The Home Panaderia is Open!

In 2020 I embarked on a quest to learn how to bake Filipino bread. I was motivated because the cost of pandesal in Singapore is very expensive. I once bought SG$2 pandesal (per piece!) at Lucky Plaza. That's almost 80 pesos (depending on the exchange rate)! Baking Filipino bread never crossed my mind before because it's readily available when you're home. 

Oh boy, baking bread is hard. It requires a lot of patience since you have to wait for the dough to rise. For the dough to rise you have to prepare the yeast correctly. I failed a couple of times, but eventually got it. I tried baking Spanish bread and ensaymada and I didn't get it right. It tasted like it, but it looked hideous hahaha. Maybe I'll try again, but there's a bakery just a few meters away from our new home so we'll see. 

I finally baked again yesterday! I've been wanting to for a few months now, but I had to wait for my body to be ready. My daily activities are limited, so when it rained I knew it was the perfect time to bake. It meant I didn't have to water the plants, so I used the energy to do something else. I just baked some cheese cupcakes (recipe here). It was the best way also for me to get to know my new oven. We had been using it more to heat food since we got it. Baking cupcakes was a good way to break it in since we could easily monitor the progress. 

I sent half of what I baked to friends and just kept a few for us. Sweetie said we always had a hard time finishing the cupcakes when we were in Singapore. Told him it won't be a problem here since we have a lot of friends we can send baked goods to. I'll probably make peanut butter cookies next. For bread, I'll dig up the list I made of what else I want to learn. Maybe I'll focus on non-Filipino bread for now since I can just easily buy them now. What would you suggest I try to learn?

Oh, today is my Kuya's birthday! Happy birthday Kuya! Here's a cute photo of you and me when I was a baby.

#BeKind #StayHome #VoteWisely

My Shiny New Skills from 2020

After doing another Dear 2020 letter I realized that not everything was bad. The biggest struggle for me was being far from Miggy and my Mom. What 2020 allowed me to do was learn new things and explore some things I always wanted to do. Here's some new skills I developed this year:

My Home Panaderia Project

I always wanted to learn how to bake bread. What kept me from doing it was the yeast stuff and time. Oh boy but it was hard to get all the ingredients (especially yeast!). I jumped into it when I finally got all the ingredients. I decided to focus on baking Filipino bread since it's quite expensive to buy it here in Singapore. It was really challenging especially since it required technical skills on rolling the dough properly. 

Some of my bread didn't look good, but at least they were edible. I haven't moved on to phase two of my Home Panaderia project. I want to perfect first my Filipino bread buns before I move to other kinds of bread. Check out my efforts on this playlist.

Becoming a Balcony Farmer

When we moved to our new place I thought it was a good idea to do some gardening. My attempts with gardening date back to 2010 when we moved to a duplex house that had a small garden. My efforts were only successfully with veggies so that's what I decided to work on. I planted mustasa, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper and jackfruit. Sweetie helped me by consistently watering the plants every morning.

We were pretty successful with our mustasa and tomatoes. The cucumber and bell pepper thrived for awhilte but never bore fruit. Unfortunately pests attacked the cucumber and it eventually spread out, killing the bell pepper and jackfruit. The tomatoes slowly dwindled away because of the rains and probably the pests too. It was a good first season and we're now preparing for a second season of planting. Check out our farming adventures on The Balcony Farmer.

Recipes for My Son

I learned a couple of new recipes this year, mostly easy to cook recipes of food that I miss from home. I also wanted to teach Miggy how to cook his favorite food since he's in Manila (that's why it's called Recipes for My Son). I think my most favorite new recipe is tapa ala Jollibee. My next step is to learn more seafood recipes now that my doctor has allowed me to eat Omega-3 rich food again. 

Making Happiness Projects

One of the things I did to cope during the lockdown was to create a happy photobook. I got the idea when I asked friends to share a happy memory with me. I thought it would be useful to preserve their comments with a photo. It took me a few weeks to complete the book and now I have something I can look at whenever I'm not having a good day. I have a few friends who followed suit! 

