week 12 - puff pastry and cookies

Week 12 – Cookies and Swans…Oh My!



Today we learned the basics on classic cookies. There are 1000’s of good cookie recipes out there for everyone to enjoy. A general rule of thumb to remember is that 90% are started with the creaming method of a fat (butter) and sugar. Chef also demo’d - Pate a Choux: this is the stuff you make the beautiful swans and delicious chocolate éclairs out of (Eclair paste).

Formula -Pate a Choux
½ cup water
2 oz butter
2 oz Bread flour
3-4 eggs

Pipe out desired shapes and bake at 380 degrees until golden brown. Do not under bake or éclair mix will collapse. The following dessert pastries can be made with this formula:
Paris Brest, Eclairs, cream puffs, Swans, Croqueembouche, soup garnish, petit fours, appetizers, Garnish for desserts, potatoes, and croutons for salad.

Team France decided to bake the all American classic chocolate chip cookie and then the sinfully good sugar cookie. Again, looking at the formula I would have started the sugar cookies first then the chocolate chip cookies because you have to chill the sugar cookie dough for an hour, then cut cookies prior to baking. Time management and formula review first prior to working was our biggest challenge today.

After completing the two batches of cookies Team France whipped up, and waiting for our sugar cookies to chill. I worked on assembling my éclairs and swans. So I cut each baked Past a Choux in half then piped crème patisserie and dipped Ganache on top.

Pastry cream ( Creme Patisserie) formula:

1 pt. Milk
2 oz sugar stage 1 - dissolve almost to boil
2 eggs
1 ¼ oz corn starch
2 oz sugar stage 2 - whisk together until smooth paste then temper with some hot milk. Then bring the rest of the milk to boil, add the remaining egg mixture until mixture thickens, Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla:
1 oz butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Refrigerate until needed. This pastry cream can be used as is or changed by adding chocolate Ganache to desired flavor.

Ganache:
10 oz semi- sweet chocolate chips
2 oz unsalted butter
8 oz whipping cream

This was a very rewarding class from a skills level and production standpoint, both productive and fun. I love working with doughs and pastries a little more than cakes. However, I’m always open to them all. Pastries so far really seem to work for me.

Honorable mention to my good friends and colleagues Deede and Brian for their baked Esse Cookies that looked and tasted absolutely beautiful. Bravo guys and thanks for sharing. After the cookies cooled down, they put raspberry filling and stuck two cookies together. Excellent choice.


Formula:
¼ lb Powder sugar, ½ lb butter, ½ AP shortening, 2 egg whites 1 at a time, 1 ¼ lb flour
Pipe onto baking sheet

Next week on the menu: Review – Solo Mission for Team France.

week - 11 if your in a hurry it's time to stop and smell the roses

Today, I was up for the challenge of decorating the cake that I made last week. I believe the word challenge should be used loosely. All of this was new, extremely difficult and fun to learn.


Prior to this task, Chef demo'd the classic butter cream, cream cheese frosting and various piping techniques. We also covered frosting for a German chocolate cake from Texas and a Yule log for the holidays.

We had a lot of demos today which are wonderful and a good way to learn. I enjoy demos for baking and cooking especially from individuals who have more work experience than my own age. It allows me to grow and learn as a student of life and as a commercial baker.

The biggest disappointment/failure was in myself today. It was difficult for me to perform to the best of my abilities today due to the simple fact that everyone, except a few, wanted to rush and get out the door as quickly as possible. I allowed this to affect me. I love baking, food and talking about different techniques which is why I’m enrolled in this college to learn. So to turn a negative into a positive, I have enrolled in a Wilton cake decorating class at Michael’s to master “the rose”.

Next week on the menu:
Dessert Pastries/ Eclairs

week 10 - spring break in schedule/material

week nine - Let them eat cake

picture 1

picture 2

picture 3

Today we covered the tri-fecta of the cake world. The basic chocolate, basic white and add the two together and you will get marble cake. Let's not forget the beloved carrot cake but is often over looked for it pure elegance and taste. Chef demo'd the apple strudel and we worked with puff pastry. We covered a lot...


