New Developments & Announcements 04-15-2011

We have a number of new developments so far this year, to streamline our operation.

First, we have moved our warehouse/office/production to a bigger location but still in the Pasig area. We can now be contacted at 792-2977 or 792-2967 for general concerns, and 792-2998 for fax.

Secondly, we focused our efforts on building up our sister brand and hence got a little sidetracked with Bakers Depot's operation. We will be shifting our focus back to rebuilding Bakers Depot into a destination place for baking enthusiasts.

Thirdly, we are consolidating our Starmall location (effective this week) into our other outlets, this should help us focus our efforts onto our main stores instead of spreading thin.

Fourth, our new website's domain has been registered at www.bakers-depot.com and we look forward to the continued development of the website. Its coming along slowly but so far looks great!

There are a couple events which we weren't able to coordinate very well last year, especially with most of our time & efforts directed at our sister brand, however we hope to slowly restart our promotional efforts again with Bakers Depot later this year.

New Developments & Announcements 03-08-2010

First update is about our two special events hosted recently, the first at Robinsons Place Manila and the second at Walter Mart Munoz/North EDSA. We had chefs from San Miguel, Ferna, and Zeelandia as well as our in-house chefs performing baking demos to fully packed crowds! We were very excited to see a great turnout for these two events and hope to do more in the future. (Pictures to follow)

Secondly, we are developing a number of improvements to the website, which is very late in coming but they are very exciting!!

So far, we are planning a VERSION 2 of the Bakers Depot website, and this new version should include more graphics, pictures, and other goodies. We will also attempt an e-store however we're not sure yet how exactly it will function. We will also add an online catalog, complete with prices and pictures so for those who have been inquiring about our products, this one's for you!

Third, we will also attempt to have e-flyers set up and an online mailing list organized as soon as the Bakers Depot v2 website is fully functional!

We are going to be very busy this year, and based on whats already happened the first 2 months of the year, its shaping up to be quite an exciting year! Also look forward to our 2nd Annual CHOCOLATE OVERLOAD sale later on this year!

New Developments & Announcements 01-07-2010

Happy New Year! We at Bakers Depot would like to wish all our customers and guests a happy and prosperous new year. A new year brings new opportunities and as such, we have many updates for all our customers and guests!

1. First of all, we would like to extend a big THANK YOU to all our patrons during the Christmas season, and offer our apologies if the item you wanted was out of stock during this time. We were absolutely swamped at our stores, especially our Victory Mall location which we adoringly call "eskinita" ("alley" in English). Just like last year, we are currently in the restocking phase, so we may have outages here and there of specific items. If ever there's an item you need and its not in stock, you can place an order through our stores and we will get it rushed for pickup at the store as soon as humanly possible.

2. We have opened another store, making for a total of 7 total stores! Our newest store opening is in Robinsons Metro East, located at Ground Floor between Goldilock's and Mercury Drug. The mall is located between Marikina and Pasig/Cainta and is in the center of the eastern Metro Manila region -- very accessible via jeepney, taxi, or tricycle.


3. We are finalizing our Valentine's Day products, and will launch towards the end of January. We will update this post as soon as the preparations are complete, so look forward to it! We will have special heart shaped chocolates, a new line of sugar flowers, and others that are perfect for Valentine's Day.

4. During the Christmas season, we launched a number of new product lines -- we have the introduction of "Classic Chocolates by Chef Andrew" currently with two available flavors, darksweet and bittersweet, and our "Ready-to-Sell Cake Bases", available in brownie flavor and packed in bulk packaging.

New Developments & Announcements 10-04-09

First up, we have recently opened our newest branch at Robinsons Place Manila, right next to Bee Cheng Hiang. We are located on Level 1 of the mall, nearest to the Padre Faura Street entrance. Robinsons Place Manila is bordered by Padre Faura Street, M. Adriatico Street, and Pedro Gil Street in Malate (Ermita), Metro Manila.

