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Covid Baking and Cooking

I received several inquiries about holding baking classes during this quarantine and yes, i will still hold sessions but only after the quarantine or lock down is lifted. Does not seem to me that there is a difference between a lock down and quarantine since i can't leave the house because i am too scared to go out. To me, it seems like i am in a lock down. I can't hold baking lessons, no one will enroll and who can if there are no public transportation available anyway. 

Going to groceries and markets is also stressful. We have one designated shopper, actually two since she cannot drive herself and he, my brother does not want to queue the long lines. So he stays in the car, while my sister in law goes inside the supermarket. But despite having everything available in the market, once you ran out of something say, butter or confectioner's sugar, you cannot go out the day after to buy one. Lining up for just a bar of butter? or cornstarch? or bbq stick? glutinous rice? No. You would rather write all of them in a long list and give it to your brother, everyone in the family makes his or her own list and then go to the supermarket in one large swoop. 2 weeks after the previous purchase.

This pandemic brings out the chef in my nephew and i am willing to help him out. So far i have shown him how to make pizza crusts, french bread, ciabatta, focaccia, pandesal, donuts, soft buns, banana cake, siopao and dinner rolls. Now i realized, wow. Boy, am i glad i got myself into baking even if i was already in my 30s, imagine that. Now, i have to make large batches of breads, send half through Grab to my sister in Batasan where there is a lock down in some areas not because they cannot buy breads from stores in their area, but because i just want to spread good vibes. And also because i want to feel good.

It is hard. Imagine 1 time i made 1.5 kgs of fresh spinach and plain pasta, the tuna anchovy sauce, and 2 kilograms of assorted breads. Whew!!! I wanted to start early so i started around 8:30 am and finished around 4 pm.  Called Grab for the pick up and sent half of everything i made. My back was sore, my legs were throbbing in pain, i plastered the whole of my back with Salonpas but i was smiling still. Yup, feels good to know someone out there is smiling too while eating the fresh pasta with pandesal on the other hand.

So yes, i will still be teaching breads come after the quarantine, hoping that everyone will be in the peak of their health. I pray for our healing. The whole world needs to heal. Yes, someone is at fault why we are in this dire miserable condition, and you bet i know you know who to blame. But while we cannot send them a large bill for lost revenues and lost lives especially, the poor ones who will never be with us come Christmas, let's all pray that this pandemic not only disappears but also leaves us BETTER HUMAN BEINGS.

Below are all the photos of some of my quarantine projects, i would like to call them my Q projects from now on. I hope that you have some too that you can share. This morning i made some Palitaw and tomorrow it will be Carioca, which i have never done before. Hahaha. I have no bread flour anymore so while i wait for someone to go to the store, this will be my Q projects for now. Till next... sorry for the long gap.






Making a large batch of Flatbreads for Pizzas is the most convenient baking task i have ever made. Just tuck them in the freezer and when you are ready to make a pizza, just heat up your toaster oven and you have freshly baked pizza.
One pizza for everyone since they are only 8 inches in diameter, perfect size for your toaster. No need to preheat your oven. Plus, you can personalize the pizza. 


This is one above is just tomatoes, basil and pineapples with a little bit of cheese only because i cannot tolerate too much dairy. For the guys, there has to be some meat in it so i put luncheon meat or even sausages.


Above are garlic and onions Focaccia which i used also as pizza crusts. The crust is already flavored so a simple cheese and tomato sauce will do the trick. How long does the crust freeze? As long as they are wrapped properly, paper towel and cling wrap then ziploc, they freeze indefinitely, Doesn't last long in our kitchen though.

www.breadmakinglessons.com

Shirley Villafranca
09495705091
Block 11 Lot 6 Yakal Street Northridge Park Subdivision
Sta. Monica Novaliches QC

near SM Fairview



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