How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

Not sure why, but we do love our siksik na Putok. The chewiness, the sugar, that crunch on top while it's hot and so on. Look at the photo and see why there seems to be two sizes on the same baking sheet. That's because they are both from the same batch, just baked separately to get the effect and texture we want. How hard is it to make one? Not that hard considering you can even knead the dough by hand if you want to. There are less rules when it comes to adding the water because you can go as stiff as you want, and the operative word is really stiff.  The sugar on top should be added just before baking, it is imperative that you use white sugar or brown will make the whole eating experience, very unpleasant. Just not like we want it to be. The milk, yes the milk. You can go and use the creamiest milk powder you have and it will be fantastic. I teach this bread or we do it first day of our session so i can show the class a type of a stiff dough. See be...

Thank you to the girls who  made it to my class, your appreciation for the breads you all made is enough to inspire me to find ways to make the whole experience more engaging. My class used to have only 1 kneading exercise, but i decided to take it one notch further by adding another kneading exercise to the 4 day lesson and i am amazed at the outcome. During the 3rd day class, students brought doughs that they kneaded at home using the sponge and dough method. The exercise reinforce the whole idea of gluten development and dough consistency among the many others. Can you imagine a novice baker, someone who has never baked nor touched a dough before turning up really nice, soft dinner rolls in your third day of class? I am overjoyed while my students, all 10 girls (what a treat), showed up with the properly kneaded dough, shaped it into a log, and cut them into dinner rolls. I knew that if it was me, i would have gone through the roof and jump with joy. After all, when someo...

 The following is a question i received today and it was basically what is bread making is all about so i am posting it here. The hype over the iPhone 6 coming out is in the open but let us bread makers take note of some interesting points here before we lose our heads. Not an apple fan but i am sure everyone is salivating over this new release. Here it goes: On my 3rd batch - i made a sponge for my 2 kilo bread. Ginawa kopo ung sponge around 3pm, by 12am nilagay kopo sa freezer (ndi ko na kinaya magwork napagod po ako) - nilagay kopo sa freezer then by 8:30 am - nilabas ko, medyo matigad pero i smelled it - parehas prin ang amoy - pwede pa po ba itu even though lumagpas na sa 12-14 hours mark? Huhu :( For beginning bakers, there is nothing unusual about what she did here. We as beginners get excited, we start a project and we thought oh, at so and so i am going to mix this one. When you hear the word sponge, and by industry standards, if it is a sponge, we usually do it or m...

The photo above shows you just some one of the many brands of Margarine, trans fat free fat that are on the grocery chiller section in the US. In New York, just before Mayor Bloomberg left his office, the all trans fat rule was imposed on all restaurants and bakeries. Adding more cost to the food, it does makes sense when you see obesity creeping into the society. Better health in the long run is definitely a winner. When it comes to baking, and since i deal with breads mostly, the 10%  average fats that we use in a Pandesal recipe does not really seem to be a threat at all if you eat two to three pieces a day. I doubt if there is anyone out there who regularly eats bread every morning especially since we are a country of "sinangag". We just love our fried rice and tuyo or scrambled egg, hotdog etc., in the morning. Anyway, i think the cost is the primary reason why trans fat will not be a fad in Asian markets just yet. It will be too expensive and i don't th...

The schedule for October to March 2014 hands on baking lessons is now posted at www.breadmakinglessons.com. Please read the rules on making reservations for a hassle free enrollment to my class. I know the website is has a lot of texts here and there but please try not to skip the reservation details, the sketch (so you won't get lost) and other details about the class. I sometimes request the students to read on commercial bread making while waiting for the class to start but not too many people comply so you can do this after you attend if you wish. It gives you an advantage if you know something about yeast dough baking, i know i would read on as many as i can find online not to be the bida in class but just so i will retain more information as i listen to the teacher. I remember way back early 90s when i got hooked in baking that i used one 1 ream of coupon bonds printing articles on bread. I even entered baking message boards, clubs, etc., and read on what others are talki...

For bread making beginners, other than the fact that the mixing part is the hardest, this task below is the second most challenging part. If you have been baking cookies and cakes, etc., this one takes you to another level. One that separates the novice from the master and more experienced ones.  The only thing i can advise is that you practice, practice, practice. Nothing else. First thing you do is to figure out how to make the log smooth and even. Not easy unless you have someone telling you exactly how to make that happen. Once you learn how to do that, you roll the log to tighten the edges, sealing it at the same time. Pro bakers can do this in a wink, do not be frrrrrustrated (i was before) if it is not working out the first 4 times, as long as you get to practice. The breadcrumbs help the seal to stay put, make sure you pinch well or it will unravel during cutting, proofing and baking. Then you cut as evenly as possible. Remember, Pandesal ...

Proofing is very tricky if you do not have a proofing cabinet with a built in thermostat. Do you need one? Not really. A proofing cabinet eliminates guesswork, but it is very expensive so you rely on your experience. Proof more and you get really large, open grain, fluffy breads (mahangin). Proof less and you get the dense (siksik) type. If you are a beginner, do not pull your hair if you cannot get it right the first time, 2nd or even your 4th try. Bread making is all about timing. Babantayan mo, you will use a timer, you will make sure that you do not forget there is a dough proofing in a cabinet somewhere in your kitchen. Pag naging kulubot the first time, then try not doing it again, reduce the yeast especially if it is summer when the heat spikes up around noon time making your dough rise fast. With free form breads, a little wrinkle on top may not matter if you are having the breads for yourself, it is a different case if you are already selling. A head ache if you are baking...

