How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

You are seeing Active dry yeast packets that are sold here in the U.S. in most grocery stores. Nothing wrong with it, it is Active Dry so if you bake breads you know that this one needs to be bloomed in warm water or plain tap water with a pinch of sugar. Problem is, since i have for the past ten years been using Instant Yeast such as SAF back home, i let myself slip just a couple of times and forgot to proof this one. Big mistake ever!!!! So normally you take the yeast out of the packet and you place it in a measuring glass, add water and mix. I forgot the most important ingredient in baking, something you and I should always carry with us when we bake. Nah, not sugar. You have an option to add sugar if you want to check if the yeast is alive, remember? Definitely not salt! (read more about the function and handling of ingredients in my ebook )So what is it then? Patience! Not waiting to allow the yeast granules to fully get soaked in the water, get well hydrated and all is an...

This is in response to an email from Chris Porgee regarding his ensaimada, why it almost did not rise at all and why it was dense once baked.... Inside the ensaimada, light and fluffy texture, the dough melts in the mouth, and shelf life is up to 7 days.... The baked ensaimada, bursting out of the molds... You can see the dough tripling almost in size...This is how your bread should look like in the end. The "ovenspring" i was talking about, if your dough does not puff up after about 10 minutes of baking, then it is time to go back to the drawing board. HEIGHT OF THE DOUGH AFTER 3 HOURS OF PROOFING. I used a sponge and dough method here... I only use a No time dough method when i make breads with very low sugar, eggs and fat... Chris i hope these images and my response would give you an idea of what is wrong with your dough.. **Ensaimadas are made with high eggyolks, sugar and butter to really get that creamy light rich pastry goodness,... the problem is,...