Chapter 443: Chapter 404: Why Did the Education Bureau Leaders Suddenly Change Plans and Arrive Earlier?

After sending Qingqing and Weiwei to the classroom...

Huang Jun didn’t linger much longer, just gave a few simple instructions, then turned and returned to the kitchen to start his busy morning — creating a coconut crisp that blooms like a flower. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

This pastry is truly the beauty of the pastry world!

At this moment, he stood in front of the spacious workbench, taking out a clean stainless steel large bowl, and slowly poured the snowy white all-purpose flour into it, spreading it out in the bowl.

He added an appropriate amount of sugar powder, as fine as sand, to the flour and mixed it evenly, then added lard to make the dough more moist.

If there is no sugar powder and lard at home, you can substitute with equal amounts of white sugar and corn oil, but it’s not recommended to use butter as it might affect the taste.

He slowly added water to the flour and gently stirred it with both hands until the flour and water were completely integrated.

Then, he gently pressed and rotated the dough with his palms, kneading it into a dough without pursuing ultimate smoothness.

He gathered the moist flour together, sometimes pressing, sometimes rubbing, sometimes turning, gradually combining it into a rough dough and then stopped.

He covered it with a layer of plastic wrap and set it aside, giving the gluten time to form.

During this process, the dough will gradually relax, becoming softer and more elastic.

While waiting for the dough to rest, Huang Jun didn’t stop. He reached out to receive a clean, bright stainless steel bowl that Qian Guoxiang handed over.

He slowly poured low-gluten flour into the bowl, spreading it evenly like a fine sand beach.

Then he added lard.

The ratio of the two is 1 to 2.

This ratio is the key to making the pastry crisp and ensuring its flaky and crispy texture.

It’s important to note that while the lard here can be replaced with an equal amount of butter, using liquid vegetable oil is not recommended.

At the beginning of kneading, it felt somewhat dry and hard to form a dough.

But as he patiently kneaded...

The dough gradually became soft, each kneading made the dough more elastic, and its surface increasingly smooth.

Finally.

A soft and non-sticky dough appeared in his hand, perfect for making the pastry crust.

He sealed the dough with plastic wrap, which helps to lock in the moisture and prevent the dough from drying out during the subsequent preparation.

After the dough had rested sufficiently, developing good gluten, Huang Jun took it out again for further kneading.

With deft movements!

The dough was kneaded to a completely smooth state, its surface showing a silky luster.

Whether it’s the pastry skin or the pastry dough, achieving the best results requires giving them sufficient resting time.

This time not only allows the dough to relax but also lets its internal components fully integrate, forming a harmonious unity.

Taking advantage of the resting period of the dough and the pastry, Huang Jun didn’t let himself idle, instead carefully starting to prepare the coconut filling.

He poured the melted butter from Qian Guoxiang into a container and then added an appropriate amount of white sugar.

This white sugar can also be substituted with an equal amount of sugar powder or fine granulated sugar.

He skillfully cracked an egg with one hand, fully integrating the butter and sugar, continuously stirring until the liquid became uniform.

Then he added the coconut shreds, continuing to stir meticulously until the filling was moist and slightly sticky.

After mixing, Huang Jun quickly sealed the filling with plastic wrap and placed it in the refrigerator to set.

During this time.

He started to portion the pastry dough.

Dividing the pastry into equal portions, each weighing 11 grams, ensuring that each piece of pastry could perform its best during baking.

"Assistant Chef Qian, join me!" he softly issued an invitation.

"Sure!"

Qian Guoxiang nodded with pleasure.

The two stood side by side in harmony, fingers lightly dancing over the pastry like nimble dancers, jumping and spinning, and before long, all the pastry pieces were rolled into balls and neatly arranged on a stainless steel tray.

Once everything was done...

Huang Jun wrapped all the rolled pastry balls with plastic wrap, preventing them from drying out in the air and maintaining their best texture.

Subsequently, Huang Jun began to divide the water-oil dough, precisely controlling each portion at 15 grams, rounding them together with Qian Guoxiang.

Likewise, the water-oil dough was gently covered with plastic wrap to prevent water loss in the air.

He took the first piece of rolled water-oil dough and pastry, placing the water-oil dough in his palm with the uneven side facing up, gently patting it into a circle with a thick center and thin edges, placing the pastry in the middle, skillfully wrapping and sealing it without leaving gaps, as this would cause peeling during rolling later.

His speed was dazzling.

Seeing Huang Jun wrap significantly more than himself, Qian Guoxiang couldn’t help but admire, "Chef Huang, your speed is amazing, you wrapped so many in such a short time..."

Huang Jun smiled and replied, "I mainly have the advantage of youth. If you were a few decades younger, your speed would definitely surpass mine..."

Hearing this, a satisfied smile appeared on Qian Guoxiang’s face.

However, even if he were ten years younger, he would still find it difficult to match Huang Jun’s dazzling hand speed...

