Almondmeal

I was told that u can buy a jam setting sugar to su substitute for pectin if u are making jams or jellies. Csr jam setting sugar works well as they contain pectin.

What about fresh yeast? Would freezing kill fresh yeast then? I was told that if fresh yeast is store under the temperature of negative 26 , yeast will die.

Wow! I learn so much, the reason why I asked was because at my previous work we used to keep the brioche dough in the fridge for a week, not even frozen or pre shaped before frosting. , And we use the dough to roll up in to donut balls, proof them then fry them. However at my current work, I was told to never use a brioche dough that has been in the fridge for more than 24 hour! I am so confused. I never came to the term autolyse before and it's definitely the word I'll be using more often instead of a long descriptive sentence to describe the process.

What does autolise mean?

Will it make the dough last longer if I freeze them, then defrost on the day I need to shape them? Or is that going to ruin the whole dough like killing the yeast ?

How long can a brioche dough keep in the fridge before shaping and proving again? Or does brioche dough have to be made, risen, shape and proved within a 24 hour cycle?

Emily R and Jeannecake, maybe is it s a stupid idea to give myself a time frame, and 4 month till I finish my second year seem like a good excuse. I have been looking for jobs that may be up at the moment, and I'm afraid I have to keep looking for a while. I don't feel comfortable quitting either when I do not already have another job. I still love what I do, but I guess you guys are right, it's not worth the constant emotional stress and 4 months will do me nothing but further breakdown. The things that my work does are interesting but I figured I probably could not endure until the time comes when they may be willing to show me how to make them, if the time will ever come. At the moment, I am put at a bakery section on my own which I very much do not enjoy for the hard demand of heavy lifting of doughs, and since they fired the guy, I am the only one there that could take up his job, which is also why I figured she haven't fired me yet. it's tough but I am sure everywhere else, this kind of things happen, but as for the stress that I am dealing with, maybe I am just not as tough a person as some may be to handle. Thank you again for taking time to advice. I really appreciate it

I've seen my chef makes a batch of white macarons and later on spray gun different colors on them for varieties. U can even get like shade effect. Or you can paint them with dry color dust with a brush. I have to clarify that my chef did not spray the whole macaron with the color, just for a light shade.

I have decided to stay on for 4 more month for until then i would have completed my second year. I reckon it will be easier if i look for a 3 rd year apprentice job rather than a half way through second year. I am not even sure if I will be still alive by that time, but all I'm thinking about right now is just go with it and take in as much abuse as I could for 4 months. Stuart, i think it is probably worth trying to talk to my chef about how I feel but somehow I have a feeling it won't change a thing. There are people who are angry all the time but do not realize it, but then there are those that generally feels that there is nothing wrong with being angry all the time because they have the reason to and because she is the boss. The reason I am saying this is because on my 2nd week, a guy that has been working there one year was fired because he said one of her product is shit. It was the most intimidating scene.

Just two days ago I received my order for Christophe Felder book ' patisserie'. I was so excited walking out from the post office only to come home to find out that it is written in French! So I went online and hunt around to see of this awesome book actually comes in English version, it does and it will be published on february next year! I pre ordered the English version, but right now I am just picture browsing on the French one. Tee hee I would highly recommend this book for dessert lovers because of its step by step photos and the amazing stuff and ideas in it. It's pink too!

Hi pastry girl, I totally understand what you mean. It totally make sense what you are saying. My first year apprentice I wasn't under any supervision at all. I was working alone most of the time which is weird. I was only under supervision for the first 3 months and then I was left to do my job on my own. when my chefs were with me in the kitchen, they would normally show me the way things should be done and I would go up to them to make sure that things are done right. Otherwise, I will be given jobs to do on my own that they are confident that I have done numerous times before. So I guess, this is also the reason why I am not sure how a kitchen environment should be at all. The new place that I work at is really busy and it makes sense why they do not have the patience to wait and stop for someone like me, which is also why I am really stressed out about it because of the intensity and stressful environment, I am agitated to be at work in fear of stuffing up yet again and be yelled at. I can make a product off a recipe by myself after once that they have shown me from step one. It is more of my pace, the way I work and being confused that got them fired up. Hmmm... How long should a person be able to get on top of everything in a new kitchen? It's been six weeks for me and I guess I am being a little slow.