So let's beginning with the cakes:

Basic Chocolate Cake:
1 1/2 lb cake flour
5oz coco powder
2 1/2 oz baking powder
2 lbs 8oz sugar
2 lb 12 oz eggs
1 oz salt
1/2 oz baking soda

Using a whip - mix on high speed for 8 -10 minutes


1 pt. fluid flex
1 pt. buttermilk
1 tbsp vanilla

Mix on second speed until ribbon stage. Pour 1 qt per 10 inch cake pan greased and paper lined. Bake at 36o degrees until spring back occurs.

Note: red food color plus cinnamon makes a mean devil’s food cake.

Basic White Cake:
same as above except:
omit coco powder and baking soda


Carrot Cake Sponge - Mayonnaise Method Emulsification:
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil - slowly
14 oz sugar
whip
1/2 tsp salt
9 oz bread flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 # fine grated carrots
2 1/2 oz chopped walnuts

We panned our cakes then baked them off in the oven at 360 degrees. Chef then demo’d a beautiful apple strudel. It was a very interesting technique he used to move the large piece of laminated dough. Take an apron and place it under the dough. This will allow you to move the dough without tearing or ripping it. I thought it was a very cool technique – thanks Chef Colley. We tend to react before we think of what we need to do. Upon ruining or destroying what we were working, we then think of all the great techniques chef has taught us.






Next we started working with puff pastry. Chef demo’d some puff dough (see picture 2 above). We cut them into squares. Then on the inside of the square we cut a letter L on either side, then folded them over – something like that, work with me. Then you baked them off with parchment paper on top. Then you can use this as a pastry with a cream filling and fruit or other main course dinners. Note puff pastry is laminated dough – multiple layers of fat leavened by steam.

We covered so much today I don’t remember all that much about the lecture on puff dough.

Next week on the menu:
Cake decorating

week 8 - half time/ mid term

Happy St Patrick’s Day! It's the luck of the Irish today and we get to test it today in the kitchen with our laminated doughs that we prepped last class. Then we challenge our knowledge base in the classs room as we write our mid term exam. YAHOO! can't wait.

Team France and our fellow classmates had a special visit down the street from Phoenix college kitchen to practice our baking skills at Metro Tech High School kitchen that Chef Colley teaches at during the day. Originally this was going to be the host location for our class but was changed to the college kitchen. It was nice for a change to work in a beautiful kitchen. However, give me any kitchen to work in and I will be happy.

Chef demo'd how to operate this large industrial size roller to roll our laminated dough to make croissants, danishes and turnovers. We then shaped/cut our croissants with a pizza cutter on an angle that made a 90 degree triangle. Then filled them with various filling.

Croissant Dough:
1 qt milk
1 1/2 oz dry yeast
3/4 oz salt
3 oz salt
5 oz butter
3 # 8 oz bread flour

straight dough method 10 -12 minutes with dough hook. Relax in fridge for 30 minutes or more.

Roll-in butter 1 # 8oz. roll



Once we mastered the croissiant dough rolling then we learned various danish styles like the snail, the ring and the fold. There are many styles of danishes to choose from so you can offer a great selection or variation to keep your customers coming back to your bake shop.

The biggest challenge I had with today's tasks was the execution of the cutting of the dough. I never had do it before so it's something that if you keep doing you will get better over time. Then with the danishes it was then we had so many options to choose from it was hard to pick so I think when you’re learning it’s better to just to be told what to make. Then have it evaluated so you can learn and improve on it. An excellent tip I picked up today was when we put icing on the Danishes. Place a food glove and use your five fingers to drizzle it onto the pastries. It’s very quick and efficient to cover a large amount of food.








After that we made our way into the classroom and I felt very good with my answers on the mid term exam. We picked what flavor of cake we wanted to bake for next week so on the menu for me next week is carrot cake.



















.

week 7 - pi(e) = 3.1415....

Today, Team France covered pie dough and sweet doughs. Also know in the industry as rolled in-doughs or laminated doughs although these terms are confusing at times because there is no set rules on when and how to use them so I'm still learning this myself. Let's begin with a definition of laminated which means - alterning layers and roll-in doughs which is - "a dough in which a fat is incorporated in many layers by using a rolling and folding procedure; it is used for flaky baked goods such as croissants, puff pastry and danish".

