How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

Shaping the baguette is easy once you get the hang of it. Unlike most bakers who use tons of flour on the board during shaping, i use nada, zip, as in nothing. I hate using flour because it adds flour that has no flavor to the dough, and makes it heavy in the process. Relaxing the dough for at least 10 minutes will make them easily pliable. Doughs are like people too, they feel unhappy when forced to do something they are not up to. Proof start at this size. Glazing Voila! Notice the size difference? Yum! For hands on baking classes, which includes a lesson on French Breads of course, go to www.breadmakinglessons.com

Sometimes putting a filling in a dough can be tricky if you are a beginner. There are tricks and techniques to do it fast and easy, but if you ask me, the best tip is to practice doing it. When i was in Purefood's, the Corned Beef filling was cooked before the bakers leave the lab, placed on large baking sheets and then frozen. They will be scored and cut in the morning and used to fill the Cracked Corned Beef Pan de Sal which was sold in Shell gas stations before. Pan de Sals that did not crack will be sold at P8.00each, and the cracked ones at P12.00 Freezing the filling is just one trick especially if the filling is oily. I use a tad bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce making it a bit tight. The filling should be placed in the center and sealed tight. The seal is at the bottom, always at the bottom when placed on a greased baking sheet. My prayers for the Manilans experiencing heavy rains today. I feel so sad, all my gadgets and tools for baking and cake ...

Tuesday and i am looking at the one lone piece of Pan de Sal left from last Tuesday's batch. Yup, this is one week old, and i just ate one piece for breakfast yesterday, and one again last night. Was it dry? Did i toast or reheat the bread? Nope. No time to go down at 9 pm while watching the Mets, oooh, i was also home alone so i did not want to turn on the lights and yank the toaster on. Creepy. So there i was munching on the Pan de Sal which i had previously filled with a slice of light cheddar, and i was really smiling. First, it is warm in New York, not exactly the kind of temperature that is conducive to extended food preservation, in short, almost lahat ng pagkain sa bahay madaling mapanis. During winter, we just leave the food on the table or in the pantry, marinate your chicken and just put it covered on the pantry shelf. Summer pretty much clogs your refrigerator and freezer kasi lahat ng pagkain dapat naka ref or freezer or else, pati kanin nasisira. So this Pan de Sal...

If there's one thing that is sure to be found in New York is shop after shop in every turn you make. All the streets in Manhattan is lined with every imaginable dining experience you are in the mood for. I would have loved to do some bakery hopping but my legs just can't take it, we took a bus to Manhattan because traffic is horrendous and parking is impossible as well so your best bet to go around New York City is to find a place to stay, take your feet to the streets until you drop dead and go back the next day because you won't finish it in one day. In Times Square, just feeling the crowd. Below is another twist to the Pandesal, i made sure my sugar level is just at the right sweetness for my mother who is taking Metformin already, not a full blown Diabetic yet, but i told her that i will reduce the sugar of the dough so she can still have her bread. She had also seen an eye doctor recently and was told that her cataract is still at bay, no need to worry. Sh...

Cinnamon Rolls using Sponge and Dough Method, High Gluten Bread Flour from The Bulk Barn. Proofing the loaves of bread under pilot light oven. To think that i used only a Kitchen Aid to make this one, an Ultra 4.5 Quart model, had it not for the sponge and extra patience, it would be hard especially when i am used to a large commercial type mixer. Commercial breadmaking lessons, Hands on schedule now posted in my website: www.breadmakinglessons.com

Yesterday was really exhausting despite the fact that you did not do that much kitchen work compared to previous days. You couldn't. You feel sluggish and irritable, the humidity gets to you, you feel sleepy but you know you can't and it really sucks to turn on the oven because it will heat the room 10 times more. Today and the next few days to come will not be any different. You do not want to listen to politics on tv because it will only aggravate you. How's that for a pretty summer? Well, one thing is for sure, if you can sue the weather, i am 100% positive it will be locked up by now. Since you can't do that, you set your mind into something more positive, no, not typing on your computer or laptop because the heat of the machine gets to you as well. (love it during winter though). I think i will just soak my feet on a bucket full of ice for a change, eat chips with salsa (it's healthier than melted cheese), drink plenty of cold water and fruit juice and ramble ...

You can now see the detailed lessons in my website, www.breadmakinglessons.com for Commercial Bread making and Cake Decorating. I will also add a class on Baking Cakes for Beginners, the very basic such as Butter cakes, Pound Cakes, Banana and Chocolate Cakes that you can turn in to Cupcakes if needed be. For the Cake Decorating, i give the students the option to take an extra session day if they want to for either of the three lessons which are Gumpaste and Fondant, Buttercream (not the confectioner's but the real Buttercream) and Royal Icing. I will only give one day lessons for each but if you want to extend it up to 2 days, then you are free to do so, minimum is at least two students. If you look at my website, the tools you need are all there including images of what the lessons might be. If you have no tools available for your use in class, i will allow you to borrow mine, but you need to purchase them later for your practice. If you ask me, i would start with the Butterc...

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...