Thank you so much for taking time to read my post and the kind advices. Jeannecake, to answer your question, yes, my head chef was the one that interviewed me and gave me the job. On top of that I made certain that she is aware that I have only been in the industry for only 20 months prior to starting at her patisserie. I did write down notes and have a workflow ready for the next day every night before I go to bed. I guess it was the unexpected new tasks that I get every day that sets my plan to jeapordy. All the time I did ask for my chef to check on the job that they assigned me to before proceeding further, and then i was told to bring my brain to work and have " a brain of an elephant". I don't know what that meant exactly but it was really embarrassing for me. When I ask several times to confirm on something, I was told to be more responsible and I shouldn't always expect to be babysitted . From all of the replies that I have gotten from all of you, I think I have come down to a conclusion, it sort of clarify that the behavior that I have been consuming the past month and a half from the chefs at this new place is not right. I have been holding it in trying to tell myself that this is what the kitchen life is suppose to be and that everyone that used to be a novice like me have to go though it atleast once in their training life. At frst i thought it was an intentional gesture justbto test how far i can go with the abuse, but in alot of way, i feel like if this is a test, its the most horrible one. I do not know the reason for her intense madness against me, and I thought it was because I was really stupid. I am grateful for all the supportive comment that I have gotten so far from all of you guys. I guess I will have to start looking for a new place and endure the time being until some place new, some place with better chefs are willing to take me in. Thank your thank you thank you!

This may sound weak and stupid, but there is no where else I could find honest opinion frOm apart from this forum which I pray may have a good advice for me. I am 28 years of age and have just started an apprenticeship in patisserie for the past 20 months. I have recently got a job at a new pattiserie place. The first week was tough for I was trying very hard to get the idea of how the new kitchen works and went home every night to write down everything that I have learnt in my little notebook as a guidance for the next day. 4 weeks past and I am still trying and I was beginning to feel like I could never do anything right. The whole kitchen is filled with females and I have been constantly yelled at and my head chef would shove trays and throw stuff in front of my face (not hitting me ofcourse). There was one time when I was so confused with the bake off process and was scurrying around looking for empty trays that my head chef have had it and she was literally yelling and asking me if I really want to work there and that she does not have time to babysit me. I went home for the first time of my adult life crying like a baby. Ever since that day, I could not sleep easier than when I first started and I have been a nervous wreck about going back to the kitchen. I feared being verbally abused and told that I am stupid. My friends tell me that I am allowed to be slow and even seem stupid because this is what an apprenticeship is about. I am not meant to be a pro and know everything which would defeat the purpose of an apprenticeship. Somehow I feel like the abuse has nothing to do with my experience but more on my common sense that I lack and the need for thorough guidance. And also because I am not 18 it may seem ridiculous for chefs to want to guide me through and the only best way is to yell at me, which I have to confess is not really doing me any good. There was a time that a chef told me that I need to bring my brain to work! I felt humiliated and at the same time offended by such comment. I mean, I know it is tough working in the kitchen, but because the past 20 months I came from a kitchen where non of these abuse would ever take place, I feel like this new place has something against me. I want to go on being a pastry chef and be qualified at it soon, but somehow this new place is preventing me in thinking that I will ever be good enough. I have the urge of leaving for all my peers seem to be telling me that. My boyfriend saw me crying and trembling so bad that he was insisting that I should look for a new place. The problem is, I am not sure if I was only lucky to have gotten in a good people place for my previous job or that all other kitchens are going to be the same as the one I am in now. If I do give up on it just because I am getting scolding everyday, would that categorize me as incapable for this industry? It has been 6 weeks past now and I am still not able to get over the anxiety and fear of going to work. I get by the days with taking many deep breath while I walk to work. I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I am hoping someone could give me an advice or even a reality check on whether I should even be doing this. I really am passionate about patisserie but I am afraid my soft spoken nature is no help for me to make it in this industry. Have anyone been through the same? If you have, how did you go through with it? And if you are the chefs I mention of, why do you so much abuse?

