How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

If you have been frustrated with your breads, most likely it was not the because of the ingredients but with the way you mix the dough. When i was just starting to learn how to bake breads, i went around Bakery Trade and Food Expositions, talked to the big guys on the field and the most important thing i was told is to have a very good mixer. But if you do not have one, is is possible to make breads at all? Yes, you can. You can knead your way to any kind of breads, as long as you develop the gluten. Most of my students would take an average of at least 25 minutes to a good 45 minutes to knead half a kilogram of dough. When you knead, ignore the stickiness, do not rely always on the flour to remove the stickiness because once the gluten develops, this nasty stickiness will disappear. The dough should be smooth and elastic and i hate to say this, i have not encountered a student who kneaded his or her dough in under 25 minutes. Fine, you can bake your dough if you knead it in 10 minutes...

RECIPE: SPONGE 200 GRAMS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR 300 GRAMS BREAD FLOUR OR ALL PURPOSE FLOUR 1/4 TEASPOON INSTANT YEAST OR ACTIVE DRY YEAST (BLOOM FIRST BEFORE USING WITH) 500 GRAMS WATER, ROOM TEMPERATURE Mix together in a large bowl with lid until ingredients are well blended. Cover and let sit or ferment overnight, at least 10-12 hours. The sponge will triple in size, will have a pleasant light soury smell, do not be put off, you need this especially if you are using a stand mixer or manual mixing. Dough stage 500 grams bread flour 100 grams brown sugar, you can use 50 grams 15 grams instant yeast 17 grams salt 30 grams butter or canola oil if you want less saturated fat 1 piece of egg, optional you do not need to add if you do not like 30 grams steel cut oats 70 grams rolled oats, or 100 grams rolled or regular oatmeal 75 - 100 grams water, depends if you use high protein flour, if you use all purpose flour or low protein bread flour, you will use less water. Mixing: Mix the sponge with t...