Once everything was wrapped...

Huang Jun flipped each dough base upside down, pressed them flat, picked up a rolling pin, and gently rolled it out on the dough base. The pressure was even, the movements smooth, he rolled each dough from top to bottom, with the seam facing up, then pressed it flat horizontally.

Then he continued rolling first downward and then upward, elongating but not widening, and again rolled it from top to bottom. Each curl was just right, neither too tight nor too loose.

With a final gentle press, a dough base was complete.

The varying room temperature and flour absorption rates would ultimately result in differing softness or hardness of the dough bases. If they felt too hard during rolling, it was better not to forcefully roll them. Cover them with plastic wrap and let sit for 15-20 minutes before rolling again. Forcing them or applying too much pressure could damage the gluten, resulting in surface cracking.

Once all the dough bases were done...

Huang Jun covered them with plastic wrap and let them sit sealed for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, the filling had set in the refrigerator.

He took out the filling, smoothed the plastic wrap over the top, and wrapped it up.

Through the plastic wrap, he shaped the filling into cylindrical forms, preventing stickiness and maintaining its shape.

Next, he divided the filling into even portions and rolled each into a ball.

The proofed dough bases were now brought over by Qian Guoxiang and placed on the workbench.

He picked up a dough base, placing it seam-side up on the board.

His fingers gently pressed the middle of the dough, and then he used the rolling pin to flatten it into a round shape, thick in the middle and thin at the edges.

He picked up a rolled filling ball, placed it in the center of the dough, using a cupped hand motion to seal it tightly, leaving no gaps.

He placed it seam-side down onto the baking tray.

With the tray nearly filled, Huang Jun turned to Qian Guoxiang and said, "Assistant Chef Qian, could you please brush the egg yolk mixture on the surface of these finished dough skins, and after you’re done, place them in the refrigerator for a while?"

"Ah! Sure!"

Qian Guoxiang nodded while bringing over the egg yolk mixture, and brushed a layer of it on the surface of the completed dough skins as Huang Jun requested.

With the golden egg yolk glaze, each piece of dough skin shimmered enticingly.

The egg yolk-brushed dough bases were then placed in the refrigerator, allowing the egg glaze to slowly set at low temperatures.

This brief chilling process was an important preparation before baking. It enabled the egg glaze to form a uniform, crispy layer during baking, enhancing the texture and appearance of the dough.

Repeat.

The two worked in harmony until all the dough bases were processed according to the set procedure.

Seeing the time was right, Qian Guoxiang took out the dough bases first placed in the refrigerator...

After a short chill, the egg glaze surface had set, feeling dry and completely non-sticky, facilitating the upcoming operations greatly.

Huang Jun then picked up a sharp knife, and "swish swish swish," he made perfect cross slashes on the top of the dough skins, deep enough for the filling inside to be faintly visible.

Once the oven was preheated to the optimal condition, Huang Jun gently slid the tray inside.

He set the temperature to 180°C for both top and bottom heating, placing the tray on the lower middle rack to ensure even heat distribution.

The timer was set for 30 minutes.

This duration was enough to turn the dough skin golden and crispy, with the filling cooked to perfection and delectable.

While waiting, Huang Jun and Qian Guoxiang took a short break, finding a quiet corner to sip some tea to replenish their energy...

...

Meanwhile.

Liang Yinqiu led a group of garden leaders briskly towards the garden entrance.

"Director Liang, didn’t you say yesterday that the education bureau leaders would arrive closer to lunchtime? Why the sudden change in plans to come early?" Liu Suyu’s beautiful eyes flashed a hint of puzzlement.

Liang Yinqiu shook her head slightly, "I don’t know the exact reason. I just received a message from Vice Director Wan that he, Director Wei, and Director Xin are already on their way."

Liu Suyu pondered for a moment, then joked, "Based on the timing, it might just coincide with breakfast time, perhaps Vice Director Wan is eager to try our garden’s breakfast and decided to come early?"

"It’s possible!"

The other leaders all nodded in agreement.

Liang Yinqiu smiled and turned to Liu Suyu, "Manager Liu, could you please go to the kitchen, and once the snacks are ready, bring some to my office."

"Understood!"

With her directive clear, Liu Suyu immediately adjusted her course towards the kitchen,

while Liang Yinqiu continued leading the others forward.

At the gatehouse, having heard that education bureau leaders would be visiting the garden that morning, Uncle Li did not listen to his beloved Beijing opera, but remained exceptionally alert to welcome the education bureau leaders at any moment.

Upon seeing Liang Yinqiu and the garden leaders approaching, Uncle Li’s face broke into a warm smile, "Director Liang, hello~"

Liang Yinqiu nodded, "Ah, Uncle Li, thank you for your hard work. Could you please open the main gate, as the education bureau leaders will be arriving shortly."

"Ah, alright!"

Uncle Li immediately picked up the keys and opened the gate...