Tutorials 16

Here is a list of popular tutorials on Renaissance Culinaire. Here you can learn step-by-step instructions on a variety of foodie related things. This page will be updated as more tutorials are added.



Learn How TO:

Reverse Macro w/ A Digital Camera

Procedure For Tuile Stencil Cookies

Make A Simple Proofbox for Home Use

Use Greasemonkey Scripts for Culinary

Make Shortbread Tarts

Shape Croissants

Make Chocolate Croissants

Make Great Pate a Choux

Be A Successful Baker

Find The Sex of a Dungenous Crab

Maintian Your Rolling Pin

Sheet Croissant Dough

Eliminate "Black Holes" in Food Photography Pics

Make your own Praline Paste 

Beat Cooking Anxiety!

Beat hunger in America ~ Find a Food Pantry in your area!

Women: Learn how you can be awarded a photography scholarship of your dreams!

How to find Edible Mushrooms in Oregon

Get your face or company logo on M&Ms

How to get the best food shots with a basic digital camera

Groups to join if you love food or are a foodie

Turn your kitchen into a licensed home bakery Part #1, and Part #2

These tutorials are written by me and are original content. These tutorials may not be reproduced without my permission.

Recipes for Muffins Scones and Pastries 7

Here is a list of muffin and pastry formulas that have been featured on Renaissance Culinaire. Some of these formulas are commercial baking formulas that can be reduced for home use. This page will continue to be updated as more recipes are added.

Thanks Darwin Bell For Use of his Photo.

Fresh Fruit Napoleons with Blackberry Curd

Banana - Rum Napoleons

Croissant with a starter

Hot Pepper Gingerbread Muffins with Orange-Maple Butter

Gulab Jamun | Indian Sweets

Pate A Choux , Éclairs & Cream Puffs revisited

Callebaut Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Scones

Crispies (Italian puff pastry based, similar tasting as American Elephant Ear)

Scratch Italian Puff Pastry

Croissant Madness 1

Here are a list of Croissant related posts from Renaissance Culinaire:

Renaissance Culinaire Related Posts:

• Baking Theory Notes: Fermentation Chemistry
• The Story of The Croissant
• Technique: Shaping Croissants
• Technique: Chocolate croissant
• Walnut croissant & French turn overs
• Formula/recipe: Croissant with a starter
• My first competency has come and gone...
• Quotes from a pastry master...
• baking 101
  

The Story of The Croissant 0

My old instructor, originally from Denmark and a long line of Bakery heritage, would talk fondly about lessons he had learned. A smile would spread from ear to ear, his eyes brimmed with excitement as he talked of bakery times. On one such occasion my group in Laminated pastry station, were gathered around the 40 qt Hobart - waiting for a batch of croissant dough to reach full development.

Do you know the story of croissant dough? A long, long , long time ago The Turks were invading Vienna. Everyone retreated to hide. As there was constant strife - many normal practices were shut down, this included Bakeries --- baking was deemed forbidden. Forming alliances Bakers made deep underground "bakeries". The Turks, while seeking a strategic attack that would overwhelm The Viennese --- found out about the bakeries , troops were ordered to start tunneling toward these secret caves.

As the tunneling neared , Fighting the Turks off with everything they could , a lone baker was able to run and alert the king's guard, and The Turks were defeated. The King told these bakers " Since you have shown such loyalty and bravery, I declare, If you create a pastry, I will patent the formula and name it for you", so out came croissant dough. Although it had quite less layers or butter as modern dough does. It also contained a small amount of egg. In Europe it is widely called "Vienna Pastry". It's Formula still can be found made today.

I have learned that to find the story behind your formulas -- it can prove quite interesting.

Technique: Shaping Croissants 0

Dough taken out of the cooler should be re-sheeted to 4 1/2 mm. Flour sheeter & dough, with fold turned toward you.

[Production ]Plain:

(I don't have a photograph of this, I found this on the web. These croissants are very small! Not at all like the ones we make .)

You need to have a rectangle measuring 14 x 7 inches.

Cut in [increments of 7 inches] .



Take you pastry wheel /pizza cutter/pastry knife and cut triangles (7 inches to tip) (3-4 inches at widest part). Scaled these should way about 3 1/2 oz.

With clean bench scraper, score 1/2 inch cut , centered at the widest part of the triangle[base]

With your fingers , gently tug the corners [at the base] and pull until the scored cut seperates.

With the triangle point toward you, reach & fold the base edge toward you and under. (this roll should be tight)

One hand should now hold the triangle point. With the other hand - place palm down, centered on roll just created, pull down with a "sweeping motion". Roll until 3 cascading layers have been created in your rolled dough.

Fold thin sides inward -- The center side with the triangles thinnest part will be kept inside . Lightly press ends together.


