Bakery Tour at Disney's California Adventure

Yuzu is Listening To Under the Blacklight Rilo Kiley

On one of several trips to the Magic Kingdom this month, I took some photos of the Bakery Tour by Boudin® Bakery at Disney's California Adventure theme park. In all the years that I've been going to the Disneyland Resort, I didn't even realize this tour existed.

There's a process that Boudin's been using for over 150 years to make their famous sourdough bread. I wasn't really paying attention to the video that was playing overhead as I walked through the tour because I was busy trying to take indoor pictures from behind the glass while munching on the free sourdough bread samples they gave me when I first entered the tour. Isn't it cute how there are Mickey Mouse-shaped heads throughout the bakery? Disney has to leave their mark on everything, after all.

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©2008 Yuzu Eats

After the sourdough breads are done, they're brought over to the kitchen where someone slices into the tops to turn them into bread bowls. Then they're ready to fill with a variety of delicious soups served up in the theme park. The next time you find yourself in a Disney theme park, you have to try a soup bread bowl (especially the clam chowder bowls served in New Orleans Square at Disneyland). They're quite yummy, and they're definitely a nice break from typical amusement-park food.

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Bouchon Bakery

Yuzu is Listening To The Best Of Rent: Highlights From The Original Cast Album Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Fredi Walker, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs see related

©2007 Yuzu Eats

When you grab a bite to eat at a shopping mall, you probably think Panda Express, Sbarro, Steak Escape, Hot Dog on a Stick and Cinnabon, right? That's not the case when you're shopping (or window-shopping) at the Shops at Columbus Circle, located inside the Time Warner Center in New York City. But then it's not like the malls most of us are used to, as the building complex is also the home of luxury condominiums, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the worldwide headquarters of Time Warner. After attending Sunday Mass at a Catholic Church in the Upper West Side last weekend, I strolled down Columbus Avenue and made my way down to Columbus Circle. I went inside a few stores and looked around. But it wasn't until I hit up J.Crew that I was finally able to buy a couple things that wouldn't break the bank. Hooray for "30% off" signage! I was feeling rather hungry after my non-shopping, so I went up to the third floor to check out the Bouchon Bakery, a restaurant I had read about but had never tried.

The express counter had more customers than the actual restaurant.

On a late Sunday morning, you can expect that this place wasn't very crowded. A few couples sat at tables; some families partook in a boulangerie-style Sunday brunch. Since I was dining solo, I opted for the express counter, which serves up delightful sandwiches and a nice selection of freshly baked French pastries. I wanted to try the ham & cheese on a baguette, but someone snatched the last one, and it was going to be at least eight minutes until they brought out some more. So I went with my second choice, a ham & cheese croissant (yes, I do likes me some ham & cheese sammies). I also bought a brioche à tête and a vanilla macaron for dessert.

It was a gorgeous day outside, so I took my food and ate it outside near the fountain surrounding Gaetano Russo's sculpture of Christopher Columbus, right smack in the middle of Columbus Circle. There were quite a few individuals sitting out on the benches, munching away on lunch and listening to their iPod®s or reading a book. I ate my ham & cheese croissant as I perused a Williams-Sonoma catalog. The croissant was perfectly flaky and buttery. The cheese was a bit rich, but it was still yummy. I didn't dig into the macaron until later that day after watching Monty Python's Spamalot down at the Shubert Theatre. It was a nice after-theatre snack. I could really taste the almond flavor in it. The 2½" macaron was chewy, and the filling was rich and buttery. A few hours later, I ate the brioche before catching the evening show of Spring Awakening at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. It tasted okay, but seemed a bit dry. Perhaps because I waited too long to eat it.

I'd recommend the Bouchon Bakery if you're not against spending around $7–10 for a simple sandwich (or more if you get something fancier). The atmosphere is a nice balance between upscale and casual [mall] dining. If your tummy's not in the mood for a meal, I think this place is worth at least a walk-by of the dessert counter. The way the treats are displayed so prettily will probably make you hungry.

Bouchon Bakery (inside Time Warner Center)
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9366

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Twisty Bread

Yuzu is Watching Little Miss Sunshine see related

I apologize for neglecting this blog in the past several weeks. I caught a cold bug a couple weeks ago that left me at home for a whole week, unable to go to work or do anything really productive. If you've stayed at home for days, you know how boring it can get. Since I was not feeling up to sitting in front of the computer reading blogs or posting on blogs, I used whatever time I wasn't sleeping or watching TV to cook & bake! I made muffins, a couple of pizzas and these garlic twisty breadsticks.

I've found that making bread is very therapeutic. There are few things that can bring me the joy that beating a ball of dough with my fist can bring. And when the dough doubles in size while resting — ooh, that's so exciting! Using a rolling pin is pretty fun too.

©2007 Yuzu Eats

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Pepper-Parmesan Bread

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I was home all weekend, recovering from my cold last week. I knitted, tried to get back into crochet again, and watched some movies on the telly. Amidst all the DVD- and movie-watching (I watched the entire BBC series of The Office on DVD, plus some movies on AMC, VH1 and Disney Channel), I decided to bake some bread and make the house smell delicious. I read an easy recipe in Los Angeles Times last week for a pepper-parmesan bread. I ♥ pepper (and cheese, for that matter), so I tried out this bread to see how it'd turn out.

©2007 Yuzu Eats

The obligatory in-the-oven photo


Look at the nice texture and golden color

I used a peppercorn medley (black, green, white and pink peppercorns) instead of just the plain black ones. Some people might find the pepper taste in this bread too strong, but I think it had a nice kick to it. If you want, you could probably lessen the amount of pepper if you want a more subtle taste.

