How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

Not in the habit of taking photos of their faces, i try to respect the privacy of the students so you will not see who they are in my posts, at least most of them. Managing to take only a few so let the photos speak for themselves. If you look at the breads and decide to enroll in my class, please bring 2 large containers for your samples. I will not let you bring breads stacked on top of another, nor will i put them in sando bags. If you want to bring home samples, do not bring microwaveable plastics or flat 1 inch containers, 9 by 13 inch 3 inches height will do. text me at 09202019945 for reservation to the January till March class. In a hurry to eat the ensaimadas so no more apron and disposable gloves, we are eating them all anyways, but for selling, you need to don an apron, gloves, hairnet and mask. Cheerios!

BAKING BREADS AND PASTRIES: Happy Holidays!   www.breadmakinglessons.com

What we did in our December class, disappeared fast on the table and very much liked by the students. Thank you to Aileen Co, she gave us all a box of ham and hotdogs. The Many Faces of Ensaimada, if you look here you can make a roll out of the ensai dough. It is the Holiday cheer and i bet everyone is cramming their brains with xmas gifts, not on what they will get but more on what they will give. Bummer. I have 8 nephews and nieces here, good thing most of them just want dinero so i am spared just a tad bit. But if you have friends and co-workers to give gifts to, now that is the problem. Nowadays, you have to be creative and if you know how to bake, that will give you an edge. Everyone can turn out a pan of brownie, cookies and cupcakes. Very easily. But specialty baked goodies such as Mamon, Chiffon Cakes, Special Ensaimadas, Panettone and many others are not quite easy to make. This December, i was surprised that no one enrolled in Cake Decorating compared to last year...

Took a photo of the breads my students pack and bring home after every class. Like i always say in my website, please do not forget your containers. I will refuse to pack them in 3 layers because the breads will end up flat (pisa). Sayang lang yung pagod naming lahat para mai bake ang mga tinapay tapos mapipisa lang pala, so hindi ako pumapayag na patung patungin ang mga tinapay. Because of this, sometimes i lend my containers on the first day. No, they do not bring all the breads, i just give them samples 4 of this, 5 of that, depending on how many students attend. I want the students to show their family what they did in class, gives them motivation na after the whole day kang nawala sa bahay, here you are, meron kang dalang tinapay. My running joke is that, para pag nakita ng tatay or husband mo, ibibili ka ng mixer. Hopefully. Kung wala ka pang mixer. Magagalit sa akin ang brother ko pag nabasa ito kasi i am doing Taglish. So anyway, the November session was an eye opener. I h...

Cake Deco Buttercream Class on Dec. 21, mention this article and get a P500.00 discount. Still time to catch up with the December session and learn before the Holidays. I know it is a busy time for all of us, mine will be spent baking and decorating for xmas in between these sessions. As if i have no other ways to torture myself!!! Yesterday, i had a special baking session and we created (much more of a challenge) 8 kinds of variations all in 2 kilograms of dough. I must admit, it was fun and exciting. We put Ube in the sweet yeast dough, sweet cheese, tuna, and many others. If you look at it, this is exactly what a bakery does, i have blogged about this many times but it occurred to me, bitin pa ako and i wanted to do more! This baguette is 5 days old, room temperature because we used a sponge and dough method. Dec. 16 18 20 Hands on Bread making text me at 09202019945 or log on to www.breadmakinglessons.com for details.

Baking the breads. The baked breads, waiting to be packed. Hotdog buns, i helped finish up the shaping just to make it look pretty. It is sad though that even if i think this batch is flawless, you cannot please everybody. Some would find time to and right in front of you tell you how awful the shape looks like. Well, customers are always right, that's what they say. I just think that maybe if you can replicate this in front of me after a month, then i will agree that the shape of these buns and the loaves below are ugly. More of the breads that are ugly, daw. I will post more "ugly" or pangit na photos next time. According to her husband who saw the breads, "masarap nga tinapay ninyo, ang papangit naman ng itsura". Really? Been teaching since 2001 and i have never heard such said to me. I have something to say but i would rather not say it here. We do take lessons in math like addition and subtraction in college right? I think we do. ww...

Yup, you can use your favorite basic Pandesal dough to make another classic merienda, Doughnuts or call it Bitso if you want, that fried sugary coated treat someone like me can only look at. Sure, i can eat one if i want to, but i won't because i shouldn't. I won't get fat with one piece i know but i have set my mind that i will indulge in another waist mismanagement caloric value in the form of dark chocolate. Yun na lang, wag na doughnut and besides i don't actually crave for it. So here is what i did, i mixed the basic Pandesal dough, saved about 1/3 of the dough to make the doughnuts and the scraps are made into Pandesal as well. Pandesal all set to proof. Roll them flat about 1/2 an inch thick. If the dough is too sticky, chill the dough wrapped in plastic and then roll on a greased board. I cut the scraps into the same weight as the Pandesal. I do not weigh them anymore because i have been baking for so many years now, i just simply eyeball i...

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...

Schedule is now posted at www.breadmakinglessons.com and reservations still open for the October session. Below are just some of the photos i took during one of my baking sessions, and since i see the Cinnamon rolls and Baguettes, i know that this is our second day of the 3 day lesson. Each student shapes the baguettes, i admit, pag medyo tagilid or palpak ang shape, inuulit ko kahit na nag sample na ako ng isa o dalawa. I do this so the students get to bring home a decent looking French bread. When the Cinnamon Roll day is on, i always have the same recurring comments from the students, ie; that it is not one of their favorite breads to eat, they are not fond of the scent of cinnamon, it is too sweet so they don't eat it, etc., etc., Pero, pag naluto na yung tinapay, at nag slice ako ng isa for them to taste, they all have one thing to say, iuuwi ko na lang yung share ko. What's funnier and most expected (because it happens every month) is the DAY AFTER, the cinnamon rol...