The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has drastically transformed the lives of many people. In the past six months, for example, a lot of plant lovers fondly called plantitos and plantitas have been flooding social media with photos of their latest plants and planting activities. Meanwhile, other people became conscious of their health and suddenly they became gym rats. Others have tried putting up mini gyms in their homes to burn excess calories caused by their eating binge.
As far as Marcelino Ballesteros is concerned, it was baking that caught his fancy while staying at home. “Baking has always fascinated me. My father was a baker who set up the first bakery with Chinese partners in Tabuk, Kalinga, Apayao. I learned the ropes early in life as my father’s apprentice,” Ballesteros, a principal consultant and senior partner at ProActive Business Solutions, said in an e-mail interview with the BusinessMirror.
Ballesteros did not find it difficult to summon his baking skills, which he compared to riding a bike. “It stays with you despite the passage of time,” he said.
He was also fascinated by the chemistry involved in baking—how yeast makes the dough rise, the effect of varying temperatures on the ingredients, how kneading combines the ingredients evenly and how the oven works to cook breads and cakes.
For a restart, Ballesteros decided to bake high-end Western and European bakery products and at the same time make them available at reasonable prices. The first item he baked was the Dresden Stollen, a German sweet bread made with sourdough filled with glazed dried fruits, sultana raisins, and walnuts—flavored with Cognac. The stollens are brushed with top grade butter before and after baking, and dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
“They are best eaten in thin slices and served with tea or coffee and can keep for as long as two months in the ref without losing their good flavor,” he said.
Interestingly, it was not in Dresden, Germany but in Paris, France where he got a first taste of the famous bread while he was attending an IBM workshop.
Right now, Ballesteros is working on his version of the English fruit and nut cake, to be followed by plum cake.
In his baking, he found out that tweaking or modifying tried and tested formulas sometimes work wonders. Ballesteros discovered this one morning when he tweaked a revered recipe he’s been using to produce Dresden Stollen, a well-loved sweet German bread. “I allowed the rich sourdough, the base of the bread, to stay for two more hours in the fridge and used the oven temperature for baking fruit and nut cake [several of which I have baked and are now aging in liquor] to cook the Stollen. The result: bigger loaves, crustier crust, and softer and moist inner bread that complement the liquor-flavored glazed fruits and walnuts. Perfect with piping hot tea or coffee,” he explained.
“Oozing with the heavenly aroma, flavor and tastes of combined grated orange peel, prunes and walnuts, this bread is a treat when combined with your favorite cold or hot drink,” he added.
The born again baker has been getting good reviews for his baked products. “With the continued patronage of customers and friends, and my generally light work and leisure schedules at present, I continue to enjoy producing what my new-found niche market wants,” he said.
Ballesteros said a “good problem came later when projects in his consultancy work started trickling in—giving him less time and energy for his new-found racket. Moreover, he said the increasing cost of raw materials and other supplies make baking a bit prohibitive and costlier. Nevertheless, he is not giving up an activity he finds fulfilling. He is making adjustments to cope with the demands of his preoccupations. Ballesteros, however, is reducing his baking hours to accommodate the increasing demand for time in his professional work.
“I was driven to bake because of the longest lockdown in the world. I wanted to be productive. Baking gave me a chance to have not only mental but also physical and artistic exercise,” he said.
“In addition, baking serves as an outlet for pent up energy and desire to produce something you and others can appreciate,” he added.