Second is a simple list of the bazaars that we will be participating in for October through December of 2009. This can also be found on the Google Calendars widget to the right (once I finish updating it).
Oct 1, 2009 up to March 31, 2010 >> St Francis Square Bazaar
Oct 15 to 18, 2009 >> DTI Exporters Expo at the World Trade Center Tent ( between PTTC & WTC)
Nov 25 to 30, 2009 >> Noel Bazaar at the World Trade Center (Booth #263) at Sen Gil Puyat , Pasay
Dec 4 to 16, 2009 >> Worldbex Bazaar at the World Trade Center (Booth #537)
Dec 18 to 20 , 2009 >> Noel Bazaar at the World Trade (Booth #117)
Dec 16 to 22, 2009 >> 2nd Manila Toys & Gift Show at Megatrade Hall 2, Level 5, Mega B, SM Megamall (Booth #84)

Last update is a reminder that if anyone would like bulk orders of ingredients or other items for Christmas, now or the following couple of weeks would be the excellent time to make your orders so that we can prepare for the Christmas rush and set aside a portion of our holidays inventory in advance. We can be reached at any of our stores or by e-mail (see the above tabs for our stores or e-mail link).

Business Development Ideas 09-02-09

I've always been interested in hearing the stories of our customers buying from Bakers Depot, and how they use our products. One recurring story is a baking project that they want or have turned into a business. This particular segment will feature ideas, suggestions, tips, links, and other features that may be of interest to those who want to take the next step in their baking passions, and turn it into a vibrant business.

Publications like newspapers and magazines are important to show us whats out there, whats hot, or whats new. One particular publication showcasing new business trends is Entrepreneur Magazine. I chose this magazine to feature particularly because of the September 2009 issue's discussion on the red hot trend of bazaars.

It is perfect timing for the Christmas holidays! This issue is highly recommended for businesses-to-be, especially due to the place of food and tiangges in our culture and during the holidays.

Food is the great equalizer in our society -- all levels enjoy the upcoming holidays with food and feasting. Many people may not buy ensaymada or cakes every day for personal consumption but once the holidays roll around, you can bet that baked goods sales skyrocket. If you can bake, you can sell, and what better way to sell than in bazaars where the costs are cheap with plentiful people around? There is almost zero risk in starting out in bazaars.

Check out the Entrepreneur September 2009 issue and read up about participating in bazaars. By the way, we will be participating in some of these bazaars so hopefully we'll see you there! Make sure to stop by and say hi!

If you want to know more, make sure to head to Entrepreneur.com.ph for additional information.

New Developments & Announcements 8-23-09

We've got plenty of new updates, rightfully so after a 3-month hiatus from posting new content. Here's the lowdown on what we've been up to in the meanwhile:

First up, is that we've closed our Pergola Paranaque branch and have plans to move it closer to Manila. We are still exploring new locations however, so we ask that regular customers of our Pergola branch first go to our Walter Mart Makati, Starmall, or Robinsons Galleria branches while we search for a better location near the south areas.

Second, we are running a Chocolate Overload Annual Sale Event at our stores from August 15, 2009 to September 15, 2009. For buying specific quantities (listed below) of our chocolate, we are offering a corresponding free gift.

Third, we are planning a new super-premium, super-delectable, and super-yummy new chocolate brand. Similar to the Maiden and Bakers Depot brand chocolates, this chocolate was developed with a lot of input and effort to get the right flavor formulation. However unlike the two other brands, this will be a top quality chocolate. We will make more announcements once this is further down the implementation stage, so stay tuned to the website's updates for more information.

Fourth, we're also now offering liquor for use in fruitcakes and/or cooking, and graham crackers in a 700g can @ Php165/can, all until supplies last.

Last, but not least, we are carrying the book "Guru of Meat Processing in the Philippines" by Lourdes Santos Rivera at Php499/book. The author is well known for her meat processing classes, and we've even had some customers give us feedback that they've taken the classes. This is the perfect opportunity to brush up on your meat processing skills before the Christmas holiday gift giving rush. May we also remind our customers that we offer curing/spice ingredients for meat processing at our locations or for special orders that can be picked up at any of our outlet stores.