Chez Jean Cluadet Pattisserie Picture od frozen croissant & final product. Lovely!


After proofing, brush with eggwash.



Eggwash

Egg
milk (enouph to add lighter color)
pinch of salt

beat with wire whisk. keep on ice if out for long periods.


Pan, no more than 12 on a sheet with parchment.

Baked when you feel flakiness. Bottom is browned. Croissant is stable.

Technique: Chocolate croissant 5

Chez Jean Claude pattisserie More beautiful illustrations.

This is an expandable cutter.


Arctica Baking & catering equipment

Have a expandable cutter set at 3 1/2 , cut your rolled dough, steadily run the blades across.

Cut into squares. 4x4 rows.

add French chocolate bar to edge of squares. Roll until short & fat.

once proofed. Brush with egg wash.

Baked when bottom is browned & the pastry is stable.

Walnut croissant & French turn overs 5

Walnut croissant & French turn overs, originally uploaded by Amber*.

Some of the pastry I have been making. Tommorow is my groups last day in the laminated dough station. It is also a test day.

It is amazing how ones confidence can soar, once you get a little bench work in.

I have too many irons in the fire as of late, so my writing is suffering. I had tapped into a good vien there for a spell. Now writers block has bruised me, like one big hematoma, I cannot see past the cosmetic details.

My photography on the other hand has been unearthed. I carry my camera everywhere now. I have over 4,000 photos in my flickr account. Go figure....

Formula/recipe: Croissant with a starter 4

[this is a small production formula (40qt mixer) - reduce for home use]


[Bakers %]: Starter
[100] 5# 8 oz. Organic bread flour
[60 ] 4# 5 oz. Ice water
[.25 ] -- ½ oz. Compressed yeast

Dissolve the yeast in water. Add flour and mix until incorporated. Desired dough temp. is 62° F. [DO NOT Develop the gluten)

Ferment overnight in the retarder.

Final Dough:

[100] 5# 8 oz. Organic bread flour
[47] 3#5½ oz. Water
[19] 1# 7 oz. Sugar
[4] --- 5 oz. Malt
[4] --- 5 oz. Milk powder

[4] --- 8 oz. Compressed yeast

[4] --- 5 oz. Salt

[126] ALL of The Starter

---- 1/8 tablet ascorbic acid(Par-C)

[7] --- 9 oz. Butter(soft)

Mixing:

Combine water & ascorbic acid in 40 qt bowl

• Dissolve yeast in liquid
• Stir dry ingredients by hand
• Add butter when dough starts to develop
• Short mix
• Fermentation: 1 hr, 30 minutes in the retarder
• Scale dough into 3 pieces at 7# 12 oz.

Roll-in Technique:

• Roll-in butter(i.e Cremerie Classique or a European style butter with high fat content)
• For Each piece : 2 # 4oz. (Total = 6#, 12 oz. plus 6 oz. Extra for the bowl & paddle)
• Soften the roll-in butter in mixer.

To roll-in butter; Make a rectangle with your dough(make sure to even out edges)Run the side of your hand down the middle of the dough, to make a slight divide; now make a rectangle with the butter [2#4oz.] about 2-3 inches thick, and as wide as half of your dough rectangle [on bench]. Flatten the butter with your hands. Pick up the butter & put onto your dough. Make sure the butter fills out most of the area to the edges. Fold the 3 sides' dough edges up & over the butter. Fold the remaining dough half, over - to cover the butter filled side.

Feel around the edges. You should be able to feel the butter - all the way to the edge. If you can't, place the heel of your hand in the center of the dough, place your other hand on top[heel to thumb] Almost like you are giving CPR compressions. Firmly apply pressure toward the edges --You want to move the butter outward to the further most edges.

Desired dough temp: 62°F

Retard.

Sheeting:

• Roll dough 3X3
• Flour sheeter & dough [w/ out enouph flour sheeter will ruin & tear dough]
• Use rolling pin to roll dough to a thinner width[to fit through sheeter]
• [this is 1x] Sheet to 7-8 mm When you reach 8mm stop & sweep dough clean of flour. Fold left side toward center, stop at 2/3, fold right side over that.
• Flour again
• [this is 2x] Turn fold opening [always] toward you on sheeter. Continue until you reach 7-8 mm.
• Sweep flour.Fold from left to right.
• [3x] flour again.Turn fold opening toward you. Sheet to 8mm.Sweep flour. When done fold left to center, right should meet left in center. Then take both sides and close as you would a book.
• Put on sheet pan, covered, freeze or retard for future use.
  

Baking Theory: Notes on Bread Baking 2

Baking:

1. Oven Spring {created in 5-8 minutes in oven, accelerated fermentation process}

- Fermentation process

1. Once dough reaches 140°F {yeast dies}
2. Once dough reaches 165°F-175°F {gluten coagulates}
3. Considered Par-baked --> ["brown n' serve products"] can be pulled from oven.
4. Because products are Not caramelized--> causes quicker staling.
   

