trialbaker

Joshua Weissman needs no introduction. I started following him right before his YouTube popularity went mercurial. To me, he’s one of the best because he balances entertainment and education really well. A good chunk of his recipes are admittedly beyond my skill (and budget) level, so I decided to give these dinner rolls a try. My rating: 12/10. Pure magnificence. These were crazy good. Bread can sometimes be tricky to work with, but his recipe checks out. The crumb was pillowy and fluffy. Taste wise, these are better than the ones that they serve at your favorite steakhouse.

iPhone footage of one of the many George Floyd protests. Taken in downtown Washington, DC. Police are seen swarming in the area. Taken in June 2020.

Video taken sometime in January 2020, right before COVID-19 hit the entire city and the world. The always beautiful Times Square, New York City.

Video of street drummer taken along Market Street, San Francisco, USA.

I discovered George's Bakery randomly as I was scrolling through my feed some weeks ago. He’s a baker based in the UK and has developed a strong following because of his incredible-looking baked goods. What impressed me the most was that he posts recipes to his products on his page for everyone to try. My rating: 9/10. To call the recipe simple would be an understatement. No vanilla extract, no salt (!), and no chill time. The crumb was on the soft side with minimal crunch. This would make for a great go-to snack if you’re pressed for time. Taste-wise it was very rich and buttery, which I think could be due to using egg yolks only. I gave a 9 because aside from its simplicity, this cookie dough actually forms the base for all sorts of other cookies, as he shows on his instagram feed.

I remember having my last revel bar more than a decade ago, back when I was still in college. It was gooey, chocalate-y, and best of all, within budget. I knew I had to remake my go-to snack when I came across this recipe by @chefrvmanabat. I’ve taken notice of him thanks to YouTube’s algorithm. I find his content relatable and educational. His advocacy, I believe, is to help home bakers become entrepreneurs, which is probably the reason why he is so popular. And honestly, it’s something that I can get behind. My rating: 9.5/10. Chef RV is the real deal. This was just how I remember what revel bars tasted like — very chocolate-forward without losing its oatmeal character. It was not sweet at all. The sweetness of the condensed milk was balanced by the dark chocolate, something specifically required by the recipe. The contrast of textures was exceptional. The first bite had some crunch to it, owing to the thinner oat layer on top, which contrasted with the soft and gooey chocolate center. The thicker oatmeal base was (unexpectedly) tender and moist, which for me takes it over the top. Aside from the taste, what made this recipe a 9.5 for me was how easy the procedure was. It took me just around 15 minutes of active time. Taking the photos, however, was a different story. Recipe available at his YouTube channel, Chef RV Manabat.

Of all the baked goods I’ve tried making, I enjoy eating cake more than I do baking it. I just find it so tedious to put together (aside from the fact that I’m terrible at frosting them). This recipe, however, seemed doable enough for an amateur baker like me, without sacrificing the elements of a good old chocolate cake. My rating: 9/10. If I were to rate the recipe based on level of difficulty alone, I’d give it an 11. No niche ingredients, no stand mixer required. Aside from having to bloom the cocoa powder, everything about the process felt streamlined. Even the icing came together in seconds. It tasted great as well. Not terribly sweet, very classic. The reason I gave a 9 is I thought it was a tad overbaked. The recipe stated 30-45 minutes at 180 C, but I took mine out at the 28-minute mark. Also, I’ve always found that chocolate cakes tend to age well. This one I thought tasted a bit better on the day that I made it. Still, that won’t stop me from making this again. Note to self: This is a great baseline recipe to build off from. Lessen bake time. Decrease the amount of icing (I had around 1/4 cup left over even if I was liberal in frosting the two loaves that the recipe yielded). Maybe adding instant espresso powder to the bloomed cocoa will add more depth of flavor and cut some of the sweetness.

I’ll be honest. I’ve never had snickerdoodles before and have never felt compelled to try one. I gave these a try for the shallowest of reasons: cream of tartar. I’ve never baked with cream of tartar before and I was curious as to how it would behave in baked goods. Apparently, it prevents sugar from crystallizing, which makes for a softer final product. Also, I’ve been aching to try a @preppykitchen recipe and this one has tons of positive reviews. A lot of firsts in this trial bake. My rating: 10/10. Absolutely stunning. These cookies checked all of the boxes for me. This took little effort to put together compared to other more “involved” recipes. Save for the cream of tartar, the ingredients were very accessible, which is a huge plus for home bakers like me. The texture was everything - tender, moist, slightly chewy, and almost pliable (?). If indeed this was caused by the cream of tartar, then this would have all been worth it. The flavor was subtle, yet complex; slightly tangy and salty at the outset, hints of cinnamon at the tail end, buttery all throughout. In a nutshell, they tasted like Christmas. I can easily down four of these in one sitting. With a hot cup of coffee, perhaps a dozen. John Kanell, you’re a genius. Recipe available at https://preppykitchen.com/snickerdoodle-cookies-recipe/