Baking Basics 101 - Yeast & Fermentation

Yeast and chemical leaveners are responsible for the beautiful rise in breads and other baked goods. Without them, all our breads & pastries would look like flatbreads. Thus they have one single purpose in baking: to make our baked goods rise.

Yeast
Yeast-rising is the result of the yeast releasing carbon dioxide into doughs while being exposed to certain levels of heat. Yeast is a living organism, cultured in commercial quantity from the fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The discovery of yeast bread may most likely have been an accident due to the pervasiveness of fungus microorganisms all around us. In many ancient civilizations, the yeast used for liquor and bread were one and the same.

Later on, when Louis Pasteur was able to refine the growth of bacteria, the possibility of commercial yeast became reality. All this commercialization would eventually lead to the packaged yeast that we are familiar with today as well as specialized varieties of yeast for both liquor making and bread baking. Some of these include compressed fresh yeast, active dry yeast, and instant active dry yeast to name a few. More information on available yeast varities will be covered in the next article.

Fermentation
Yeast uses the sugar present in flour and the dough as food, combines them with oxygen, and releases carbon dioxide and small amounts of alcohol, ketones, and aldehydes. Without available oxygen such as the case of being trapped in liquid, the yeast starts producing large quantities of alcohol (hence the reason why yeast is important to liquor making). In the case of bread, as carbon dioxide is released by yeast the molecules of carbon dioxide become trapped in the gluten matrix. This is where we get the first part of the rising action in breads, the proofing stage. As heat is added to the dough (such as when the dough goes into the oven), the heat causes the carbon dioxide to expand further, also causing the gluten matrix to push outwards. This continues until the carbon dioxide dissipates from the dough via steam and heat. The byproduct remnants of yeast such as alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes contribute to the flavor of yeast bread. An overproofed bread causes the yeast to start running out of "food" early and causes the flavor to change (in a bad way) as well as making the gluten matrix too weak to hold up the final product's own weight (which means the bread will collapse easily, have too many holes, or have extra large holes inside).

Yeast breads down flour starch into sugars using invertase while flour has its own enzymes called amylases that also break down carbohydrate in starch to sugars. Thus if we want to improve the amount of food available for yeast and bacteria (and have nice expansion of dough), we need to increase the amount of starch broken down and converted into sugar.

Luckily, there are a couple methods that can help. One method, used commonly in sourdough, is to introduce bacteria into the dough that will work together with yeast and break down and convert the starches quickly. Another method is to incorporate a chef or starter into the dough so as to introduce wild bacteria in addition to the yeast. Chefs and starters are basically leftover dough containing an active yeast population. A third method is to use diastatic malt powder or malt syrup to the mixture (these are sweeteners made from barley or other grains), which contains additional enzymes to break down the starch and maltose to provide food for both bacteria and yeast. Added side benefits include more moisture and sweetness, although the powdered version is preferred in bread dough to avoid sticky dough. Imagine maple syrup or corn syrup and dough. Yes, "icky-sticky" type of sticky.

The next article will focus on different yeast products available in the markets. (But not necessarily in the Philippines)

New Developments & Announcements 5-18-09

As some of you may have seen, we're still revamping the Baking Demos at our stores. Our apologies to any of our customers or visitors if there wasn't a demo when it was scheduled on the calendar. So far we've had to "butt heads" a bit with the mall operators to try to get this to work. Here's the recent lowdown on whats happening:

1. We have established regular locations that will allow us to host the demos on a more consistent basis. This means that the demos (unless changes are noted) should be at the same following locations in each mall whenever they are scheduled:

• Walter Mart Makati - 5th Floor Activity Center
• Walter Mart North EDSA/Munoz - Outside Simply Bread/Pasti on Ground Floor
• Pergola Mall Paranaque - Hallway between Simply Bread and Kopi Roti
• Starmall EDSA-Shaw - 2nd Floor Activity Center
• Victory Central Mall Caloocan - Inside our original location

Notice the absence of Robinsons Galleria in the list. For the time being, until we finish negotiating with the mall management, we would advise our customers to head to Starmall EDSA-Shaw's 2nd Floor Activity Center to see the Baking Demos.

