# Local bread or make it yourself?



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

bigpearl said:


> Welcome to the forum, agree 100% on sugar and salt, we don't buy bread here, too sweet, bake our own. over the last 9 years I have slowly weened the better half off the salt and sugar in cooking but can't stop the turnips/cucumbers drowned in vinegar salt and chilli.
> Back on topic, San Mig beer is good,,,,,, and well priced but I've never seen it in Oz so can't compare. The last 12 months I have stopped buying JD, hard to find and yes expensive, now tend to indulge in a San Mig premium gin at AU 4 or 5 bucks a bottle. The odd bottle of overpriced Aussie wine now and again. Go Philippines.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


The nearest I can get to fresh baked bread is the Malungay Pandesal and it's not too bad but I'm with you Steve, I don't like sweet breads and will look for an electric oven I also want to bake my own bread.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Mark, we have tried firstly all the local supermarket outlets then the local bakeries and nada. The best bread I have tasted here in PH would have to be the Burger King big buns, also the better quality hamburgers that I have found in any establishment/fast food outlets.
I am off topic and apologies so will start a new thread on bread makers, wish me luck and keep up the good work to San Mig.

Cheers, Steve.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Gardenia high fiber wheat raisin loaf is the best bread I've found at SM grocery store. Whole lot better than that sickening sweet white bread that seems to be the favorite here. JD also makes some decent Pan-D-Sol in packages of 12. Asawa likes Angelenia Pan-D-Rosa, not too sweet, kinda like a sliced french bread loaf. I'll have a slice now & then of it.

Fred


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Steve, We mus have been typing at the same time, I agree with you about the Burger King items.

Fred


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

We recently touched on the sweet loaves of bread available in supermarkets and bakeries in another thread "San Mig" and the variations of their beer within different countries. To that thread I can't comment as San Mig beers from my 50 years of beer tasting was never seen in Australia nor plenty of other countries but the last 10 years in PH. never a complaint especially the beer that kicks.

Onward. Both bread and beer consume yeast in their recipes, many other products, a key ingredient. Bread is the topic here though. For 15/18 years in Australia we baked our own, daily or every second day, over that time we went through 3 if not 4 bread making machines as well as drive belts, mixing paddles etc. When each one died, each new loaf we would mix, knead and bake by hand in the fan forced oven,,,,,,,,never the same until we purchased the new bread maker. We would buy organic wheat, barley, rye as well as a few other experiments with other whole grain kernels. We had our own mill for grinding that I set up with a washing machine motor. Most times we would have the cooking bread pushing on the lid of the bread maker, using only white wheat flour for a french loaf would push the baking lid open in the last 10 minutes of baking, at times sticking to the lid. Here?????? A new bread maker recently purchased has consistently delivered failures and then some. One loaf went straight into the organic heap,,,, pulled apart,,,,, my bad, cut into small doughy pieces for the worms. The flour? Tried a few. Yeast? Same batch always brought to room temp from the fridge yes well in date. Oil? Tried vegetable, olive and palm oil, last loaf even added 2 tablespoons of (what they call here) butter, that was the best loaf to date but still sad with only what I would call a half loaf and heavy.
Info, suggestions, best products would be greatly appreciated and then some.

Our home baked bread sucks.

Cheers, Steve.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Fred, TY, I though was talking about Jack Daniels alcoholic. We can't buy decent bread here, even the better half agrees and trying our own unsuccessful bread to date. back to San Mig, thumbs up.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

For day to day bread we have stuck to Gardenia whole grain which doesn't appear sweetened. Tryed the sugarfree once but they had just used sweeteners to replace the sugar. When out we may pick up something from French bakers with some success. We now have an oven so if we can find the ingredients the wife intends to try some homemade. I also think Burgerking are the best but we don't have one local to us.


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## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

We are lucky we have 3 Santi's in our area with decent baguettes and sour dough and multigrain rounds. S&R has ok English muffins and bagels.

Chuck


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

bidrod said:


> We are lucky we have 3 Santi's in our area with decent baguettes and sour dough and multigrain rounds. S&R has ok English muffins and bagels.
> 
> Chuck


Sour dough sounds good, sure miss English Muffins for breakfast. I sometimes will buy bread at the SM Grocery in Calamba their French Bread, sure wish we had some decent bread stores like Santi's but they'd go out of business in our area the people in my region like sweet breads.


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

Most PH bread is terrible, full of shortening and sugar which is why it's so cheap.