Being stuck at home isn't so bad after all. Aside from baking, gardening, cooking and making photobooks, I got to work on my quilting project too. It's an old skill, but I think I improved a lot this year and I got to use the sewing machine Sweetie bought for me. And I think this is one thing I'd like to remember 2020 by. 

What about you? Did you gain any new skills being stuck at home?

CB///265 #StuckAtHomeDay/295 #StayHome #BeKind

I Love Homemade Pandesal

I took a break from baking so I could work on my Christmas project. I missed eating pandesal though so I got to work today to bake. It just takes 12 to 15 minutes to bake pandesal but it takes a few hours to prepare it. I've made a few adjustments to a base recipe to fit my taste. It's not the same as Pan de Manila's pandesal though haha. 

The smell of freshly baked bread filled our home this afternoon. Ahhh, that's what I like best about baking. I wish one could have freshly baked bread as a scent. Haha. Same as new books, fresh roses and a newly opened balikbayan box from the US. 

I haven't tried the pandesal I baked today. I'm still thinking about what I'm going to eat it with. Normally I eat pandesal without any filling, but sometimes I eat it with cheese and mayonnaise, spam or luncheon meat, peanut butter, Cheez Whiz and tuna mayo. Pandesal is so versatile, you can eat it with anything. 

What about you? What's your favorite bread? What's your favorite palaman? 

My Ninang Jane asked me if it's hard to bake pandesal. It's not hard, you just need to be patient because it takes time. The only thing to watch out for is the milk temperature when you bloom yeast. It should be around 32'C. I made that mistake once and put the yeast on very hot milk, it did not bloom. I actually like waiting for the dough to proof because it gives me time to rest while baking (it's like a workout for me). 

I haven't made an updated video of baking pandesal, but I think I have improved after baking it five times now. It also helps to have a stand mixer since it kneads the dough more evenly. Here was my first attempt at baking pandesal --

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My Home Panaderia Update: What I Learned to Bake so Far

I embarked on a home panaderia project last May because I miss Filipino bread! I realized it's going to take awhile before I can have fresh hot pandesal so I put myself to work to learn. I made a list of buns I wanted to learn to make. Here's what I have made so far:

Dinner Rolls - this is what I baked to introduce myself to bread baking. It was easy to make. Sweetie loved it warm with butter. (Video)

Ensaymada - my first ensaymada tasted good, but I failed in the looks department haha. I belatedly realized that it required some technical skills in forming the bun correctly. I may have overcooked it a little also since it was a little crunchy. (Video)

Spanish Bread - my first Spanish bread looked okay, but the taste wasn't what I envisioned. I think the issue mainly is the margarine I used, but we don't have Star Margarine here. I later on tried a friend's recipe and that one I liked much better. Forming the bread also takes practice. Usually the last piece I form is the best looking one haha.  (Video)

Pandesal - I finally tried baking pandesal by end of May. We loved it! It was a blockbuster. I tweaked my second attempt a little, added a bit more sugar and it tasted like your next door neighbor's panaderia pandesal. This is one bun I've been baking often. (Video)

Putok/Star bread - my putok bun did not look like a star in my first attemp. LOL! It really looked funny. I changed recipes on my second attempt and it tasted much better. I also improved a lot with the shape in my second attempt. (Video)

Monay - I read that monay almost has the same recipe as putok. I ended up making both putok and monay in one baking session because of yeast issues haha. Monay for me is comfort food. I'm glad I got it right the first time. (Video)

Pambonete (panbonete) - I wasn't happy with how the panbonete turned out. It was edible, but I want it to taste like the Casa Moderna pambonete. I also did not have the right bonnet looking cups, so it looked more like a baby bonnet than an adult bonnet haha. 

Cheeserolls - the cheeserolls turned out okay, Sweetie liked it but I wasn't too happy with the consistency of the bread. It was a good run, but I'll probably try a different recipe next time. 