2. We have added, in addition to the daily staff demos on chocolate lollipop and Baking Demos by suppliers, a new program at the stores called [M.Y.C.] Mold Your Chocopops. This program incorporates a group set of items and will have active participation by our customers in making their own chocolate lollipops (or chocopops for short). Our goal is to show our customers that chocolate making need not be difficult.

3. We have also added Chef Orly Pancho to our lineup of guests to host our Baking Demos. He has over 15 years of experience in the foodservice industry and specializes in breads, pastries, and other baked goods. He has previously worked with Delifrance as their R&D.

New Developments & Announcements 5-11-09

We will be adding some exciting new products at our stores. There's been a demand for new items in our packaging product lines and we've found 2 products that are very promising. Our meat processing lineup has also been finalized and is listed below, as mentioned previously in our 4/21/09 update.

But before talking about the new products, we'd like to announce our participation in the Robinsons Malls 3-Day May Back To School Sale, ongoing from May 15 (up to midnight), May 16 and May 17 (Regular Mall Hours).

We will also be having a sale in ALL stores from May 14 to 31, 2009 with select products going Buy 1 Take 1 or discounts up to 30% off! Some of these items include:

• our popular Chef Grater
• egg beater
• foil packaging
• plastic bag packaging with designs

As for the new products, first up are the COPP Plastic bags which stand for Co-polymer Polypropylene. It is a type of plastic based on PP (Polypropylene) but is clearer at the expense of being slightly harder and thicker. It can resist alkali and acidic properties quite well like most PP plastics and can stand higher heat temperatures, also similar to most PP plastics. For a nice comparison chart of the most widely used plastic types, visit here. The sizes and prices are listed in the chart below:

Size	Price
4.5" x 7"	P10.00 / 10 pcs
5" x 8"	P12.50 / 10 pcs
6" x 9"	P16.00 / 10 pcs
7" x 11"	P24.00 / 10 pcs
9" x 14"	P40.00 / 10 pcs

For every 100pcs of any size, free 10 pcs pkg of the same size. Prices/availability valid as of May 11, and are subject to change.

For our second new product, we also have Scala boxes available for retail at smaller quantities in our stores. If you have ever eaten cakes and desserts sent by friends/family/acquaintances or been to a dessert shop, then chances are you've already seen their products! Scala has been in the printing and packaging business for more than 40 years and manufacture awesome cake boards/boxes that can rival the quality of imported cake boards/boxes. Lori Baltazar has even written about Scala boxes in her food blog, Dessert Comes First. Our available sizes and prices are listed in the chart below:

Size	Price
Red kraft box, size 10x10x4.5	P30 per pc
Blue kraft box, size 10x10x4.5	P30 per pc
Green kraft box, size 10x10x4.5	P30 per pc
Brown kraft box, size 10x10x4.5	P30 per pc
Red kraft box, size 12 x16x4.75	P49 per pc

For every 100pcs of any size, free 10 pcs pkg of the same size. Prices/availability valid as of May 11, and are subject to change.

Finally, we have the meat processing products which are listed below:

Name	Packing Size	Price
Curing Salt	250g / pk	P14.50
Phosphate	250g / pk	P59.00
Qualicel	100g / pk	P39.50
Versagel	100g / pk	P39.50
TVP chunks beef	250g / pk	P47.50
TVP chunks pork	250g / pk	P47.50
TVP powder	500g / pk	P55.00
Bacon powder	100g / pk	P68.00
Garlic powder	100g / pk	P36.50
Ginger powder	50g / pk	P68.00
Nutmeg	50g / pk	P75.00
Onion powder	100g / pk	P59.00
Smoked flavor	60cc	P94.50
Tocino Mix	100g / pk	P28.50
Tapa Mix	100g / pk	P28.50
Longganiza Mix	100g / pk	P28.50

Please note that prices and availability are subject to change.

