmaking...I send them photos and konting description and they would tell me where I make a mistake or will praise me if I made it right.  I also have tried mixer (which is very easy) kaya lang hindi heavy duty ang mixer ko, it conked out on me when making bread.  siguro mas gusto niya cakes and cookies lang ang mix nito.  kaya back to the old working table ako. = ( kaya ...

Using the prepared crust i made (seen on my previous blog here), i spread my homemade soybean hummus thinly... No need to thaw the frozen crust before topping, but pre-heat your oven 30 minutes before you start working on the pizza. You need a very hot oven for this. Spread tomato sauce, i used leftover spaghetti sauce here, it has extra flavor so i like using spaghetti sauces for pizzas. Top with onions, tomatoes, peppers etc., Bake at a high 500 F oven, if you have a pizza stone, the better...until crust is golden brown crispy. Cut and serve immediately. Very good candidate for freezing, leftovers can be wrapped and then re-heated to make the crust crispy again.. Go back to previous blogs or archives for more baking tips....

No pineapple in cans left in the pantry, and all i see are cans of fruit cocktail. So, why not? Here's a lovely treat for yourself, easy and fun to make, reminds me of those backyard "lutu-lutuan" we use to do every summer as kids. No mixer, just my wire whisk and spatula and a few bowls. Out of nothing, this cake is a surprise, actually the recipe is a cupcake recipe but you know me, i am a kitchen rebel brat of sort. Instead of a cupcake, i made an upside down topsy turvy cake. Please view complete images in the Cakes and other Pastries Page...

Someone just emailed me regarding Pan de Coco, he lives further up North so i guess he probably misses this sweet filled bread. I have varying results when dessicated coconut is in use, so i do not recommend it. I have a completely different recipe than what we normally hear from Panaderos, you know the "sapal" kind of version with the sugar and that's it. I remember this bread way back when i still hang on to my "yaya's" skirt while she picks me up from school. Merong "potpot", a guy in a bicycle honks his horn to peddle this sweet bread, plus the Pan de Sal. No more "potpot", even the Nutri ban, was banned,( will blog this separately), or did Marcos has ownership of the recipe. Love those buns! Please view the rest of the images under the SWEET YEAST DOUGH PAGE here in the blog

Hi Shirley, thanks for the update/correction. Any suggestion on what was wrong with the way I'm baking a mamon using the chiffon cake recipe I found on a cooking book, it always shrink when cooled down, unlike when I take it out from the oven still hot the entire mold is filled up. Originally the recipe required only 88grams vegetable oil & some flavoring like vanilla or lemon. Does it have a big effect in it's volume when I replace the oil with 100grams salted butter? 'cause I want a more buttery taste mamon. By the way the following is the recipe I've used. cake flour---------   200g baking powder---    12g salt----------------    3g salted butter-----     100g ------- golden crown butter which is around P30.00 philippine peso/225g- much cheaper than unsalted anchor white sugar-------    150g water--------------    140g 8 large egg yolk--- a...

Yes, to those who are asking if you can use a sponge to make the best ever Pan de Sal. Not only will the rolls be larger in volume, the flavor will be exceptional, shelf life extended. To Marge, my friend sorry i am posting this only now, you can use any kind of sponge you want to use, 50 60 70% sponge flour is fine. There is a huge difference when cutting with a plastic and wooden dough cutter. Find out how you can perfect this baston in my Ebook . See how the dough is tapered on both ends, making the "singkit" style of cut. There are 70 images in the ebook on how to make this baston, and another recipe Pandesal B using the freeform style. My proofing area is a separate closed room, this is why you cannot see any sheet cover etc., The window allows me to peek through the rising dough. Very convenient, a welcome surprise when i had this bakery/proofing room built. Visible signs of the cuts on top of the Pan de Sal, another indicator that you did a good job,...

I am relenting once again to numerous requests from Kababayans in far flung Cavite, Batangas, laguna etc., I know you guys want to learn how to at least make a pandesal and sell them, so here it is, i am offering a discount to the Ebook, you can now purchase the formula tested recipes for only $30.00, not $55 or $45 but just $30.00. You will need at least 2 weeks to browse over the recipes, this guy from Bulacan who is Italian managed to bake his own Pandesal and now selling breads out of the Ebook alone. Go to my website and start learning how to make Pandesal, Ensaimada, Monay, Soft buns etc,. I guarantee you that you will be able to sell your breads before Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, this will probably my first Christmas where i will not be able to sell my gift boxes. Bawal dito sa New York mag tinda ng baked goods at home. You cannot bake at home and sell them. Only 11 states allow that. I think they should slacken their rules so they can help those who are out of work to ...

