Bread Baking with Chef Sim Cass

ohoadmin — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 21:45:33 +0000

Bread Baking with Chef Sim Cass ohoadmin Fri, 04/11/2014 - 17:45 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Bread-026.jpg.webp?itok=VVmF_Rrf April 11, 2014

By Sharon Ho

While my first module as an 91��߹ pastry student contained mostly lectures and cooking demonstrations, my second module ("Mod 2" as we students refer to it) was much faster paced and hands-on. Our mission? Bread baking—which requires some seriously vigorous work. It’s all about speed, efficiency and the ability to produce mass quantities of bread without sacrificing quality.

It's been about a week and a half since we have started this mod and although it's been hectic, it’s been tons of fun. Sure, there’s a lot more to do than normal and it’s a little more tense in the kitchen, but in the long run, we are enjoying our time baking bread and watching our amazing creations come to life.

Baguettes - Photo by Pastry Student Wang Yuan

So there are a few general terms and processes that every aspiring bread baker should know: rising, fermentation, proofing, gluten and turning. Rising refers to the process of letting the kneaded dough rest, untouched, in a bowl with plastic wrap sealed over top. Fermentation is the process where yeast, dry or fresh, produces carbon dioxide in the dough. This makes the dough "rise" and double in size. Proofing is the step before baking the bread.

To proof bread, the bread has to rest in a warm place, either a proofing box or under a couche (a proofing cloth), so that the bread can double in size once again. Gluten refers to the protein produced in dough when it is kneaded thoroughly. To test for gluten, you have to check the dough's elasticity by holding a thin piece up to light. Ideally, a faint web will be visible. That web is gluten.

Finally, turning is an action performed during the rising of dough. Turning seals in the existing carbon dioxide bubbles created from the yeast, allowing for the dough to fully rise.

Chef Sim Cass

The moment we met our instructor for the bread baking, Chef Sim Cass, we knew this would be a fun mod. We could sense right away that he was a great instructor and a swell guy. Chef Sim attempts to make each class as calm and “zen” as possible. Plus, he makes a mean baguette!

Among the things that Chef Sim has taught us so far include the different reactions that yeast produces in varying temperatures of liquids, as well as techniques for making high-quality fresh bread in the form of baguettes and a variety of rolls. My favorite type of bread we made this week was "the pretzel," although it took a lot of concentration and practice before I eventually got it right.

To properly shape a pretzel, you have to master a fancy twisting motion in mid-air. It's pretty difficult, but I eventually got the hang of it. Practice makes perfect, right? Bagels were also a blast to make. We had the option of making whole wheat or white bagels, and everyone had their personal preference. Then came the toppings. Oh goodness, the toppings! We had everything from onions to poppy seeds, even rock salt! It was nice to see what different people preferred and how the toppings gave each bagel its own character.

Hot Cross Buns - Photo by Pastry Student Wang Yuan

We also made hot cross buns, another personal favorite. The buns looked pretty basic until we learned how to make the cross on them. You would think that the buns were just baked like that, but a lot more work is involved. We used an entirely different kind of batter to make the cross (which we placed on the regular bread right after proofing, and then into the oven to bake).

This batter is responsible for creating the pale and beautiful cross pattern across freshly-baked hot cross buns. My impression of bread baking thus far is that it is a surprisingly simple art with some fairly complex variations. The reactions between certain ingredients and the outcomes are similar to high school chemistry class, minus the chemistry homework (thankfully).

As I write this, we're half way through the mod, so I'm sure Chef Sim has many more tricks up his sleeve to share with us. I'm looking forward to it!

Bread Baking Pastry Arts Culinary Student

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The First Two Weeks

ohoadmin — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 16:41:24 +0000

The First Two Weeks ohoadmin Fri, 02/07/2014 - 11:41 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Finishing-Cookies-Chocolates-047.jpg.webp?itok=-KbKelFk Life as a Pastry Student February 7, 2014

By Sharon Ho

When people think about culinary school, they often think of a juicy skirt steak or a delicious bowl of fresh pasta. However, at 91��߹, the true magic happens in the Pastry and Baking Arts classrooms. Tucked away on the 5th floor, the sweet smell of freshly baked bread, cookies and cake fills your nose the moment you step off the elevator. No—it isn’t a savory soup or a meaty pot roast; it’s the sweet stuff.

That was my experience when I first set foot in 91��߹ for a tour. I reached the front desk and all I smelled was to-die-for freshly baked bread. Walking past kitchen 501, I couldn’t help but stand there and stare at the dinner rolls that were sitting on the kitchen table. I immediately made up my mind: I would enroll at 91��߹ and eventually open a bakery that smelled exactly like the fifth floor of 91��߹.

It’s been two weeks since my classes started, and I have learned many of the basics so far. There’s been lessons in sanitation, safety lessons and understanding the uses of different ingredients. I have learned countless things I can create out of sugar, chocolate, milk and fruit puree. Learning that much this quickly can be quite overwhelming at times, but in the long run, it’s worth it. Classes are very hands-on, and Chef Kathryn is both an inspiration and an excellent teacher.

The first time we actually made something on our own was Lesson 4: Gingersnaps. These cookies are simple, sweet and fragrant. We scooped the gingersnap cookie dough onto sheet pans with an ice cream scoop in order to maintain the size and shape of each cookie. While we were making the cookies, Chef Kathryn made us some hot chocolate. She brewed up two kinds—the American kind, made from cocoa powder and milk, and the European kind, made from actual chocolate and cream.

She asked us to taste both and then decide which one we liked better. Of course, one was richer than the other. Can you guess which one was the clear winner? We also worked on some basic math skills that bakers are required to know, mostly multiplying and dividing. There were some rounding exercises and a few recipe exercises, most of which to figure out how much of a certain ingredient would be necessary if the yield was different from the original recipe. It was definitely quite a bit to take in, but these skills are both useful and essential for bakers.

Pâte de fruit[/caption]

Next came Lesson 5: the apricot pâte de fruit. These are essentially little jelly-gummy hybrid candies that taste like apricot. They are made with lots of sugar and some apricot puree. We made them in bonbon molds, then let them set while Chef Kathryn went over different fruit-related ingredients, such as fruit-based wines, syrups and extracts. She also spoke about jams and jellies.

I never knew there were so many types of fruit wine or that so many different extracts could be found in my local supermarket. So far, it’s been an enjoyable and educational two weeks. The 91��߹ community is incredibly helpful and my classmates are very friendly. It's nice to know we all have each others' backs. I can’t wait to start my next class!

Candy Cookies Pastry Arts Culinary Student