New Developments & Announcements 4-27-09

We got another late invite into the DTI Exporter's Expo 2009, starting tomorrow April 28 to April 30, 2009 at the same place, in Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), Roxas Blvd., Pasay City and beside World Trade Center. Entry fee is still only P20 per person and is again open to the general public! According to the "favorable turnout" from the March event, the organizers have decided to hold another event for this month. We're located in Hall A, slot A-19. From the entrance table, walk along the left-most aisle and walk all the way down. Visit http://www.dtiexpo.com/ for more details.

In May, we've got one special event lined up - the Philippine STAR's Flavors Throwdown Cook-Off Competition! This is billed as the "ultimate culinary competition" where top chefs face off.
For guests, there are plenty of things to do and at a P20.00 entry fee, this is a great way to spend the day full of "freebies, fun games, and food sampling"! There will also be a chance for attendees to purchase foodstuffs throughout the event. We'll have a booth presence there so if you do attend, make sure to stop by and see what we've got!

We will also be participating as an exhibitor in the Manila Food and Beverage Expo 2009 a.k.a. MAFBEX2009 on June 17-21, 2009. We are excited to be part of the "...biggest and most comprehensive food show in the country." You can find more details at the organizer's website here. Our booth is expected to be Booth #908 and since there's still quite a bit of time before the event, I'll post any changes or additional details here at the Bakers Depot website.

And last but not least, we've opened our Bakers Depot extension in Victory Mall Caloocan! It is located next to Go Nuts Donuts and the Lotto booth, near the main escalators and across from the entrance to Robinson's Supermarket. Feel free to shop at either location in the mall!

Baking Basics 101 - Non-wheat Flour Part 2

Soy Flour
Soy flour is made from soybeans. This type of flour is one of the best alternatives to wheat flour for people with wheat protein allergies. Common practices before soy flour is usable is to "de-fatten" the flour to prevent spoilage and to heat-treat it to remove the strong flavor. Common usage in wheat bread is below 3% without any noticeable change in dough performance or taste. Beyond the 3%, there will be a noticeable difference in gluten formation and structure. This is due to the lack of elastic properties in soy flour. When used in doughnuts, up to 15% soy flour can be used to reduce oil absorption and improve shelf life. As mentioned earlier, the 3% is not a rock solid rule - chemically leavened items can incorporate higher soy flour than yeast products.

Barley
Barley is the other oldest grain aside from wheat, with records dating to the Middle Ages. In breads, malted grain (with the aid of barley) is used to aid wheat flour in good fermentation for yeast breads. Malt is also used to transform grain mashes into beer or liquor. Barley can come in many forms: hulled (the husk is removed), pearled (removes bran & germ), flakes (flattening the whole seed like rolled oats), and flour (in multiple whole-grain sizes).

Oats
Oats come in many forms: rolled oats, quick oats, steelcut oats, and oat flour. Oat processing has multiple stages: the husk is first removed from the grain, then they are hulled, heat treated to soften the oat berries and to kill the enzymes that cause rancidity in oat berries fats. At this point, the oats can be rolled (flattened between rollers), or cut before being rolled (for quick oats). Steelcut oats are unflattened quick oats, while oat flour is a by-product of any of the earlier processes. Rolled oats are used mainly in cookies, whole-grain bread, strusels, and granola. Oat flour is typically used in chemically leavened products like pancakes, waffles, and muffins. Due to the lack of gluten, oats cannot be used in place of wheat in bread products (only as a compliment).

Millet
Millet is a multitude of unrelated grains put into one name. One of the more popular ones is Sorghum. General characteristic of millet is the small size and high protein content of 16-22%. Millet usually grow in poor conditions (hot, arid, and poor soil) and commonly used as porridge, unleavened bread, or beer. Cooked millet can be used in wheat breads.

Potato Flour
Potato flour is essentially ground dried potatoes. This flour or dehydrated potato flakes can be added to wheat flours in low percentages (around that magic number 3%) to help retain moisture and softness while acting as an extender. Potato flour has more thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin than wheat flour as well as containing 8% protein content (but mostly made of starch). Potato flour is popularly used in Passover cooking where grains are not allowed to be consumed, as well as gluten-free recipes in combination with other flours. An interesting experiment would be to add some sweet potato (kamote) flour into a recipe.