We started our day with our pie dough that we blind baked. No seriously that's what it's called. It how you bake cream pies. You cannot place cream pies in the oven. This is the process to produce all the wonderful pastry cream pie that we all eat on Sunday dinner.


After you mix you pie dough:

1 lbs 4 oz cake flour
12 oz ap shortening
1/4 oz salt
1/2 pt ice water (egg shade)

Do not over mix - pebble size consistency. Cool in refrigerator before use.

Next, you place your pie crust into the pie pan, shape it by placing in the pan with it hanging over the edges. Then drop the pan on the counter top three times and it falls into place. Pinch of off the edges and reserve dough - do not scrunch it into a ball you will ruin the layers.

Now the pie crust is fitted perfectly into the pan. However, if you bake it in the pan alone the sides will slide down. So this is where the blind baking process comes into play. Since we don't put the pastry creme into the oven, you place baking stone or beans to fill the empty space and distributed the heat evenly until the crust is baked.

The beans are wrapped in commercial grade wrap that allow it to hold up against heat. Just ensure that is does not touch the sides of the baking pan. Also label the beans for baking only you can use them for one year. You don't want any one to use them after you have baked them.

Upon cooling down the pie shell it’s time for the pastry cream and whipped cream topping.

Pastry cream ( Creme Patisserie) formula:

1 pt. Milk
2 oz sugar stage 1 - dissolve almost to boil
2 eggs
1 ¼ oz corn starch
2 oz sugar stage 2 - whisk together until smooth paste then temper with some hot milk. Then bring the rest of the milk to boil, add the remaining egg mixture until mixture thickens remove from heat add butter and vanilla.
1 oz butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Refrigerate until needed. This pastry cream can be used as is or changed by adding chocolate Ganache to desired flavor.

Ganache:
10 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
2 oz unsalted butter
8 oz whipping cream
basis for all chocolate mousse

It's was a turning point for myself and my team today in the bake shop. Our skills are really starting to take form as professional bakers. Keep up the good work everyone. We have much more to learn from Chef Colley.

Next week on the menu: Croissants and Danishes - ummm good. Oh that reminds me in class we prepped our croissant dough. Then put it the freezer until next class.

Week six - Salt of the Earth

French country bread


Chocolate Bread



Today, Team France covered the beautiful world of artisan breads. We baked a Hungarian potato bread, a chocolate bread, a beautiful French country bread and Chef demo'd a ciabatta bread for the class.




Let's first focus on the ingredient salt in all the formulas covered today.




The foundation of civilization was salt's ability to preserve food. Salt eliminated man's dependence on having to eat seasonal and allowed food to travel over long distances. However, to0 much of this seasoning will cause you to say yuck, your mouth to pucker, and you will instantly remove the bread from your mouth. Quick tip: adding too much salt in a formula will kill yeast. We had a problem with salt in our formula for our Hungarian potato bread this week. After careful review I came up with the possible culprits to the salt problem we had.




Student error in scaling - I scaled the wrong amount of salt called for in this formula - 1 1/2 oz.





The formula called for potatoes that we mixed in this formula. However, we didn't taste them prior to putting them in the recipe. They could have been loaded with sodium and so we would have had to adjust the formula.



Chef has used these formulas before so they have been tested and are all kosher with the amounts called for in the formula.

Hungarian Potato Bread:

2 lbs bread flour
11 oz mashed potatoes
1 pt 2 oz water
1 1/2 oz yeast
1/2 oz paprika
1 1/2 oz salt

Next we covered the chocolate bread.

