How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

COMMERCIAL BREAD MAKING/HANDS ON 2012 Schedule: October 15, 17 and 19 November 18 20 and 22 December 17 18 and 19 January 13 15 and 17 February 8 10 and 11 March 10 12 and 14 last session Please go to my website for more details www.breadmakinglessons.com

My nephew played around with some of the Soft Buns/Flatbread and made some Caldereta Turnovers when he saw the pot of the beef stew on the stove. He asked me if he can do it, and i said of course, why not? I normally do Asado and Corned Beef Buns using the same dough but this one, we went to a different route by creating a sort of Calzone. So while the Soft Buns were proofing, we flattened 4 pieces, filled them with the Beef Stew, sealed and then baked. The Sesame Seeds remains and they will be on the crust side, toasting them and creating a nuttier, crispier crust. Yum! Since the dough has been proofing, aka resting, they flattened easily. Normally, i would scream to the top of my lungs when someone does that to my proofing dough, but this 4 pieces has a purpose in life. To be turned into Calzones is not a bad turnaround. Just make sure there is no extra sauce that clings to the sides, you will have a hard time sealing the edges. I showed John how to do the first p...

Any type of dough can turn into a Pandesal bun, so here it is. To make it flatter, i made sure there is extra water in the dough, and the breadcrumbs is homemade. If you ask me, i like Marby's breadcrumbs sold at Rustan's. To make sure it will hold up during proofing, because i am adding some veggies in the dough mix, i made an overnight sponge. Just take part of the flour, add some water and a pinch of yeast and mix them all together in a bowl, cover and ferment. If you decide to use some ancient grains in your yeast dough baking, the sponge is important. Proofing, using the oven light. Fini! I used brown sugar so the crust is a bit darker than your typical bun and i also used a glaze. Incidentally i am looking into coming back around October, possibly resuming classes end of the month. I will post the schedule "aussitot que possible", as soon as possible once i purchased the ticket. It's very hot in New York right now, but manageable just drink lot...

Shaping the Pretzel, this one is portioned into large 100 gram pieces. This is my first time to make one so bear with me. Pinoys do not really eat Soft Pretzels and Aunt Annie's isn't exactly my favorite hang out. Flatten the dough and roll into a long 18-20 inch strip and twist. After proofing for like 25 minutes, boil the dough for around 2 minutes on each side on a brown sugar and baking soda bath, about a couple of tablespoons each on a 3-4 liters of water. Not rolling boil, but slightly simmering, use a large slotted spatula to scoop the dough and onto a dish cloth dusted with cornmeal, then bake. Before baking, you might want to glaze the top with eggwash and seeds of your choice, flax, sesame, poppy etc., Bake at 325 F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. I used the Soft Bun dough which i have been harping on these past few blogs only because it is the most versatile dough you can ever make in the kitchen. It makes Pandesal, Dinner rolls, Hotdog bu...

This bun is something i invented to satisfy my carb craving every once in a while. I bake breads yes, but i don't really eat that much so it surprises my students to see me lean after all that baking. Still, since this is what i do for a living and what makes me happy (yeah, i bake for others so???) i thought of baking something that i can eat and share at the same time. I used 10% whole wheat, used 1% molasses for color, 12% dark brown sugar, no margarine and since i am after flavor i used butter but at a very low 10% only. I used a sponge to increase the moisture and make this bread tender in the end, added 5% oats for more fiber and that was it. A somewhat lean dough with a slight bit of sweetness to it. Breads in Manila are at about 18-20% sweet, so this one is a good compromise. For more biting experience, meaning para mas masarap nguyain, i added nuts and dried fruits after the mixing is done. Scaled them to 60 grams each just like the Soft Buns, and rounded each off. I...

Check out my tumblr post on the Mamon mold experience and my Apple Tree update. Day after i told myself i am not buying a return ticket to New York, i decided to buy three apple trees just like that. Maybe, my guardian angel whispered to me, "not just yet" and so these apple trees will somehow make me endure the long flight from Manila to New York. Was not just the flight though, my job is the most precious thing to me at this stage, i love being with students who share the same passion as i do. That's just it. Something not even the beauty and glitter of New York cannot replace. The sticky on the Mamon issue, read about it in my blog too. Here is the Pita dough and baked breads using the same SOFT BUN formula from the previous post. Take about a hundred grams each for this size. You can make smaller Pitas starting from 50-60 grams and use your toaster oven to bake them instead of the large oven. The Pizza stone should be inside the oven during pre-heati...

Judging from the photos previously posted, you can see how much rounder with a bit of a height these buns have. The secret once again is water, nothing different from the formula from the first post, this one has less water so the dough had less tendency to flatten out. I hate to sound too technical but viscosity is the key, same way when you make jams and jellies. The more viscous, the more it flattens out. If this is the kind of bread you want, then simply reduce the water level, from about 58 to just 56 %. I personally do not make use of the eggwhites so that means i would somehow end up with 58 % still and come up with a dome and thicker pieces of Soft Buns, perfect for burgers. Yup, the burgers. When i first tried to make a flatter Bun using a slightly stiffer dough such as this one by pressing the dough down during proofing, it was hard. I had to go back to the dough maybe 3-4 times, it worked but it was tedious. It was like taking care of a baby, constantly feeding him...