The pizza dough resting. Quite a delight, when you have ready made pizzas at your disposal whenever you are ready to change the menu, dig in to a hot and crispy pizza, entertain friends and just bum out on your sofa when you are so dead tired to cook dinner. What else can be better than that. Ready made pizza crusts may not be gourmet, i worked in a Fine dining italian restaurant where the oven is lined with Italian stones, 5 minutes is all it takes to bake the foccacias, the pizza crusts, and calzones. Well, that maybe the best way to savor your slow rise pizza dough, this thing you have been guarding and saving ( precariously fermenting in the farthest part of your freezer or chiller because everyone else is dying to throw them but you). If you have a very good pizza crust, you will not wait too long to bake them, neither will you dream ever to pre-bake them!!!! The best way to savor that fermented flavor is to bake them fresh, but i have not a minute of luxury to always start ...

If you have a favorite Pandesal recipe, know how to compute the Baker's Percent, then you can work out a way to make your own Whole Wheat version. My mother is having a problem with her cholesterol, being 79 years old and all and loving life, meaning "eating". Honestly, i laugh inside when i see her munching like a rabbit all the time, easy Ma. So i said to her, i will make her these Whole Wheat version, low on fat and sugar, not the kind i use to bake with 18% sugar. She just likes to munch on something, i used 20% whole wheat so that will do her some good at least. I used a sponge and dough method always when i make anything with whole wheat flour or cracked wheat. If you bake with whole wheat, notice there is very minimal "ovenspring" going on after the first few minutes of baking, do not be surprised. The volume always suffers when you bake with whole wheat but there are always tricks of the trade professional bakers apply, troubleshooting has its own ...

To those who have purchased the Ebook, please send me an email to request your free Cakes and Pastries Ebook, recipes such as Lean Butter Cupcakes or our very own "Kababayan", Cream Puffs, Oatmeal Cookies, Sponge Cake and Buttercream, Fudge Brownies, Coffee Brownies. It has step by step procedures just like the Commercial Bread Ebook. See images in my website under Cakes and Pastries.

Please ignore email solicitations you receive through your inbox. I just got a disturbing email from a legitimate address of a long time friend since the 90's asking me for a thousand pound so she can pay her hotel in the UK! She is in Miriam College, in the Philippines, and how on earth she used her email address, with her full name in all is scary. To anyone who has known me, this might happen to you, i would never make such solicitations, and if you ever receive such from anyone you know, maybe they can access your inbox or something, start deleting your emails now if you happen to have some personal info there. Nobody asks that much money, i remember just a week ago, this person supposedly from Jamaica wanted to send me her pictures and be friends with me. She did send me one but i did not open the attachments, maybe she was able to hack into my personal info when i opened her first email. Be aware, so please ignore any emails like this, even if the email address is real.

Been trying to make hummus, my friend from college at OB Montessori, Elaine gave me this recipe, lost in during the Ondoy flood unfortunately and so never did make past my counter to the kitchen table. I love making Pita Breads, this is my next project since i am making pizza tomorrow anyway. Hummus Variations - My Jewish Learning

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Cooking Club of America

If you have not baked with these flours yet, then you should try now! After searching the internet for a reputable source, where my hard earned dollars won't get lost and the closest possible so i won't have to wait every single day for the package to arrive, i am happy to say that i am satisfied with Barryfarms products. It took only 4 days, before noon the package arrived in good shape. Note the comparison i made upon opening the buckwheat and rye pumpernickel. I thought rye and pumpernickel are two different flours??? But the package says rye pumpernickel, although they also sell rye without the pumpernickel, sorry folks, i am from the Philippines so i have no idea what these flours look like until now. The buckwheat is darker in color and smells a bit more earthy (my more decent way of saying it does not smell nice), in Tagalog, "mabaho", not too much but just a bit odd because this is flour we are describing. The rye pumpernickel is different, it smells absol...