Chocolate Bread:

Pre- ferment

4 oz bread flour
1/2 oz yeast
13 oz water
1/2 oz salt
1# bread flour
4 oz cocoa powder
1/2 oz yeast
12 oz yeast
1/2 oz salt
5 oz chocolate chips
2 oz walnuts
1/2 oz vanilla

Straight mix method

Then we covered a country French bread called Pain de Champage:

Pre- ferment

bread flour 1 lb 4 oz
instant yeast 0.5 oz
water 13 oz
salt 0.5 oz

Dough:

preferment 2 lb 2 oz
bread flour 1 lb 2 oz
dark rye 2 oz
instant yeast 0.5 oz
water 13 oz
salt 0.5 oz
soaked flax seed 3 oz optional
walnuts 8 oz

Ciabatta

30% Pre-fermented flour

Pollish 0.025 oz compressed freash yeast

27 oz bread flour

27 oz water

Mix well and cover ferment at 70 degress for 12 - 16 hours.

Dough:

54.025 oz sponge

0.5 fresh yeast

4 lbs bread flour

2 oz salt

2 oz wheat grem optional

47 oz water

This was the best of the batch in my opinion. Artisan bread is a labor of love very individual to a particular region or baker. I enjoyed making artisan breads because it felt like a reflect of me. It's an art and a science...wow dude so deep.

As a part of my cooking skills development, I volunteer for various non-profits across the country to cook lunches or dinners for them. I can accommodate up to 15 - 20 people and use this as a learning tool to hone my skills as I grow as a cook. I featured the above breads that I baked in class and served it with a simple all vegetarian minestrone soup and fresh salad greens from the Phoenix Farmer's Market for the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic ( RFB&D). It was a real pleasure to cook for these fine people that give countless hours back to the community.

Next week on the menu: pie dough and sweet dough.

week 5- The greatest gift in life is time - manage it well

Picture 1


Picture 2

Picture 3

Democracy is a beautiful thing to experience as a student in a kitchen. Today, Team France had the choice from four formulas to pick two to bake.

Our first choice was the golden pound cake (as a muffin). Although choices are good in life, our selection of equipment was a total set back. Let's look at the formula:

12 oz granulated sugar

7 oz butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp milk powder

10 oz cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

8 oz eggs

4 oz cold water

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 rum aroma

add to water (yellow food color)

So here are the ingredients. What mixer would you pick? Well if you selected the handy 5 quart Kitchen Aid mixer that's what I would have picked after reviewing the quantity of ingredients called for in this formula.

However, we chose the Hobart HL200-1STD Planetary Mixer - 20 quart capacity. So yeah, it worked. However, it was extremely time consuming scraping down the mixing bowl while mixing to maintain a proper mix. See picture 3 above.

Next time we will review formula, scale ingredient, then select the proper equipment to ensure a more productive experience.

The pound cake was delicious and was a great learning experience.

Our second choice was to bake the pumpkin cranberry muffin formula as a loaf:

3 cups cake flour

1 tbsp pumpkin spice

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsbp salt

Sift all dry ingredients together.

3 cups sugar

14 oz pumpking pulp

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup cranberries or cranberry sauce

The only catch to this formula was we forgot to include the cranberry sauce. So we ended up with lovely pumpkin loaves. If this was a commerical setting it would have been an expensive mistake in cost over run to redo this batch because of ingredient errors, as well as the expense in labor (time) for for us to produce a second batch. Hence the term - time is money.

Upon completion of the above baked goods, chef had us whip up a batch of basic muffin mix.:

1/4 lb butter

1/2 lb sugar

1/4 pt eggs

10 oz cake flour

2 oz bread flour

1/2 oz baking powder

1/2 pt milk

30 oz sour cream

4 oz raisins, crasins, or any dried fruit

or

3 oz chocolate chips

I picked chocolate chips topped with strudal crumbs and raspberry filling. Yum Oh!

On next week's menu: Team France will be working on ciabatta bread and a biga.

Week 4 - The rise and fall of Hamburger buns

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Today, team France worked on a coffee cake and an egg bread that we used for hamburger buns. These are rich breads so thay have more ingredients than lean doughs. Ingredients like eggs, milk and emulsions. Let's take a look at our egg bread formula.

