When I was a child my father used to have a small-scale bakery. We sold the typical baked goodies like pan de sal, monay, pan de limon, pan de coco, ensaymada, patigas, spanish bread, kababayan, etc.
Everyday when I would come home from school I would be looking forward to having a snack of fresh-from-the-oven goodies.
During summer vacation I would always buzz around the bakers. My father would often shoo me away from the big machines (kneader, slicer, hot ovens), but I was alway helping out when shaping dough, placing rolls on the baking sheet,packaging, and taste-testing (of course!).
I never learned to bake, though. They were making those items in commercial quantities, that a baker must be muscular. We did not have a small oven, and by the time I was old enough to be interested in really learning how to bake, we had no money for me to go to a baking school, plus I did not have the time to do so.
When SM City was born, with its Goldilocks and Red Ribbon, our small bakery soon died. Now I have the time to learn the skill, the internet provides some teaching, and I have the oven and some tools to experiment. Now I take great joy in reminsicing my childhood days every time I smell the yeast at work on the dough that I have prepared, more so when I open the oven door, ready to taste that hot home-baked goody. Hmmmm....Naaalala ko ang Tatay ko.
And I hope the photos will help a lot in teaching other newbies (like me) in the art of baking. I may try other baking recipes but fail in the outcome, so I won't post that here. Those that met success and have been included in my favorites I will post here.
Calling on Pinays who have recipes to share, please share, and thanks for being a part of this small endeavor. |
