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EMAIL REGARDING BAKING

From Teacher Carol(Philippines)

Attached are notes to my first pandesal made a week after receipt of your EBook; I can't thank you enough for such valuable contribution you always share in the world of breadmaking; such craft is really something to thank God for. Please see my attachment. Thanks
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10 June 2010

Sher Villafranca

Penuche Pastries


Dear Sher,

Hi, I’m one of those who have been blessed by having your EBook for our missions. I must tell you I was so elated at having the book but must control myself to start in haste so that I might be able to study the contents first before starting.

My first baked pandesal was a success (at least for me as a starting breadmaker)! At last I was able to make one or did bake one! The following were the ingredients and procedures I had. Please help me out in some of the concerns I need answers to. Though I am not in your tutorial may I request that you critique the bread I did bake (minus the video-they’re all eaten out) at least for my starting breadmaking?

PANDESAL

(My! I was able to compute in Baker’s Percent-isn’t that wonderful? Now I don’t have to squeeze my brain converting recipes into cups and ml’s.) These were computed based on your Pandesal B Recipe’s 1000 gm-base Flour.

INGREDIENTS gm %

Bread Flour 300 100

All-Purpose Flour 200

Yeast 1.8 9

Brown Sugar 18 90

Salt 1.7 8.5

Non-Fat Dry Milk 4 20

Bread Improver .4 2

Margarine 10 50

Vanilla 1 5

Ice-cold Water 55-58 275-290



Note: I needed to use the available ingredients at the pantry for the try-out. For the bread improver and bread flour, as you suggested-I went to Jubilee in Cubao (they’ve all the ingredients you said and good thing they are available in small packs).

PROCEDURE: I-

1. Greased two sheets.

2. Weighed all ingredients.

3. Put these ingredients in the mixer, (We have KitchenAid 4.5 quart-capacity which means we don’t have to use more that 8 cups of flour for this model or the approximate that we can use is until 800 gm; a try-out of 500 gm is safe.) leaving 50% of the water and the rest added in trickles.

4. Had this mixed.

Experiment: At 1 min and 30 sec (1.40), (STIR mode) I checked the dough; then added another 25% of water; another 3.08 of mixing (to check how the flour eats up the water); 3.08 of continued mixing (checking/pulling the dough if already pliable or not); another 11.44 and mixing was done. Total = 18.9 min.

5. Had the dough relaxed 10 min.; divided into 26 portions approx. 50 gm/pc. (I pinched a small amount of dough and had it tasted and I knew somehow I got a “correct” pandesal taste and it “boosted” my energy-I was encouraged. Whew!)

6. Rounded the pandesal (this is the hardest part! I rattled when I saw that some of those I rounded were already rising and I wasn’t yet through with the others. You said for individually shaping up 70 pcs. of pandesal two must work on it - I found this true.

7. Proofed for 1 ¾ hours.

8. Pre-heated the oven when proofing time reached an hour. I preheated the over for some 15 minutes at 325°F (?).

9. Baked for 13 min.; turned off the oven and left the pandesal inside until the heat subsided.

Yield = 26 pcs. (irregular shapes)

Pandesal Inside = dense/brownish

Outside = white at 13 min.; a little brown at 15 min

Texture = fine finish; soft

Appearance = other than its irregular sizes; they’re good to look

Taste = soft, like the pandesal we buy at ”Pugon” (but mine is denser)


Thank you and I look forward to reading your critique. The pandesal was presentable enough and really looked one, the only concerns I have are those above.

God bless!

Teacher Carol
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Comments

Shirley said…
I remember being a novice once, buying a book and getting started and once you are in the middle of the baking process, you make one mistake after another that is hard to rectify. Once you are deep into the dough, there is no going back. I have had my shares of baking mishaps, failures after failures just because i forgot to do one tiny bit of procedure, such as proofing the yeast, weighing the salt, using too much water, using the wrong flour, etc etc., It helps to read the procedure over and over, the bread will be baked no matter what happens, it pays to be ready all the time. Like a soldier going to a battle field all geared up. You cannot afford not to clean your rifle in a battle. Same with baking. Everything has to be in perfect order. My suggestion after buying the ebook?? Read it 3-4 times before you start baking, i guarantee you, there will be very small room for errors.
8:52 AM
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