Behind the Bread! 🍞(WEEK 2)

This week, we are going experience the process of making a bread. We are required to attend a bread making a workshop at the School of Hospitality that is conducted by Chef Eddie.

To start of, he briefly explain the few of the main ingredient needed for us to make a bread. He wrote it down on the board the ratios of each ingredient, so that we know which ingedient are needed more than the others.

1. After briefly explaining the ingredient, we moved to the mixer to start the Mixing Process

We start by mixing all the dry ingredients such as Flour and Instant dry yeast. This process take up to 2-5 minutes for it to mix properly. While waiting, we prepare the water to be added into the mix.

(TIPS!! It is said to be better to use cold water for the mixing because while mixing the temperature will increase due to the friction. Although, too hot or too cold water might kill the yeast)

After adding the water into the mixing bowl, we wait again. This process took longer than mixing the dry ingredient (5 -10mins), since we have to make sure all the water are well distributed.

The next ingredient, to be added into the mixing bowl is Salt. The reason why salt is added is because first to add in flavour. Second, is because salt act as a binding agent towards protein. Since it let out postivie ion.

(TIPS!! This is added last so that the dough in bind together)

2. Fermentation process.

Now is the process where we wait...again. The dough is take out from the mixer and put on top of the table for it to ferment. Cling wraps are put above the dough to prevent the air from hardening to outside skin. While waiting, Chef Eddie tell us different stories about bread that could or might help us for our project. For example, he talk about too much yeast could effect how the bread taste, excessive yeast have an alchohol after taste.

After waiting about 10-30 mins, the increase in size is visible. Chef Eddie told us normally the dough is put to ferment longer but since we only have a few hours time we have to sped it up.

3. Measuring and cuting.

After the fermentation process, is time to seperate the dough into 400gm each. First, we have to dust the table with flour so that the dough do not stick on the table. After that, we were thought how to mold the doughso that it would be ready for the next process. I have fun doing this process.

Azizah, Kai and Jing is in charge of cuting the dough. Me and Elaine is responsible to mold and weigh the dough to the correct weight. After this process, we wait.....again.

4. Molding the dough into different types of bread.

According to chef, there are several type of breads that we are going to explore today.

I didnt know is so hard to make bread until I attend this workshop because my baguette completely flop lol. The second time is much more better than my first, and it turns out decent. After molding, it is been put inside a machine to let it rise faster since letting it rest out on the table would take hours.

5. Scoring and Baked!!!

After so much waiting it is finally ready for the oven, but before it is put in we have to score the bread. It is known that scoring is like a signature of a baker, each baker have their unique scoring method and pattern. I have fun scoring the bread lolol, and according to chef Eddie say that my scoring is quite similar to a cut that is known as sausage cut.

Before the oven is actually preheated to around 200celcius, and the bread is required to bake in the oven for around 18 minutes.

The final results of the bread is the BEST part since we are finally able to see our hardwork pay off!!

Cracking sounds could be hear after the bread is took out of the oven, and is a sign of good bread because the insides of the bread is starting to shrink while cooled down thus pulling away from the crust.

TASTE TEST!!

MY BREAD! (batard)

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From the workshop, I learned a lot of things when it comes to making a good bread, is not just about the ingredient but also the skills and experience is very important when making the bread. For example, Chef Eddie could determined the elasticity of the bread by feeling it for someone which have 0 experience would never know that.

Besides, an interesting thing that I learned about bread is that, in the workshop we have tried alot of different type of bread, but all the bread we make are from the same batch of dough. However, each type of bread have their own unique texture, feels and taste. This fascinates the most because how a simple bread dough could be transformed into different type of bread. For example, when I tried the baguette the texture is more chewy, while the fougasse is more crunchy. This shows that, over the years people have come out with creative ways to transform a simple food such as bread into different varieties using the same ingredients because usually when i saw different types of bread I will automatically think that different bread uses different type of ingredient or have additional ingredient, but I guess I am wrong.

Since, in this workshop we are mostly learning how to make french breads, but there are many more types of bread out there in the world. So I am quite curious to learn and explore about the other type of breads, other than what we learned in the workshop. However, since bread have been around since the begining of civilization, I was curious why have bread become such an important staple food around the world?

Firstly, I believed is because bread are made from the simplest and easiest ingredient that could be find since the begining of time.

Secondly, bread could be quite filling, which I beleived could be very beneficial to the people since they need to have enough energy to carry out their daily work.

Lastly, I believed that is because bread is TASTY!!!

This workshop have been enjoyable and informative, and I have fun attending!! 🍞🍞