- Caramelization

1. Browning
2. Internal temperature of fully baked bread = 210°F
3. bread is sterile
   

Potato Bread shown here is rotated for even browning. Then baked until...

..It has caramelized. Potato Bread ready to cool.

Rule of thumb for Oven temps :

• LEAN products -

1. The lower in fat, sugar , eggs {examples are Baguette or Italian Bread};
2. also if Smaller units

• RICHER products

1. The Warmer, hotter oven
2. The higher in fat, sugar , eggs { i.e Danish or Croissant}
3. also if larger units
4. The cooler the oven

- Cooling, Slicing & Packaging

-{Once you have mold in an area - spores will spread. Use vinegar to kill both mold & spores}

DO NOT put in plastic bag & close before product is cool --> Mold will develope!

1. via Condensation

When to package:

1. 95°F - 100°F is optimal temp --> {cool}
2. Use back of hand to test for cool to touch

My first competency has come and gone... 0

Why was I so anxious? There is this thing I do when I really care about something. I become very nervous, So nervous you could freeze butter in my brain --- due to the frigid state I go to. My body screams "code red" & "all hands on deck".

I am so busy with the anxiety that I don't concentrate on what is happening around me in real time.

Ok.

- maybe that is a bit exaggerated (I luv the Seinfeld characters).

Well I had my competency. I had only been in class for 8 days, so I was thinking to myself that the whole thing would be interesting. It was.

We are assigned to groups, one of these members is a 2nd year management student. The others are 2nd quarter students and me. We rotate to different positions in the bakery. Mind you this is a real working production/retail bakery.

We all knew there was a test. And The head instructor , which is from Denmark & a 4th generation baker, is testing us.

Well we draw from scraps of paper what we will be tested on. We go to pull our doughs (we've made the day before) from the reach-in retarder. No danish dough! There are 4 croissant & 1 puff pastry dough.

We are not supposed to communicate with each other, only the instructor.

But with the dough missing we shoot perplexed glances at each other. Look in the walk-in retarder, the reach-in freezer....we find the danish dough, rock solid in the walk-in freezer.

I run to his office. HE comes in confirms this. Well now we must work with the croissant dough.

I draw "plain croissants" ,

Carl says:

"you know he's going to ream you if you don't do them perfectly --- croissants are his thing"

I didn't do too bad I just forgot to add flour to the top of the dough while sheeting...so we couldn't use all of the dough, because the flour is a lubricant. IF not used while sheeting, the sheeter will "eat" it. There were holes in places -- and you want croissant dough intact(for the layers)

I did make about 20 croissants. He said they weren't half bad. ( I am thanking god right then, because this was only my second time making them).

HE told me to help Suzie. She was scaling out ingredients for Danish dough with a starter. She had everything except the ice water. I got that. We put the fresh yeast and water, and the pieces of ascorbic acid into the 40qt mixing bowl and I hand whisked it, with a wire whisk. We added the dry ingredients. The Hobart was going at 1st speed. Oops , the mixer looked like cookie dough. Suzie forgot the starter, which had been fermenting in the walk-in retarder over night. We added the started but he mixer was too dry and it wasn't congealing, the first mixture was mixed into the starter in big chunks. There was no way to save the dough.We had to throw it out.

Turns out we all screwed up in some form or another. The Instructor even commented that :

"today when you woke up you guys should have went back to bed"

He was chuckling though.

When it was my turn to go into the office. He commented on my croissants. And they weren't that bad. He also said that right now I am along for the ride, by next quarter I will be in the groove of things.

SO after I walked out of there I realized I would do alright. I am no longer anxious, I just want to do well.

baking 101 0

baking 101
Originally uploaded by abstract2concrete.
So now I am alive with pure joy, knowing I will be pursuing a degree I love.
And I have always thought that there was such a realness to all the people I have met in the Culinary industry.

I remember classes from 5 years ago {for my chef certification}I was 18 years old. - on one such occasion in the hot summer, all the windows open and the oven going.

Fellow students - Chad and someone else were making flat breads or was it rolls? Hmm.

Well on with the story. They were teasing me about being a "newbie" in the culinary class. Chad at one point exclaimed "You have much to learn, grasshopper" with a snicker.

Eventually I was taken into the normal routines of kitchen life, and I earned the respected role of old timer, to other new culinary students.

Well now I feel as though I am a grasshopper again. Today was rather laid back. Not much was expected of me -- being a new student. When I wasn't observing, I scaled out 2 croissant master recipes for tomorrow morning. Later my peers and I watched the ingredients for the dough forming and congealing as it was whisked back and forth with the dough hook, in the Hobart. I love the smell of bread dough.