Formula Egg Bread:

1 oz salt

3 oz sugar

1/4 pt eggs

3 oz shortening

1/4 gal cold water

3 3/4 lb bread flour

2 oz yeast

2 1/2 oz milk powder

egg shade- add to water

chill in fridge

Our buns didn't rise that well at all. My educated guess is that the water was the problem. Not enough water and the temperature was wrong. Cold water is clear, warm water is cloudy. Working as a team sometimes you have to go with the flow - we all make mistakes. After thinking about it I remember the water was very cloudy.

Chef demoed a pumpkin brioche that is a breakfast bread. A pastry cream was used as a filling and it was topped with canned cherries. It was glazed with apricot jam. You can use a variety of fruits for toppings, ie., apricots, peaches, small berries. Bake at 380 degrees until golden brown.

Next, we worked on a coffee cake. We all had our own individual cakes to work on. I had excellent success with it, although, I really need to work on my cutting skills. Work smart not hard. Once rolled and filled with rasberry and strudel crumb we panned it and made a round circle or wreath with it. It was then cut on a 45 degree angle with a pair of scissors ( see picture 1 above). This is where I need to work more naturally...it's a process.

I'm still very happy with my end results.

Coffee Cake formula:

1 1/2 lbs bread flour

3/4 oz yeast

3 oz sugar

3 oz butter

1/2 oz salt

1/2 tbsp lemon emulsion

1/2 tbsp Vannilla

1/2 tbsp rum flavor

1/2 butter emulsion

12 oz milk

2 eggs

straight mix - cover x2 in size - scale to desired pieces

I used the buns for a ham sandwich. They were a little tough but edible. I'm looking forward to making them again and again. We shall rise again oh hamburger bun.

On the menu next week is... quick breads.

Week 3 - Surprise - Full steam Ahead

Today we baked delicious dinner rolls and the beloved French bread. So we followed the 12 step process for Lean dough using the straight method - meaning all ingredients mixed together. Then add water after scaling when mixed. As we learned last week, the Maillard reaction is the carmelization of sugar while the bread is baking . This gives it that beautiful brown color that lures us into buying more bread. Since we made a scaling error last week we were very cautious to clearly read, understand and scale our formula correctly.

Success for Team France because we completed the forumla correctly and had beautiful French bread this week. However, during the 8th step, make-up and panning. I didn't roll out the French bread with perfect technique. It was thin in the middle and large on the two ends. So after baking, it looked like a big dog bone. It was delicious, but I must work on my rolling technique.

Side note for you home bakers: commerical ovens release steam while bread is baking to allow the bread not to form a crust too early before it it baked. So at home place a tray of ice cubes in the oven below your bread to mimic this process.

Chef Colley demonstrated a foccacia bread that was simply divine. He has over forty years of experience and made it look simple. I truly believe that if you suround yourself with people who have exceptional skills that you too will challenge yourself to rise to the occasion. We see it in sports everyday. Bravo Chef, I'm going to make this foccacia bread for a volunteer dinner that I'm cooking in the next few weeks so I will keep you posted on how I make out.

We also covered dinner rolls and used a machine called an Oliver that would cut a batch of 36 rolls at one time. So in a large grocery store or restaraunt you could crank out a large volume in a short period.

White Bread & Roll Dough Dough - Formula

Oven Temperture: 370 degrees for roll

Baking time: 12-14 minutes for rolls

20 -25 minutes for loaf

Ingredients:

Bread Flour 2 lbs 6 oz

Milk Powder 3/4 oz if using milk subract half pint from water

Sugar Granulated 3 oz

Salt 3/4 oz

shortening AP 3oz

water 1 pt 5 oz

yeast instant 3/4 oz

Make straight dough

sesame seed or poppy seed to taste

I surprized myself with a talent I didn't know I had. The dinner rolls we made were rolled into a straight line of dough then twisted or braided to form a dinner roll. Surprise! I watched it once and just twisted the bread together. I didn't think too hard and made some pretty nice looking dinner rolls.

Until next week...goodnight and goodbaking.

Week - 2 Bonjour Dr. Maillard and Thank-you

I made fresh baked bread today and then used it for my wife's Mechelle's lunch today. I felt like I accomplished a solo mission on the space shuttle to the moon. Much like space travel, you have a team, formulas, steps and then a finished mission or loaf of bread in my case.

