How To Bake Pandesal and Other Breads

50% sponge with 15% Oatmeal, these loaves will be our baon for Baler and hopefully some makes it to LA Union. I added some turmeric for color and sesame seeds as toppings. This batch also has 3% potatoes for extra shelf life although I'm  worried that due to the heat and because I left the anti mold out,  i need to have them refrigerated or frozen to make them last longer.

Baking and at the same time discovering the many facets of baking from the ingredients to the people doing the baking. That's where my life evolve as of now and for the past 15 some years.  I sound old. Not too bad considering i do really know how to bake my breads. But  part of the fun is when you discover stuff you never expected such as garlic added to the dough may have helped the proofing when you made a Ciabatta. I am not saying it is proven yet but I did notice it several times already. Or when you replaced the potatoes with the box type and get a surprising flavor you have never tasted before in a Pandesal. Or when the bread did not rise because you pureed the raisins and turns out it retards proofing.... That's  baking to you. When I explain to students how difficult it is to deal with the water in the dough, i  try my best not to discourage them. It is what it is. The only way to get perfect results is to keep baking and find out how  fascinating ye...

As always, and as often as I tell my students proofing is subjective. How you proof your dough depends on the kind of bread you want to make and what your customers want. Shown in the photos are two overproofed but not to the point where they collapsed  (that would have been way too overproofed) bread. Not exactly what I want for the day but we were still mixing our third dough which was the Siopao and I could not attend to the reheating and baking while lecturing and mixing at the same time so this batch got away. The open grain tells you that it is overproofed so if you do not want this, then simply proof less. Also consider the temperature in the proofing area, especially if you do not use a proofing cabinet with  a built in thermostat.

I showed Lesley how to make a Sourdough starter yesterday and I cannot believe how bubbly the starter is as shown on the photos below. We did not use any yeast at all.  Just 1 cup bread flour and 1 cup tap water. I used a glass jar then whipped the batter using the butt end of a wooden spatula. I read somewhere that you should not use stainless steel so... I covered  it with cling wrap and then secured the top with a rubber band. After Lesley and sisters left, I placed the jar inside my room up fronting the window. I know they should be in a warm place but the weather isn't exactly cold so the window is a perfect place. This morning as usual, my routine after an all day hands on class is to   head on to the coffee machine so since the jar was near the coffeemaker,  I glanced on the starter. Not really on purpose since the last starter I made from June's group hands on class was just so and so. Normally, the bubbles appear after 2 days, so I was surprised to...

Love love the class this June. I enjoyed the company of true bread aficionados, wuich made me realize iba Pala feeling pag ang mga kasama mo are like you. I barely noticed the time and it was so much fun. We created large breads on our last day and I ate almost all of the Raisin Soft Monay. Actually, i woke up at 2 am and sneaked into the dark kitchen to take a bite of the bread. Yum! You see, I am truly blessed to have the knowledge of making breads at a whim. I just thought about adding glazed fruits and cranberries next time or maybe my favorite chunky Skippy peanut butter and guava jelly. Mmmm. Exciting. Going back 1995, I made the right decision enrolling in a 2 year culinary school instead of a computer course. I wouldn't be this happy. I would not have met these beautiful people, my students. More photos to come..... Enrollment still on for July to November at www.breadmakinglessons.com

Extremely hot but that is what these doughs like so I am not complaining.

So the last batch of dough I made from 2 weeks back was turned into Pandesal as promised. Only about 20 large pieces though, I just winged it since I was so tired from all the cooking and cleaning.  That is life in the US, you want to eat home cooked meals? Better prepare to do the clean up as well. As usual, I gave my brother some and when he went down from his room, he asked me why this Pandesal was different from all the other Pandesal I have made from the past 5 years that I have been here. Well, I said other than the fact that I used 4 egg yolks,  and a sponge, i also used 3rd class in the formula. Not to mention that this dough was retarded (not in a derogatory way), meaning I delayed the process of fermentation by storing it in a cool area. I kinda agree it was superior to the rest of the Pandesal I have made so I plan to introduce this to my upcoming lessons. Exciting. That's what bread making is all about,there is always something new to learn every time you bake. ...

Posting photos of last week's breads made from a large 2 kg base dough. Just absolutely loved it. I am saying loved but I still have some dough left that I pulled out of the freezer this early morning. I plan to make Pandesal just to make things simple after all the sugary stuff we dished out last week. This dough was frozen and I am satisfied with the turn out. Photo set shows doughnuts, filled and plain, cinnamon rolls (had to do 3 times), the pretzels and fruit and nut which I made for me. This is what I want my students to learn. Make 1 perfect dough and create variations. As many as your mind can stretch it. No limit. Got to stop,  I think the dough has thawed enough. Enrollment still ongoing for June to November 2015. Hands on class where you will  definitely learn how to do the same. Adios. Have a great weekend.♡

I am currently using up much of the Parkway 0 cholesterol/trans fat made with non fat milk (to my surprise)and so far the breads were quite nice for a change. I told myself or been telling myself for years now that I am bringing some of these stuff with me but can't seem to find the space somehow. Hopefully, this time  I will.  I want to at least use this for our personal goodie and that means our sweet cravings, cookies and muffins  we regularly bake for ourselves. I am testing recipes for my sister's coffee shop so there will be lots of baking this coming next month's.  Instead of the   baker's fresh or dairy creme we normally pick up from the grocery, which are all saturated fat, this will lessen the guilt. Somehow.  Gosh, what guilt? What about the sugar? Crazy . The idea that somehow you are trying your best to make something that is wholly bad for you at your age just a tad bit wholesome like adding some whole wheat, using c...

This was the first hands on class in our house in New York, and although i was a bit apprehensive about it since the chill was still in when we started (3 sessions locked in at 63-65 F) only this last one made it to the real summer temperature which was a blessing. I had to scramble all sorts of tricks in my bag to speed up the proofing, (you will be amazed at the speed i was working) just so the dough will rise on time and my student, Jocelle Uy will still be able to leave for home before night time. I was surprised that we manage to finish as if we were in Manila. Goes to show that a little prayer and lots of planning work. It was my first time to try this, i never accepted students here before because of the problems with proofing temperature ( i don't have a proofing cabinet, just an improvise one) and even with the make shift baking rack cum heater, i know there would be problems if we will make 3 to 4 kilograms of dough in a day. If say, the batch is way smaller, then no ...

The schedule is now posted online at www.breadmakinglessons.com and you are welcome to make a reservation. Classes start in June to November only, looks like i am spending my holidays in the chilly New York. Please make sure you read the rules on reservations, you may withdraw or cancel your reservation but i will not send you the deposit, you have to pick them at on site. 4-5 days before the start of the class, you will only get 70% refund, no refunds if you cancel 3 days before the class starts but you can carry over your deposit to the next month session. Make sure that you email asap if you are cancelling. What's up ahead? Same hands on class (free lunch), 3-4 kilograms of dough (that's a lot) and at least 5-6 variations a day. This includes your practical activity on kneading and assignment. Looking back, i was telling my students a while back that with the assignments and kneading exercises, i just added a ton of pain in my neck, like i picked up a hollow block and ...