Recipes of the Day:
Pain Au Chocolat
370g Flour T45
12g Live Yeast
30g Sugar
8g Salt
20g Powdered Milk
50g Whole Eggs
4g Honey
170g Water
75g Butter
10 Chocolate sticks
Steps:
Mix and create an O on the counter. Pour the eggs, honey, and 3/4 of the water in the middle. mix the liquids, slowly adding small amounts of flour to the center. Using the scraper in your other hand, begin to scrape the dry ingredients into the middle. combine by hand. Add water, if necessary until combined. Use the scraper to roughly cut the dough into pieces, exposing the stickier insides. Knead the dough with the heel of your hand. Grab the dough and smack it onto the counter. Fold the dough in half (to get air in) and grab from the side and repeat.
After the dough becomes smooth, form into a ball and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature in a bowl (splattered with flour). Punch/Rabat the dough and reform into a ball. Store for another 30 minutes at room temperature.
Next, form the dough into even pieces of 10 (using the food scale). Keep the pieces covered to avoid drying. Flour the counter. Flatten each portion with your hand, fold the sides into the middle, fold again from the other direction (smooth sides out). Press gently on the dough and roll your hand to make a ball. Once you feel the dough form a ball, release some pressure and make a ball.
Roll the dough into ovals. Roll until the oval is the length of your chocolate bar at the 1/3 mark. Bring the third over the chocolate and press lightly. Simply roll the dough to form the Pain Au Chocolat. Make sure the flap is on the side, but not under the roll. Otherwise, it will prevent expansion in the oven.
Brush with whisked eggs and bake with steam at 170 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
Notes:
Separate the items as listed above. Keep the dry ingredients as separated in the containers as possible as you prepare the other items.
T45 flour has more gluten, thus more elasticity and more volume when it bakes. T45 flour is also white and finer than typical flour.
If you plan to use dry yeast, use 1/3 of the required amount.
Use cool water.
Honey helps to retain moisture in the dough.
Strong Lemon
4 Large Lemons
8g Sugar
1g Hand-Crushed Peppercorn
Peel the zest of 2 large lemons into long, even strips. Julienne the zest into thin, even strips. Cut in the other direction to finely cube the zest.
The instructor taught us that if you blanch something in cold water and wait for it to boil (removing immediately after), you will remove flavor. With a lemon, you will remove sourness. With a salty ingredient, you will remove salt. The trick is to put sufficient water. In putting more water than seems necessary, ti will give the salt or sour flavor enough room to leave the ingredient.
The other form of blanching - drop in hot water and then in an ice bath - is used to cook quickly or loosen the peel of a tomato.
Blanch the lemon zest in cold water and simmer the zest with the juice of 4 lemons and 1 spoonful of sugar. The lemon will reduce for a long time, do not rush the process or let it boil. On a dry surface, crush whole peppercorns with the bottom of a saucepan. Sift the pepper to remove any powder. The powder will make your lemon grey in color. Save the chunks of peppercorn and add to the lemon once it has a curd-like consistency. Voila!
Tonight, I made chicken for dinner with crunchy garlic and shallots, lots of butter and the Strong Lemon. It was pungent in acidity form the lemon juice, but balanced evenly when paired with the creaminess of butter and with the sweet, caramelized garlic and shallots.
Feeling
Sore Feet
Like a master baker!
Health, despite all odds!