If you can find a high-end bakery that caters to international customers, you can get some good sourdough though for about $5 per loaf. The problem is they routinely sell out as soon as they open.


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## paul lancaster (Jan 11, 2021)

M.C.A. said:


> The nearest I can get to fresh baked bread is the Malungay Pandesal and it's not too bad but I'm with you Steve, I don't like sweet breads and will look for an electric oven I also want to bake my own bread.


Try the French Baker, here in Cebu they are in sm shopping malls and their bread is very good. I know they also have a branch in Manila in the Greenhills shopping center San Juan. Also have found that S&R bread to be quite good. In cebu there is also an Italian bakery that does good bread. It is hard find many places.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

paul lancaster said:


> Try the French Baker, here in Cebu they are in sm shopping malls and their bread is very good. I know they also have a branch in Manila in the Greenhills shopping center San Juan. Also have found that S&R bread to be quite good. In cebu there is also an Italian bakery that does good bread. It is hard find many places.


Thank you Paul and Welcome to the forum. My nearest French Bread spot is in an SM mall at the SM Grocery it's about a one hour drive each way, I always stock up on my visits.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Welcome to the forum paul lancaster.
Thanks to all for the input and suggestions, Chuck I am jealous, never seen that company around here, perhaps I should get out more.
We finally worked out the problem with the bread maker,,,,,,, it was the flour, plain (all purpose) flour supposed to be good for cakes, bread and other things. Ben went to our local wet market the other day and hunted up a seller that only sells bread making flour. Looks like plain flour but isn't. Now back to perfect french bread with a crusty top, light and delicious.

Cheers, Steve.


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## pagbati (Apr 9, 2014)

This is an old Irish recipe called Indian Meal Bread, made with flour and corn meal etc. Probably similar to some versions of corn bread in the USA. A nice change from our day to day bread.


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## pagbati (Apr 9, 2014)

Very happy with my first attempt at baking German Pumpernickel, so I thought I’d share some photos. It’s made from 100% rye grain and cracked rye. The characteristic dark brown colour is the result of the Maillard reaction, which produces a rich tasting loaf. The bread is baked at a low temperature for a very long time. Certainly not to everyones liking, this bread is very much an acquired taste but well worth the effort for those who appreciate quality German breads.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Looks so good, about the only bread I can stomach is the Malunggay pandesal bread sold in the morning or wheat breads sold in the grocery stores.


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## Zep (Jun 8, 2017)

Looks good Pagbati, wish I could try to make some but the first one needs corn meal and the second one rye grain. 

I am limited to Arina (flour), yeast, salt and water where I am from. lol


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Patricia Lopez said:


> Is it better to make or buy bread?
> What's the point? Aside from the fact that many people bake because it gives them satisfaction and even joy, baking your own bread may be healthier than buying it at the store. Fewer additives and complete control over ingredient quality are important considerations.


The bread here is terrible, it's very light and like styrofoam but you can find mediocre bread in the grocery store if in stock but if you live in the city you probably could find specialty bread stores or more variety. 

I'd like to make my own bread but it's a little dangerous baking with gas (most stoves here) and I haven't put the electrical stove yet on my wish list.

Most of the breads here also have too much sugar in them.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

M.C.A. said:


> The bread here is terrible, it's very light and like styrofoam but you can find mediocre bread in the grocery store if in stock but if you live in the city you probably could find specialty bread stores or more variety.
> 
> I'd like to make my own bread but it's a little dangerous baking with gas (most stoves here) and I haven't put the electrical stove yet on my wish list.
> 
> Most of the breads here also have too much sugar in them.


We have an electric oven and the asawa will bake bread occasionally. I tend to use the Gardenia whole wheat which is unsweetened. Once in a while when we go to SM we'll buy some bread from French Bakers which is very nice.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Gary D said:


> We have an electric oven and the asawa will bake bread occasionally. I tend to use the Gardenia whole wheat which is unsweetened. Once in a while when we go to SM we'll buy some bread from French Bakers which is very nice.


Gary, I also like the Gardenia whole wheat bread it's available and when we travel to the SM grocery, maybe 3 times a year lol... I do the same thing, I get the French Bread and they also sell a very large loaf of whole wheat but I can't remember the name, it's good though.

Locally I can buy a really delicious Whole Wheat bread from PureGold called "Walter" whole wheat and sugar-free, it's sliced a little thin and the loaf isn't large but still, I can't stop buying it over the Gardenia whole wheat, I sometimes also use this bread to make tuna fish sandwiches.


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