Mary Grace needs no introduction. Their cheese rolls are the gold standard of a proper brioche - soft, fluffy, and light as a feather. The texture of their rolls are elusive and in my opinion nothing else comes close. It’s really no surprise why Mary Grace has gained so much popularity over the last decade or so. Naturally, I was intrigued by this particular recipe from Pepper.ph, which contained instant mashed potatoes. I thought it was genius. Although potatoes aren’t traditionally found in breads of this type, I know of one application where the inclusion of potatoes make the rolls superior - Shake Shack (which uses Martin’s Potato Rolls). Supposedly, the starch in potatoes absorb more water than wheat starch in flour, which leads to a moist and tender crumb. Again, my curiosity got the best of me this time. My rating: 8.5/10. I tweaked the recipe and used real mashed potatoes because I couldn’t find the instant variety. I decreased the water required in the recipe to account for the added hydration of the fresh potatoes. I also watched the instructional video a dozen times as a visual guide for the final texture of the dough. A point of confusion in the recipe was they required each roll to be portioned into 40g pieces and when I did, they were significantly less than what was shown on the video. However, if there was any mistake committed, it’s most probably from my end because they’re the professionals, not me. With that being said, this roll was ultra-fluffy and considerably lighter than other rolls that use wheat flour only. Taste-wise, the potato did not come through at all. The cheese flavor could be a bit stronger, though. Even if the cheese melted, the flavor was confined only to the center of the roll. The main reason I gave this an 8.5 was I found it not sweet enough, even though I was liberal in topping the rolls with butter and sugar. Also, the day after, the sugar crystals basically melted into the tops and they ended up looking like regular hotdog buns. I don’t know how to address this, but there might be a secret to it.

This was my first time baking focaccia (foh-catch-ah) ever. I came across Pepper.ph’s recipe fortuitously and their easy “no-knead” approach convinced me to give this a try. I followed the recipe and was a bit intimidated by the dough’s high hydration; it was incredibly sticky. I let the dough rise for 18 hours to develop more flavor before adding in the olive oil. The prescribed baking time was 40-45 minutes at 450 Fahrenheit, but I decided to pull mine out at the 35-minute mark as the edges were starting to burn. I’m glad I did. I didn’t add any toppings as I felt like adding herbs and spices would waste all the effort that went into developing the dough’s natural flavors. My rating: 9/10. I am definitely making this again. My girlfriend and family loved it. The crust was immaculate (check out the crumb shot video) and the inside was perfectly chewy. Flavor-wise, the olive oil definitely shined through while still preserving the “yeastiness” that typically comes with aged dough. This will make an excellent dipping bread. Or sandwich bread for that matter. I would, however, cut down the oil a bit the next time around. It was a tad too greasy and the large amount (3/4 cup) probably contributed to the rapid browning. This is way better than any store-bought focaccia I’ve ever had. Recipe available at https://pepper.ph/focaccia-recipe/

I got this simple recipe from John Kirkwood, a retired chef I stumbled upon on YouTube (@johnkirkwoodfood). This is my second attempt at this recipe. I made two alterations: 1) I added diastatic malt powder for more color and better texture (supposedly, that is. I’m not a professional), and 2) I tried using the tangzhong method with the hope of improving the shelf life. I’ve used the tangzhong method with other recipes and I did find a difference in the end product. I didn’t alter the amount of ingredients used for this trial. I just simply took some of the flour and water to cook the tangzhong before incorporating it into the rest of the dough. My review: 9.5/10. The best thing about this recipe is its simplicity. The taste is as classic as you can get with this type of roll. It’s rustic and it’s perfectly “yeasty” with a subtle salty finish. The texture was sublime - fluffy, soft, and chewy. I didn’t give it a perfect score only because the crust didn’t brown as much as I would’ve wanted, even though I followed the procedure to a tee. Any tips on this would be great.

These cookies went viral last year when DoubleTree Hotels released their much-coveted (and then secret) recipe when the world shut down due to COVID-19. I thought the gesture was admirable and it’s regrettable that it took me over a year to actually give the recipe a try. Big disclaimer: I’ve never had the real cookies yet so I’m judging these as a blank slate and purely on taste. I followed the recipe to a tee using weight measurements to ensure accuracy, save for the brand of chocolate chips. DoubleTree specifically called for Nestle Tollhouse chips, but I didn’t have any at hand. My review: 9/10. These were phenomenal. Although there were a few ingredients that caught my attention (lemon juice, rolled oats), this cookie provided a coherent, well-balanced bite. There’s a noticeable crisp on the edges but it gets much softer and chewier towards the center. The oats and cinnamon rounded out the sweetness without taking away its classic “Americana” taste. I gave it a 9 because I personally prefer thicker and almost crisp-free cookies. If you’re a fan of the thinner variety, then this would unmistakably be a 10. Recipe available at https://newsroom.hilton.com/static-doubletree-reveals-cookie-recipe.htm