Let me introduce our team: Alisa is to the right of me, and Sunny is behind the camera, and a gentleman, in theory, named Dr. Louis Camille Maillard. We dubbed our team team France.

So Bonjour everybody and let's begin the process of making a French Bread Baguette using the 12 steps in yeast dough production.

The formula:

1 lb 10oz Bread Flour

1/2 oz. Sugar

1 oz. Yeast

1/2 oz. Salt

1 pt. Water Cold

1/2 oz. all purpose shortening

If using this formula at home divide in half.

The term formula is used by professional bakers ( especially bread bakers) instead of recipe. Baking is truly a science based on time and chemical reactions. Hence, we follow a 12 step process:
1. Scaling ingredients

2. Mixing
3. Fermentation

4. Punching

5. Scaling

6. Rounding

7. Benching
8. Make-up and Panning
9.Proofing - at home place wet towel over dough in oven low, in AZ outside

10. Baking

11. Cooling

12. Storing

Following this process and MISSING part of it is how I was introduced to Dr. Louis Camille Maillard and how he will always be part of my team. He was a French Physician and Chemist whose 1912 studies of the reactions between acids and sugars were a major contribution to the scientific community. His studies led to a term called the Maillard Reaction that in baking causes the outer crust of breads and bake goods to brown. This reaction contributes to crust formation and flavor.

So when our French Baggette came out of the oven. Chef Colley (2nd person to the right in top picture) asked us how much sugar we used. He could tell by the color that it needed more sugar. It was light yellowish brown instead of a brown color. Which leads me back to step 1 - scaling; we didn't correctly weigh are sugar correctly for this formula. One thing to keep in mind when you're scaling is trust the scale not what you think. In the formula it calls for 1/2 oz. of sugar meaning pour sugar into the formula until the scale balances for that 1/2 oz. of sugar. Do not just put in a half an ounce. It's a science.

The bread was good and it's great to make some new friends. My wife loves me even more now that I'm baking bread. Life is good and so is the smell of fresh bread.

Houston we have lift off. This is team France signing off.

Week 1 - Setting the Table

Welcome and thank you for reading my commercial baking portfolio/journal/online blog.
My goal for taking this class is personal growth and the pursuit of skills and knowlege development in the wonderful World of Culinary Arts and the Art of Baking, located here beautiful Phoenix, Arizona at Maricopa College, Phoenix campus.

Over the next 16 weeks I would like to share the knowledge that I obtain from this class. I will outline weekly personal achievements and failures. Then provide solutions, recipes or tips to learn and grow from.

Let’s look at a little history of bread to set the table for the next 16 weeks:
“The history of bread is a long one, for bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first bread produced was probably cooked versions of a grain-paste, made from roasted and ground cereal grains and water, and may have been developed by accidental cooking or deliberate experimentation with water and grain flour. Descendants of this early bread are still commonly made from various grains in many parts of the world, including lavashs, taboons, sangaks, Mexican tortilla, Indian chapatis, rotis and naans, Scottish oatcake, North American johnnycake, Middle Eastern pita, and Eritrean injera. Flat bread of these types also formed a staple in the diet of many early civilizations with the Sumerians eating a type of barley flat cake, and the 12th century BC Egyptians being able to purchase a flat bread called ta from stalls in the village streets.[1] The ritual bread in ancient Greek offerings to the chthonic gods, known as psadista was made of fine flour, oil and wine.[2] The development of leavened bread can probably also be traced to prehistoric times. “
Source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I wanted to include this for one reason. Nutritious food is so important to the world today and it’s often over looked. Modern technology has been around for a very small amount of time compared to bread. How many people can and do make their own bread. So the next time someone claims they have an awesome app for their cell phone or computer, I will asked them “can it make homemade bread for me”.
So if you love the smell of fresh bread when you walk into the grocery store, follow me on this journey while I learn something new to share with you.
From my kitchen to yours, I bid you adieu.






Student Baker – Edward Robinson
Student Number 31975827
To view video go to my blog at http://commericalbakingtechniques4home.blogspot.com/