Buckwheat
Buckwheat is not a grain or cereal, but rather a type of dry fruit. Growing well in cold climate and poor soil (would explain buckwheat's connections to Japanese and Russian culture/food), buckwheat's flour form can be used successfully in breads, pancakes, and noodles. The whole grain can also be cooked whole like rice.

Spelt
Spelt wheat is one of the ancestors of modern wheat. Spelt can be prepared like rice and has a mellow/nutty flavor. Spelt protein is a good alternative for wheat allergies and spelt flour can be used as a substitute for wheat flour.

Quinoa
Quinoa is part of a family of plants including beets, chard, and spinach. Primarily South American in origin, quinoa has many tiny seeds that look like a combination of sesame and millet. Quinoa provides high nutrients such as protein, magnesium, iron, and potassium. Usage of quinoa includes healthy wheat breads (either cooked whole or soaked), ground and incorporated in small portions of wheat flour in bread, cookie, and muffin recipes. Since quinoa does not contain gluten, it cannot be used alone in most baking recipes except for waffles, pancakes, or certain cookie recipes where gluten is not important.

Amaranth
Amaranth is an herbaceous plant coming mostly from Central America. Seeds are also rich in nutrients (like other poor-soil plants) with a unique flavor. It can be used similarly to quinoa in healthy breads, and also has no gluten proteins. Also similar to quinoa is the usage, where breads and cakes need a mixture of amaranth flour and wheat flour for the gluten formation.

Tapioca
Tapioca is a starch made from the cassava root, and is colorless, flavorless, and odorless. Common usage of tapioca is a thickening agent or as small pearls for desserts, but can also be turned into a flatbread (like in South America) or as a tortilla (like in Brazilian cuisine). Tapioca can sometimes be the main component of maida flour, but for the most part it is made with wheat flour.

Arrowroot
Arrowroot is a popular thickening agent made from the rootstock of the arrowroot plant. While some view arrowroot solely as a premium thickening agent for sauces (especially Western cuisine and mostly because of its good resistance to acidic properties), arrowroot has also historically been used in papermaking. Starch content is very high at 23%.

For more information on flour
Wikipedia article on Flour
Epicurious article on Flour
Joy of Baking article on Flour

New Developments & Announcements 4-21-09

We've recently started offering a range of printed instructional materials, mostly how-to guides on pastries and desserts. These are small guides written in English and Tagalog with the aim of providing a basis for setting up small businesses. Check in our stores for their ready-stock selection, and make sure to inquire with our staff if we don't have a title of your choice in stock. The titles we offer are listed right below:

• Specialty Cakes
• Party Pastries I
• Party Pastries II
• Homebakeshop I (Breads)
• Homebakeshop II (Cakes)
• Affordable Bakery Products
• Noodles and Pasta
• Chocolates II
• Commercial Baking
• Ang Negosyong Food Retailing
• Basic Financial Business Management
• Pork Meat Processing
• Beef and Poultry Meat Processing

Also, we're now going to start selling heavier kitchen equipment at Bakers Depot! At the moment, we're going to experiment with this setup in Metro Manila areas only. Here's how it works -- inquire first through the website or call us through our landline office number (get our contact details here), then once we get the account details settled we can work out the delivery details with you. Its easy and relatively pain-free especially for our institutional and small business buyers. No more hassles with multiple suppliers for your raw materials, kitchen tools, and heavy equipment! Some of the products we have available include:

• Moulinex brand Toasters, Compact Tabletop Ovens, Food Processors, Meat Mincers, Hand Mixers, and Blenders
• Heavy Duty 1, 2, and 3 Deck Ovens in Gas and Electric versions
• Planetary and Spiral Mixers
• Chicken Rotisseries
• Electric Counter Top and Hanging Salamanders
• Crepe Makers
• Hotdog Rollers and Steamers
• Food Warmers
• Deep Fryers
• Gas and Electric Griddles

Finally, we will begin branching out from baking products into meat curing and preparation products such as curing salts, phosphate, and reading materials on how to do it (2 books are mentioned above). There will also be flavoring mix for meat items such as tocino and longganisa mixes. The idea of selling meat preparation products came from suggestions of our customers, many of whom had trouble finding these products in the market. We hope our customers will take part and experiment in new culinary delights, I hear baked goods and cured meats make for great giveaways and holiday baskets!

