Chapter 321 - 142: Pastries? This Is Simply a Work of Art

Chapter 321: Chapter 142: Pastries? This Is Simply a Work of Art

’This was the perfect chance to have Chen Wenliang roll out the dough while I picked up a few pointers.’

"Alright then," Chen Wenliang said, grabbing a rolling pin. "What’s the plan?"

"Roll the yellow pistil dough into a square. The oil-core dough should also be a square, about half the size of the pistil dough. Then, wrap the oil-core dough inside the yellow pistil dough and roll it out into a sheet about three millimeters thick."

Holy cow.

Chen Wenliang slapped his forehead. "Boss Su, you really know how to set a challenge!"

Despite his words, Chen Wenliang got to work without a moment’s hesitation. As soon as he started rolling, he took a toothpick and began pricking the pistil dough.

"What’s that for?"

Chen Wenliang explained, "All-purpose flour gets very elastic once it’s kneaded. When you work it on the board, it’s easy for air bubbles to form. If you don’t pop them, the pastry won’t look good after it’s fried."

’So that’s how it works...’

Su Chen quickly filed away this little tidbit of knowledge. ’No wonder my own lotus flower crisps always came out looking like fried rice cakes, the surface covered in tiny bubbles. There are so many tricks to this trade.’ If he hadn’t invited Chen the Eighth over, he really might not have been able to solve these problems.

He had to admit, Old Ba’s pastry skills were truly commendable.

Following Su Chen’s instructions, the white oil-core dough was wrapped in the yellow pistil dough, sealed, and then rolled into a sheet about three millimeters thick. This step was completed quickly.

"A trifold, and this part is done."

He divided the thin sheet into three equal sections, folded it, and covered it with plastic wrap to let it rest again.

"Old Ba, your technique is really something else. If you didn’t have a family to support, I’d honestly try to recruit you to my company." Su Chen said, watching Chen the Eighth’s skilled hands with a hint of envy.

"Heh heh, you’re too kind. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future." Chen Wenliang took Su Chen’s words to heart.

In truth, he was giving it his all today. Beyond just helping, he wanted to fully display his skills for Su Chen.

’If a real opportunity for collaboration came up...’

’Would having a family to support even be an issue?’

’If a man hasn’t made his mark by forty, he might never get another chance in this life. And Su Chen... he could very well be the benefactor who changes everything for me!’

"Alright, next we’ll do the same thing for the petal dough. Wrap the oil-core dough inside and roll it flat, but this time, it needs a four-fold."

Having done it once before, Chen Wenliang’s movements were much more practiced this time.

He continued to prick the small air bubbles with a toothpick as he rolled. Finally, he performed the fold on the thin sheet of dough: folding both ends toward the center, then folding it in half again, completing the four-fold just as Su Chen had requested.

"Could you check if the other dough is ready? We need to roll it out again."

Chen Wenliang retrieved the pistil dough and pressed it. "It’s good to go. What’s the next step?"

The main purpose of letting the dough rest is to relax the gluten, making it easier to roll. Otherwise, you’d have to use too much force, which would tear the delicate, flaky layers.

Su Chen took a knife, sliced off a thin strip from the side, and examined it. "See? It’s perfect."

The cross-section revealed three alternating layers of yellow and white, perfectly even and beautiful.

Su Chen folded the sample in half. "Roll this out again to the same thickness as before. Do the same for the petal dough."

After the dough was folded in half, then folded three more times, it was finally rolled into a thin sheet. "Shengnan," Su Chen asked, "where is that mold I had you buy?"

After rummaging through a pile of items for a good while, Liu Shengnan handed him a cylindrical metal mold. The hollow end was shaped like twelve connected semicircles.

Su Chen took the mold and used it to cut out eight round pieces from the thinly-rolled pistil dough. "Looks like we can only make eight this time."

Chen Wenliang replied, "Eight is still a lot. This pastry is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and a real test of skill."

"Old Ba, I’ll need your help with one more thing. These little wrappers need to be rolled so they’re thick in the center and thin around the edges. We’re going to wrap the filling in them soon."

While Chen Wenliang worked on the pistil dough wrappers, Su Chen took out the store-bought white lotus paste. It was one of the few things you could buy pre-made.

However, when it came to filling actual orders, Su Chen decided it would be better to make the white lotus paste from scratch.

"Wrap the white lotus paste with the pistil wrapper." Su Chen took one and demonstrated. "It’s just like making a steamed bun. Wrap it up completely and seal the opening."

This step posed no difficulty for either of them.

The others watching felt a strong urge to try their hand at it, but no one dared to volunteer, given how delicate the pastry was.

Su Chen and Chen Wenliang wrapped all eight of the yellow pistil dough wrappers around the white lotus paste, then placed them in the refrigerator to chill.

"Chilling them will make them firm up, which makes it easier to score them."

Chen Wenliang asked curiously, "Boss Su, you seem to know everything. Did you study at a Chinese culinary school or something?"

"Not at all," Su Chen said. "It’s just a hobby."

Chen Wenliang gave Su Chen a long, meaningful look.

’Why is Boss Su always so modest?’ he thought. ’Who gets this good at something as a "hobby"? Your "hobby" is more impressive than most people’s professions, you know that?’

’A guy like this is one of a kind...’

In the same fashion, they used the mold to cut out eight pieces of the petal dough.

By now, the small yellow balls that had been chilling for a short while had firmed up. Su Chen picked up a thin-bladed knife. "Time to score them. The more cuts you make, the more beautifully they’ll blossom when fried."

He first sliced a cross into the top, then made a full eight cuts within each of the four resulting quadrants!

"Your knife work... it’s so bold, yet so precise."

Su Chen finished scoring one and placed it on a plate. "It’s decent."

’If it weren’t for the badge’s bonus, there’s no way I could cut this steadily,’ he thought. ’This is a ball barely two centimeters in diameter. Most people couldn’t even make this many cuts on a ten-inch cake!’