Here's what I learned so far:

1. Try several recipes until you find the best one you like. Try tweaking it also to suit your taste. 

2. Try to use ingredients that are closest to Filipino brands, i.e. margarine, powdered milk. 

3. Don't just any any kind of milk, so far I like using British milk for my baking. 

4. Check the water or milk temperature before you add the yeast to make sure it blooms. Too hot will kill it and you'll end up with wasted ingredients. 

5. Practice shaping/folding techniques to get the look correctly. 

6. If the recipe calls for egg wash, make sure to wipe it on all sides of the dough equally. 

7. Your oven may behave differently compared to other ovens. I used to use a convection oven and when we moved homes we ended up with a gas oven. Check the right temperature equivalent based on the ove you're using. 

8. Don't be afraid to obtain new gadgets! When I first started baking bread I took so long kneading the dough (it's a workout!). I finally got a Kitchenaid stand mixer and it cut down my baking time.

9. Get a beeswax wrap. It's better to use this than cling wrap. Saves you some money and the environment.

10. Share your buns with neighbors! I'm so far sharing to our cleaner and she loves it! I'm still mustering up the confidence to share it to my Pinoy neighbors. 

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Learnings from Bread Baking

I embarked on a home panaderia project last May. My target was to learn how to bake Filipino bread buns. I have so far baked the following: dinner rolls (for practice!), ensaymada, Spanish bread, pandesal, putok, monay and pambonete. All of it was edible, but it wasn't necessarily the taste I aimed for.

Here are some things I realized I should have done/had before I embarked on my home panaderia project -

(1) Equipment - if you bake cupcakes/cookies, you just need a few more things -

Dough slicer
Weighing scale
Bigger baking mat
Rolling pin

Of course you should already have a baking bowl, hand mixer (stand mixer better!), measuring cups/spoons, spatula, oil brush, wire rack etc.

(2) Kneading abilities - oh kneading requires patience and technique! I watched a couple of videos to learn how to knead properly.

(3) Blooming yeast - some recipes don't require you to bloom yeast, but if you need to make sure the milk isn't too hot.

(4) Use the right kind of milk - I discovered that there are certain types of milk that go well with bread and the taste changes depending on what brand of milk you use. This is true for both powdered and fresh milk.

(5) Use the right weight depending on the bun you are baking - this is something I need to understand better since sometimes the dough goes so big! Haha.

Doesn't look like putok or monay hahaha. It tasted good though.

(6) Practice shaping the dough several times before going through the whole dough - my pambonete, ensaymada and putok did not look like pambonete, ensaymada or putok after baking it hahaha.

I've also embarked on second attempts to find the best recipe. I'm getting a bit adventurous and changing things here and there. What about you? Have you tried baking Filipino bread buns?

You can check out my attempts on this playlist.

CB//137 #StuckAtHomeDay/167 #StayHome #BeKind 

New Dishes and Bread I Want to Make/Bake

I'm reaching that point when I feel I'm getting cabin fever again. I know I'm getting to that point when my back starts hurting and when I start falling asleep on the couch right after work. Even though I like staying home I still miss the outside world. And I miss traveling.

The yummiest gyoza in the world by my friend Shirni <3

When this happens I try to think about new things I can do so I don't fall in a rut. I've been thinking about new dishes I can try cooking and other types of bread I can bake. Here's a list of what I'm thinking of doing -

Cook

Baked sushi
Soy garlic chicken
Baked fish (no idea what kind yet)
Carbonara (I still haven't found the best recipe)
Yilan pork dish (they sent me this recipe to follow)
Siopao

Bake
*Need to finish my Pinoy buns season

Monay
Ensaymada (the megamelt version)
Foccacia
Coffee bun
Pizza dough (Sweetie will take care of the toppings)
Italian bread or honey oat bread (should probably check with Tappy)

For cooking I'm still thinking whether I should do a theme, maybe a cluster of North Asian dishes (Japan/South Korea/Taiwan) and some traditional Filipino recipes I've never tried. For baking, Sweetie's been really curious about those types of bread that have veggies/nuts in it. Comment below if you have any recommendations :)

#CB//85 #WFH63 #StuckAtHomeDay/115 #StayHome #BeKind 

Baked Spanish Bread for the First Time

Ahh after baking dinner rolls and ensaymada I felt I had enough experience to try baking one of my all-time favorite Filipino buns - Spanish Bread! I honestly have no idea how Spanish Bread came about, but I've been eating it since I was a child. It's one of the most common buns you can buy in any corner bakery in the Philippines. It is best eaten warm.

