[Maude's Quarantine Kitchen] Baking Bread

So it's July! Just like that, half of the year's gone and our lives are still pretty much at a standstill. My mood swings are bad these days, especially now being away from Maddie. But wait, don't worry, this is not another emotional post. I just wanted to say that what instantly turns my mood around is baking! I did a baking marathon yesterday and I'm feeling so tired yet so accomplished so I'm gonna write it down just to record my mini achievement.

I have always wanted to bake bread. I started with Cinnamon Rolls last month. The first time wasn't so good. I burnt the top and the bread was overall tough. Good thing hubby eats everything I make, so it's okay. We live, we learn. I learnt that the yeast that I used was supposed to be for crusty breads. Eureka moment. LOL! So the next try was a big hit. Okay, I used a different recipe, too. But I really feel it's the yeast that made the difference.

Here is my 2nd attempt at Cinnamon Rolls.

Does it look enticing? :)

And then yesterday, I thought that if I'm gonna bring out my huge kneading board again, I better make the most of it. Hence, I made Pan de Sal, Cheese Rolls a la Mary Grace and Ensaymada all at once! Nakakapagod, mga teh! But when I took that first bite of the cheese roll, gosh, the effort was all worth it!

Here, let me show you.

Perfect with butter, coco jam or dipped in condensed milk!
How do you like yours? :)

The pandesal was so-so. It's okay to satisfy the Sunday morning Pinas breakfast feel that we always miss here, but honestly, the texture was more dinner rolls than pandesal. I will try Erwan Heusaff's recipe next time so I can compare.

But this. This is the star of the night! 😍

Tastes as good as it looks 💖

To be honest, I didn't expect much while baking the cheese rolls. First and foremost, I knead manually. I have always lusted over a pink Kitchenaid but last February I passed on a $488 Raspberry Ice Kitchenaid on sale and it haunts me to this day. I don't wanna buy a regular-priced one so I have to wait for now. I have to work these flabby arms out anyway, so manual kneading it is :)

Secondly, my first-time baked goodies usually fail so I said if this one fails too, I'm very much okay and I will try better next time. But lo and behold, na-achieve ang Mary Grace peg! It was so soft and had just the right sweetness! It looks perfect too! Sometimes I bake and even if it tastes good, I fail on the aesthetics. But this one is a real feat. Please indulge me for a bit here because I was so happy with it ;)

But like any other kitchen adventure, there's an improvement point too. I used Eden cheese because natural cheeses daw melts into the bread but half of what I put still melted. 

I need to put bigger cheese slices next time.

Oh by the way, all the credit goes to Chef Jackie Ang Po's recipe. She posted it in her Facebook page. You might wanna check it out and give it a try too.

And then lastly, I also made Ensaymada, because it's just made of the same sweet dough as the rolls. The only difference is that it has no filling, you need to roll it longer and twirl it into the mold, and then top with cheese. This time I used Gouda and it just worked. This, friends, is obviously beginner's luck :D

The saltiness of Gouda balanced the sweetness so it's 👌

Now excuse me while I reheat my breads and make a cup of my favorite Old Town Hazelnut coffee (that alone is 26g of carbs but what the heck, haha!)

Happy Sunday, dears!

Hope you are having a lovely weekend too :)