New Developments & Announcements 4-20-09

We've got a new ongoing experiment with the Twitter platform. Oprah is a recent convert and now so are we! Although we probably won't reach the instant popularity or comedic moment of Oprah (the ALL CAPS was a nice touch), we're experimenting with Twitter to do something more important -- to reach out to our customers and get their feedback. Make sure to add us if you've got a Twitter account, we'd love to hear from you!

We're also going to be developing a price list and products page that you can download/view at leisure. We're still trying to figure out the details and get a procedure ready to streamline the process but doing this should theoretically improve our response speeds.

And finally, we will be restarting the Baking Basics 101 schedule, after a long hiatus. The next article should come out this week.

Holy Week Update

Holy Week and Easter are right around the corner and with it we have Easter-themed products available at the stores. Inquire at our stores to see whats new!

We will also be having some adjusted operating hours during Holy Week, particularly the following list:

Pergola Mall: Closed April 9 and 10

Starmall EDSA-Shaw: Closed April 9 and 10

Robinsons Galleria: Closed April 9 and 10

Walter Mart Makati: Closed April 9 and 10

Walter Mart North EDSA/Munoz: Closed April 9 and 10

Victory Central Mall Monumento: OPEN April 9, CLOSED April 10

Holy Week is a time of somber reflection for some, a time of relaxation for others, but for all it is a time to be with family and friends. Everyone here at Bakers Depot wishes for our customers, suppliers, friends, and their family a safe and festive Easter & Holy Week.

Bakers Depot Robinsons Galleria -- Now Open

Our newest store at Robinsons Galleria has now opened! It is located in the Food Court area, near the escalators going to the West Wing & parking areas. We are near the Robinsons Supermarket and Mister Donut.

New Developments & Announcements 3-25-09

We got a late invite into the DTI Exporter's Expo 2009, starting today March 25 to March 29, 2009 at the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), Roxas Blvd., Pasay City and beside World Trade Center. Entry fee is only P20 per person and is open to the general public! We're located near the native products area, at section D-11. Visit http://www.dtiexpo.com/ for more details.



Next is a reminder that we will be participating in the Mega Summer Expo at the SM Megamall's Megatrade Hall B from tomorrow, March 26 until March 31.



We will participate in these two events simultaneously this week, so come visit us at either event!

New Developments & Announcements 3-2-09

We will be attending 2 bazaars for the month of March, the PIFBEX 2009 (Philippine International Food & Beverage Expo) at World Trade Center in Pasay City on March 5-7, 2009 and the MEGA SUMMER EXPO at Megatrade Hall 2, Level 5 Mega B, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City on March 26-31.

A new feature at our stores, the Wholesale Corner, is now fully implemented in all of our stores. For our high volume buyers, this will be a good chance to purchase your supplies with volume discounts and/or in bulk sizes!

We will also be implementing a weekly baking demonstration schedule at all our stores, where we will feature our staff and a constantly revolving set of recipes every week at all of our stores. We are expecting to implement this schedule every Friday, from 3-6pm. Please note that times, dates, and availability are subject to changes as we hammer out the details and choose more efficient times to offer the demonstrations.

**UPDATES 3/12/09** We will be adjusting the date and time for our weekly demonstrations to Saturdays from 2-4pm, at all stores. This is to take advantage of better availability for many potential attendees of the demonstrations. If you have any suggestions or feel that this time is not good and want to suggest an alternate time, feel free to let us know!

**UPDATES 3/18/09** After having our first Baking Demo session inside all our stores and some feedback from customers who participated, we will explore a bi-weekly schedule on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 4-6pm. This new time slot will supersede the 3/12/09 update's time slot. We also have a poll up on the right hand side, vote for the day that is most convenient for you!