Hi, I am currently doing my apprenticeship for patisserie at a new place and I have got to say that they make one of the brioche that I have ever tasted. At work, the make this scrumptious blueberry with creme patisserie and topped with coconut crumble brioche rectAngles and oh my god, they are so good. I have been keeping myself a fresh baked ones every morning with a comlimentary coffee! It's an absolute delight!

I tried making the simplest banana bread for an afternoon snack on this cold wheather, since I have some ripened banana that I can use. I failed miserably. The inside did not cook, but I managed to save the sides that are cooked and had them instead. I took it for granted that banana bread are easy to make, I don't really know what is wrong, but my best bet is that the size of the tin are too small for the recipe I used. Bummer:(

I have just recently been fascinated by sweet verrine and for Christmas this year, I made a raspberry compote with layered lychee mousse, dacquoise sponge, lychee mousse and black current jelly on the top! They were yummy, atleast that was what my supporting friends were telling me! I have also been looking up books for ideas. Verrines are fun and boy do they look pretty with the right colourful combination of flavours that you can come up with! LOVE THEM!

The above reply was to Tom Gengo

You were right, so happens that I misread the instructions. Instead of adding one tspoon of the 1/4 cup of sugar in the milk and yeast, I added the whole 1/4 cup!! hahahah but the second time around when I retry making the sponge, the mix starts bubbling in less than 10 minutes!!! It was soooooo INTERESTING!!!!!!!!! I even bough books to read about yeast!!!!!!! Thank you, u must be a very experienced bread maker!!!!!

Thanks pierogi I am going to make brioche for the second time today and hopefully the result would be better. I want to perfect them before I move on to the next step in using them for donuts Bread making is so addictive and fulfilling! I can't stop!!!! Thanks thanks!!!!!

Hi all, Thanks for the insights about Yeast. I did not realize there is so much to learn about them. I guess I underestimated the makings of bread. ! This is the outcome of my first attempt. The top was burnt before the bottom bits get to be fully cooked. It tasted alright, just a little dry. Any idea why so? http://s1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee448/almondmeal/ I have one more question! How many times do we have to proof the dough? I proofed them once, but some recipes I read said to proof them twice. And If I do proof them twice, do I put the dough in the fridge after the first them and them let it rise again? I am using the instant yeast packets that I bought from the supermarket.

You are right? After an hour of waiting, the mixture was still very liquid. I therefore retry the approach, only this time I heat the milk for a shorter time and the yeast starts working within 15 minutes!!!!!!! This is getting exciting, I am still proving my dough and hopefully I will see result!!!! I can;t wait till I could bake them!!!! this is going to be interesting!!! Thank you lesliec!!

I am a novice in baking and am attempting to make some brioche out of curiosity. The recipe that I got instruct me to add in some milk, yeast and sugar and wait until its ready to mix with the rest of the dry ingredients. How would I know when its ready? I googled about it and I know that they are meant to go frothy, but it has been almost over 45 minutes now and it still seem rather liquid. I did warmed up the milk a little, and am wondering what did I do wrong? Could it be the content of the sugar, which was 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of sugar and i sachet of 75 g of dry yeast! Any advice?

It looks awesome!!!!!

That looks amazing! Yummm..... Yea, making macaron is really addictive, once you start you can;t stop! lol!!!

I just found out too that macarons baked off from a silpat comes out with better feet compare to baking them off with baking paper after knocking down the macaron batter to make them flat. I also find that if you were to knock the macaron on a baking paper, while knocking, it kinda crease around the macaron batter that makes the paper stick on the side and hard for the macaron to form a feet when baked. True that Scout-21 , my chef always say that having the recipe is one thing, having the true skill is another. Skills takes practice and years of experience, and I reckon even if I have the best macaron recipe in the world, I still lack the skills to perfect them. Which comes down to "Practice makes perfect"!