Bake and discover

Baking and at the same time discovering the many facets of baking from the ingredients to the people doing the baking.

That's where my life evolve as of now and for the past 15 some years. I sound old. Not too bad considering i do really know how to bake my breads. But part of the fun is when you discover stuff you never expected such as garlic added to the dough may have helped the proofing when you made a Ciabatta. I am not saying it is proven yet but I did notice it several times already.

Or when you replaced the potatoes with the box type and get a surprising flavor you have never tasted before in a Pandesal. Or when the bread did not rise because you pureed the raisins and turns out it retards proofing....

That's baking to you. When I explain to students how difficult it is to deal with the water in the dough, i try my best not to discourage them. It is what it is. The only way to get perfect results is to keep baking and find out how fascinating yeast dough is. You discover that not all bread flours are the same.

You discover that some are just plain bad and expensive like this one brand that has been torturing me for the past 5 months. Hyped and expensive, it absorbs less water than a sack of flour that costs 90 pesos less. Duh. Annoying right?

If you want to know what that brand is and I swear to my long gone dead toenail (just kidding), this brand is sold almost everywhere so you get the feeling that this might be good stuff.

Maybe 2 years ago. Because I first noticed the reduced level of water last year. Thinking it could be a fluke, I still tried using it this year but it got worst.

Just to warn you, the French bread has to have at least 60 to 62% water. If you're bread flour fell below it's level, change the flour.

I heard Pilmico was excellent and so is Montana. Calling suppliers, can you send me samples? :)

Comments

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...

Cutting Pandesal, Baston Style

So how do we really do the Baston style "singkit" cut? First start with a slightly stiff dough, if your dough does not have eggs or eggyolks, a hydration of around 55% is ideal. I have seen bakers use less water, but that will make your Pandesal too dry and dense after 1 day or so so try to keep it slightly on the soft side, but not too sticky. Why? If you use a sticky dough for the Baston style cut, the dough will spread and will have a flat look rather than a rounded shape we are all familiar with. In Tagalog, "lalapad" ang dough so medyo flat ung Pandesal. So after you mix the dough, divide it into 2 to 4 portions if you are mixing kilogram. Experienced bakers divide their dough into 500 gram portions, i do mine the same way. Flatten the dough, focusing more on the length and not on the height. The height of the dough should be around 2 to 3 inches only. Next, fold the dough while pinching the edges making sure the dough surface ...

Bake Malunggay Pandesal and Set Up A Bakery At Home

Two of my students for this month, Jenn Apares and Belle Nakpil. Having fun on our 3rd day of session making Monggo Breads. Jenn was able to bake these Malunggay Pandesal as part of their assignment and things to do at home in between our session. This is why there are always a 2 day gap in my class, to give the students time to practice what they've learned and then bring some dough and bread for me to look at. Belle forgot her breads at home so i am very satisfied with Jenn's first time with Pandesal. It needs at least 3% malunggay to be visible but the Pandesal is excellent. I am so happy for Jenn, she can now help her parents' bakery. Finally. This is only after our 2nd session, i admit i have to push my students but it was all worth the challenge. Plus, they had fun doing it!!! after chopping the fresh leaves, just pulse them into the finished dough, lightly kneading to incorporate the veggies. Now that obviously has Malunggay! My...

How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

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