Bakers Depot EDSA Starmall -- Now Open

Our newest store has just opened, located on the Ground Floor near the Shaw entrance along Robinson's Handyman section and in front of Puregold.




Watch for our next store opening in Robinson's Galleria around mid-March.

New Developments & Announcements 2-23-09

We have taken a break from regular posting of Baking Basics 101 articles during the past few weeks to prepare for new offerings at our Bakers Depot stores:

Starting February 27, we will be launching MAIDEN®, our in-house brand margarine and chocolate, at all Bakers Depot stores. These two product lines were closely developed with our suppliers over the past few months until they passed our specifications.

Also starting February 27, we will do a gradual rollout of a Wholesale Corner in our stores for customers wishing to purchase batch quantities. We have decided to offer this option based on our customers' feedback.

We have added a new line of selected chocolate products from Belcolade, offering their Noir (Dark), Lait (Milk), and Blanc (White) Belgian chocolate, specifically their Selection couverture line (C501, X605, and O3X5 items). Visit http://www.belcolade.com for their company history & complete list of products (in-store availability of Belcolade products based on supply from distributor).

Our EDSA Star Mall location is also nearing completion (pending a few minor issues) and will be opening soon to again service customers near Greenhills, New Manila, Ortigas, and surrounding areas. We are also planning a Robinson's Galleria location in the future with opening date to be decided.

Baking Basics 101 - Non-wheat Flour Part 1

Although wheat is widely available around the world and has a large history in baking across a multitude of cultures, it was not the only grain to be used for culinary purposes. Cultures around the world (past and present) also experimented on using other grains. It may be because of medical/allergy factors, availability issues with wheat in their region, or a need for a new taste. Whatever the reason, the following grains have become popular for their own reasons.

Rye Flour
Rye historically has been grown together with wheat or on a crop rotation basis, mostly because of its hardy nature. Rye is the favorite in colder European areas like the Scandinavian countries. As a flour, rye lacks the gluten proteins to form strong bonds, hence it is often mixed with wheat to compensate for the deficiency. Doughs made from rye containing more than 20% rye flour depend on the thick gummy viscosity of starch and pentosans (think of this combination as the rye version of gluten formation) to trap air and provide structure.

Another problem with rye loaves is with the enzyme amylase that converts starches into sugars. In wheat loaves, the amylase breaks down quickly as the loaf is cooked. In rye loaves, amylase is more heat resistant and does not break down fast enough before the starches are converted. This means that the sugars pile up in the dough and the loaf sags. To counteract this, one can use acid and salt to prepare the amylase in advance. Sour dough and long fermentation dough like pumpernickel are good techniques to use.

Commercially, rye flour is manufactured from parts of the endosperm, unlike wheat which is made from the whole grain. White rye flour is made from the center of the endosperm, while Cream/Light rye flour is made from the next outer layer. Dark rye flour is made from the outermost portions of the endosperm. Rye meal ranging from coarse to fine is also possible - in fact, pumpernickel flour is a coarse rye meal.

When baking rye breads, caraway seeds are a classic flavoring agent. Rye flour is effective at absorbing moisture from the surrounding air, thus these breads also have a high moisture content. Fortunately this means that the bread is less likely to turn dry on the counter, and unfortunately, baking rye bread will take longer to set (meaning the time after bread comes out of the oven and the shape solidifies).

Rice Flour
Rice flour is manufactured from ground uncoated rice. It can be used as a substitute for wheat flour but requires changes to the recipe due to the lack of gluten. The flour can also be used as pastry flour for recipes that require fine grainy textures.

Cornmeal and Corn Flour
Cornmeal is commercially available in two colors, yellow and white, in a fine or coarse grind. There are also two manufacturing processes available, old or new (aka degerminated). Old processing grinds the entire corn kernel yielding good flavor and food value, but turns rancid quickly due to higher fat content. New process or degerminated cornmeal, is ground without the germ and bran. This results in long holding times but less flavor. Use of cornmeal includes country style hearty breads, muffins, and cornbread. Corn flour is made from finely ground degerminated cornmeal and is also used in cakes, muffins, and breads but with a combination of wheat flour.