You see every month, meaning months where i have a baking class, you get all sorts. Stories upon stories, and i feel lucky when there is someone who already has a bakery and has a story to tell. Most of them do. Some tell on the first day, others on the last day as if trying to see whether anyone would be interested, or baka naman nahihiya lang mag kuwento. I love it when they do tell and tell a lot. Sometimes, it depends on the person. We come in different shapes and backgrounds, some are timid and shy, others are really cheery and talkative. I prefer the latter because you won't get anything from the first one. None at all. Believe me, i had sessions where it feels like cemetery creepy eery, the students barely talking to each other and the only resounding voice you hear is me, me and me. I feel almost like a broken record because i would talk non stop, from the time they arrive until they go out of the gate. Of course this is rare, but you do get them. Anyway, last month i w...

It was a great year, these last couple of months was tiring but very interesting, students now had more yeast dough knowledge than before so i guess they are reading nowadays. I mean reading more and more before they come to class compared to years before when some students barely know what household measure is versus gram scales. Below are just some of the breads we baked in class. It was fun to play with the dough if you know what you are doing. Going back to the tiring question if 3 days is enough to learn all these, my answer of course is not. I cannot pick a right term for it, but neither i nor Daniel Leader of Bread Alone learned how to bake breads in 3 days. My baking class used to be 4-5 days, reduced to just 3 to make it cheaper for everyone to get a glimpse of commercial baking. However, you can do it. 3 days is better than nothing at all. The only quirk i have is that i do not accept 1-2 day sessions, it has to be a minimum of 3. Happy New Year to all!!! ABO...

I am posting one of my students email day after our last day of class and i would like to say, Jane from the bottom of my heart that i truly enjoyed the class and appreciate the kind words. Muchos gracias to you and Susan for being such a couple of great students. Hi Miss Shirley, Just want to say, I really enjoyed our lessons especially the artisan class. The sponge and dough method really made a lot of difference in taste and texture. Sana most if not all of your students will choose to take up this class to realize its value like we did. Also, thank you for all the tips and tricks you shared with us. Am sure sa dami nun, we won’t be able to remember all of them LOL. But what we will do remember is your unselfish way of sharing your knowledge to your students. All I can say is, hindi ako nagkamali in choosing to enroll in your class. Thank You, God Bless and More Power! Jane P.S. I also would like to express my gratitude when you considered adjusting our l...

I copied and pasted parts of the texts on the CD and DVd on my website to clarify a few things. Apparently there is some confusion over how to call a recipe inside a CD, or a book inside a CD. How do you call it? If i put recipes on HOW TO COOK CHICKEN WITH COCONUT MILK in a CD, meaning burn it on a CD, can i call it a CD ON HOW TO COOK CHICKEN WITH COCONUT MILK? Did not say it was a video, so it means recipes only right? Hmmm. I remember ordering a book once and i was surprised when the book arrived in one small package, i thought it was a stationary pad or something. When i opened it, it was just a CD, not a book. I became more careful especially if you shop at half.com because the books can either be a download version (which happened to me also), a CD or the Hard copy. Yeah, i know some of you had the same experience. This is the reason why i made it clear that the CD on Commercial Breadmaking is the same Commercial Bread making book that i send out for download when you buy i...

You know cheese and lots of cheese can't be that bad for you if eaten once a week.(Really, just once a week). An overload of cheese, is like eating a bag of Dove Dark Chocolates for me, simply amazing. You know it will get to where it wants to go, down your hips and thighs so for my sanity, i make sure that i go all the way when it comes to "cheesing my breads". Sometimes, i justify it by telling myself they weren't for me, but for the boys... I know better. This is what it looks like while you eat it piping hot, fresh off the oven. I make sure i go first and announce my verdict seconds after. 3 kinds of cheese; Cottage, Mozarella and Cheddar. Checking the dough if it's ready. This dough has pulp from the juicing, carrots, celery and apples. Not that much, around 1 cup per 500 grams. Dredging it in breadcrumbs to mimic Pandesal. The breadcrumbs add texture and crunch, with a toasty flavor. This is my nephew's nth try on Pandesal or bread...

Below is a question from Mark Veloso that just came in when i opened my email this morning at 7 am. Yup, had to wake up early because i am burning some DVDS on Royal Icing. I cannot count the questions i received that have the same familiar tone, different sender, same problem. I answered as soon as i can but really the only thing Mark can do now is to either get another baker (the shorter way out) or learn how to bake properly himself. The latter one is the better option, it lets you get hold of the bakery by the neck, keeps turnover much less frequent and the best thing is that you create your own product. Trump says nothing is better than building your own brand. You cannot have your own brand if you do not have a product that you can be proud of. To Mark, good luck and it is never too late to start training now. I would sacrifice closing the bakery for awhile if i could (rather than sell sub standard inconsistent bread products) and then start learning, testing etc., July 30...

So my nephew and i were baking Pandesal the other week and it was soooo hot in the kitchen despite the left and right electric fans covering all corners. I thought maybe we can just bake half today and let's freeze the dough, we'll think of something to do with it next time, whatever. It was so, nakakatamad gumalaw when it is so hot. There was no air even if we were surrounded by large trees, i have never experienced over 99 degrees of hot air in the Philippines, nah uh. So, we were supposed to mix two kinds of doughs, one for the Pandesal and one for the Calzone he wants to make. Forget about the Calzone dough, which is basically just like a Pizza dough. Lean, sponge and dough based but with very little or no fat and sugar at all. We did just one kilogram of dough, because i just want to stop moving and just sit and relax in front of the electric fan. We baked the Pandesal, and two days after took out the dough from the freezer and looked at it. What if i just use this doug...