The last time I had authentic Spanish Bread was in January when I was still in Manila. It is very expensive to buy in Lucky Plaza -- can go up to SG$2! That's about 80 pesos! I decided to bake Spanish Bread during the long weekend two weeks ago.

I think I made the right decision of baking Spanish Bread after baking ensaymada. It was quite challenging for me since it was my first time baking with bread flour and margarine. Getting the margarine to combine properly with the other ingredients was challenging. To prepare for this challenge I watched a good number of videos to understand what I had to do.

Here's how my first attempt at baking Spanish Bread went -

One of the most challenging aspects of baking buns is sizing them equally. I didn't have a kitchen scale, dough slicer and rolling pin when I made this so the buns came out in odd sizes hehe. I also learned from previous baking adventures that I had to reduce the oven temperature because I now have a fan oven. It behaves very differently from the convection oven in our previous apartment.

I halved the recipe as usual. I hope when I'm a bit more confident about my baking I'll be able to send some to my friends and when I get home to make some for my Mom. Yay!

My next baking adventure will be Pandesal!!!

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Tried Baking Ensaymada, Challenging Siya!

So I've started to tick off the list of Pinoy breads I'd like to learn how to bake. I read that pandesal is tough to bake so I thought I'd try something else first. I decided on ensaymada because I love this sweet, cheesy bread. I chose the "panaderia" version and not the soft, fluffy one that commercial bakeries make.

Ensaymada is my second attempt at baking bread. My first attempt was dinner rolls. I'm glad I started with dinner rolls because I figured it would be easy and fool-proof. Baking ensaymada was quite challenging. I only started getting the set-up right on the second pan. The sizes of the bread came out all different since I don't have a kitchen scale yet. I'll probably buy more baking stuff when I feel like I'm going to do this every week (maybe after I bake one more bread).

It took me most of the day to bake the ensaymada. I always finish just before dinner haha. We gobbled up a few and left the rest for breakfast the next day. Here's a vlog on my first attempt at baking ensaymada -

Next on my list is Spanish bread!


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The Home Panaderia is Open! My First Attempt at Baking Bread

Two decades... That's how long it's taken for me to learn how to be comfortable at cooking. The only thing I new how to cook until ten years ago was spaghetti and lasagna and I only knew how to bake peanut butter cookies and crinkles. 

I was forced to learn to cook for survival. I got a lot of encouragement from my Ate who's a good cook. She told me that her initial attempts at cooking didn't always work. I still cannot figure out how she turned sweet and sour pork green. She said my brother-in-law still ate it and I thought if she could do it I could learn too. 

I tried cooking and baking like a science experiment. I rarely veer away from the recipe. It's my Dad and siblings who have that talent at winging it while cooking. Miggy actually has the talent for it. My attempt at teaching him through "Recipes for my Son" is just a way for me to encourage him to cook more.

I wanted to try baking bread as early as late March, but yeast was hard to come by. I only found some through Lazada and it took weeks to arrive. I was already researching for easy bread recipes I could try. I heard that our Pinoy breads are a little hard to make, so I decided to make dinner rolls for my first attempt. 

My cousin who runs a bakery in Naga City said she doesn't have the patience for baking bread. She prefers to bake cake. I told her I like baking bread because it gives me opportunity to rest in-between the proofing period. I followed the recipe I chose step by step and save for the uneven sizes of the dough it turned out well. I kinda regretted baking only half the recipe since we finished everything immediately haha. 

My new mantra now is, "Just keep baking to learn more!" My plan is to attempt ensaymada next!

#CB48   #StuckAtHomeDay79 #StayHome #BeKind 

My Home Panaderia

We had an extra day off today. Yay! I woke up around 11 in the morning and just stared out of the window while drinking my coffee. I woke up rested and happy, I was content to just spend time doing nothing. After checking on my plants I decided to watch some bread baking videos. I've always wanted to learn how to bake bread. 

I took a trial baking class last year.
Plans have changed, I'm now a full time YouTube Academy student haha.

My biggest fear about bread baking is dealing with yeast. Luckily there's now a lot of videos on YouTube you can watch to learn how to bake. I've been watching a gazillion bread baking videos to learn how to bake bread. I'd probably start with something easy like dinner rolls and then work my way through different types of Pinoy bread. 

Dreaming of Panbonete. I hope my cousin gives me the recipe! :)

My original plan this year was to enroll in bread baking classes. I still want to, but in the meantime I've enrolled myself in YouTube Academy (haha). It took me awhile before I was able to obtain some yeast! Now that I have yeast I could start my bread baking career. 

I'm now compiling a list of bread I want to try baking. I hope to bake one type of bread every week. The perfect time is this weekend since Singapore is on holiday on Monday! Yay!

Here's my bread baking bucket list:

Dinner rolls

Ensaymada

Spanish bread

Pandesal

Pianono

Putok

Pinagong

Pan de regla/kalihim

Cheese rolls

Monay

Markina 

Panbonete

Wow, this is quite a long list! But I'm up for the challenge! What about you? What are your favorite Filipino bread? 

#CB46   #StuckAtHomeDay77 #StayHome #BeKind 

#ThankYouUncleSundar

Yummy Toastbox Peanut Butter Cookies

On Labor Day I finally tried out the oven in the kitchen of our new apartment. Here's how you can make it -

Full recipe here.

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Recipes for my Son: Double Stuffed Baked Potatoes

I love baking food coz it's easy and usually yummy. Here's a recipe my boys absolutely love and ingredients are quite easy to find too. There are times it's hard to find sour cream so I've tried making my own with just cream and calamansi. Baking potatoes though take awhile and to shorten the baking time I just boil the potatoes. 

Here's how I've been making double stuffed baked potatoes -

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes

2 T butter

1 medium white onion, chopped finely

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup sour cream 

salt and pepper to taste

#CB35 #WFH31 #StayHome #BeKind

Cheesecake Day

Last Saturday I attended a cheesecake baking class at The Maya Kitchen. I was really nervous because the last time I attended a cooking class was in high school. I wasn't really fond of the kitchen, much less getting pressured to cook with others. I learned how to cook out of necessity (cook or starve!) when I got married, but I have never cooked outside my kitchen.

Anyway, my fears were soon abated when I realized that we were not going to have a hands-on session. Our teachers, Nikka Cleofe-Alejar (Veronica's Kitchen owner and president of Filipina Home Bakers) and Wel Garcia-Dy (Toto's Bakeshop owner) said that they were not professional chefs, but Mom's who just love to bake. So I relaxed and listened to them intently.

Nikka taught us how to make no-bake mango cheesecake first. It looks easy to do and probably has the least cost among the four recipes that they taught. Here's how the mango cheesecake looked before we gobbled it up.

Then Wel taught us how to make Oreo cheesecake. I got a lot of tips from Wel since she explained some technical baking stuff in layman's terms. Aside from mixing techniques, she also gave us an overview about some baking tools and materials. You don't actually need to buy everything since you can actually make do with just a couple of stuff. You can also use local brands instead of Oreo. Here's the sumptuous Oreo cheesecake.

And then Nikka taught us how to make mini cheesecakes. I learned from this session that you should put out your ingredients, butter and cream cheese, at least an hour before you start baking so that it would be easy to mix them.

The final recipe was chocolate cheesecake and it was Wel who did the demo. I think among the four recipes this would be the most challenging for me to do since I've never baked using baking chocolate. In good time maybe.

Here's our class photo:

I'm definitely ear-marking some time this August to bake cheesecake!