Pepper-Parmesan Bread (from Los Angeles Times)
2 tbsp. melted butter
2 cups flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees. Butter 9” x 5” loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper, and mix with a whisk until thoroughly combined; make sure the pepper is well distributed. Stir in the cheese. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk and melted butter, and mix lightly. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and cheese. Mix with a rubber spatula until all the ingredients are well moistened. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before turning out of the pan.

Slice it up and spread some butter on that baby!

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Share the Melon-Pan Love

Yuzu is Listening To The Sweet Escape Gwen Stefani see related

Everyone's entitled to a cute, silly post every once in a while, right? As long as it involves food! =) I bought a melon pan for myself the other day, and I left it on the kitchen counter. When I returned, look what I found!

©2006 Yuzu Eats

Looks like someone was about to enjoy my melon pan!

If you don't know much about melon pan, here are some cool things to know about it:

"Melon pan" gets its name because it resembles, well, a melon!
Namely the muskmelon, or cantaloupe.


The outer (or top) layer is a cookie dough,
and the inner (or bottom) layer is the actual bread.

Melon pan is most often served with an underbaked cookie-dough layer because baking it any longer will result in an overbaked bread portion. That's why melon pan is so light in color, as opposed to a golden-brown color one would associate with finished baked goods. I've tried many varieties of melon pan. Some were green and completely bread-like (no outer cookie layer), while others were filled with green melon-flavored custard. I haven't decided which one I like the best. I kind'a like the whole cookie/bread combo, so that might be my favorite right now. Nothing beats eating a cookie and bread at the same time!

I couldn't resist. I ended up sharing the melon pan with the turtle
and my niece while watching Miracle on 34th Street on AMC. :)

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Tartaruga Mozzarella

©2006 Yuzu Eats

I'm really digging turtle bread lately. So I made more! Baking bread is so fun and rewarding. Of course it can be a bit time-consuming (especially when making cool-shaped breads), but it's definitely worth it.

Last week I baked one plain, large turtle bread. This time around, I baked four little Italian turtle breads seasoned with fresh garlic, dried herbs and filled with yummy cheese. These are the same as the mozzarella balls I posted last time, but they're bigger and shaped like turtles.

The dough already smelled yummy while it was resting (all thanks to the garlic).


I ♥ fresh mozzarella cheese!


I think the turtles look their cutest when they're puffing up in the oven. :)


Nice & golden! And still cute.


My bread turtles like resting on fresh herbs.


And, of course, you gotta see the inside — melted, gooey mozzarella.

These turtles are a lot smaller than the turtle bread I baked last week. They ended up being 5½" (14 cm) from head to tail and 2½" (6½ cm) high. So cute! They're really tasty when you tear pieces off and dip them in marinara sauce — yum!

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Bread Balls Stuffed w/Cheese

I baked bread again over the weekend. I never thought baking bread would be addicting, but it's starting to become an obsession for me.

I wanted to bake a snack bread for my family to eat in between lunch and dinner. 'Cause a few hours after lunch passes, everyone's hungry. I decided to make little balls stuffed with fresh mozzarella.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

The dough getting baked in the oven

These are really easy to make, and they take about an hour from start to finish. Here's the recipe that I came up with.

Mozzarella Balls
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ cup warm water
1/3 cup warm milk
1½ tbsp. butter or margarine
1 generous tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 egg
2 tbsp. jarred tomato sauce
1/3 cup fresh mozzarella, chopped into ½" cubes

In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (105°F to 115°F). Stir in sugar, salt, warm milk, melted butter and 1½ cups of the flour. Add the basil, thyme and garlic, and incorporate. Stir in the egg. Then stir in the remaining cup of flour.

On a lightly floured cutting board or countertop, knead the dough for 5 minutes until it's smooth. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Split the dough into 16 even sections. Do all of the following steps for each section: (1) flatten dough with your hands to make sort of like a mini pizza dough ; (2) put a drop of tomato sauce in the center of the flattened dough and spread it around (be careful not to let it spread to the edges, though); (3) place a few mozzarella cubes in the center; (4) then fold the edges of the flattened dough circle over the center to hold the cheese inside, and pinch it shut.

Place all 16 balls onto the baking sheet (pinched side down), about 2 inches apart. Brush all over with melted butter and pop them in the oven. Bake for approximately 25 minutes (could be slightly less, depending on your oven), or until golden brown.

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I Baked Turtle Bread

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Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to eat bread. But I'm not known to bake it. I bake cookies and mini cakes, but not bread. Until now! I found a few recipes for turtle bread on the Internet and tried the one that I thought looked the best.

I shaped the dough and let it rise...


...then cut out a criss-cross 'shell' and popped it in the oven.

This is a fun recipe to make with kids. You can have them help you shape the turtle's body parts and then assemble them. It feeds quite a lot too. My bread came out to be 9" (23 cm) from head to tail and 3" (7½ cm) high.

Turtle Bread
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ cup warm water
1/3 cup warm milk
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 egg
2 raisins

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water (105°F to 115°F). Stir in sugar, salt, warm milk, melted butter and 1½ cups of the flour. Stir in the egg. Stir in the remaining cup of flour.

Lightly flour a large cutting board, or your clean kitchen counter, and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it's smooth and springs back when you poke it. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape a 2½" piece of dough into a ball for the turtle’s head. Shape 4 walnut-sized pieces of dough into balls for the feet. Shape a half-walnut-sized piece of dough into a tail. Shape the remaining dough into a big ball for the turtle's body. Place all 7 pieces onto the baking sheet, forming the turtle's shape. Attach the head, feet and tail by placing one end of each under edge of body to secure. Use your pinky finger to poke little holes into the turtle's head and press raisins in for the eyes. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400°F. Using a serrated knife, make a ¼"-deep circular cut around the top edge of the body. Make criss-cross cuts in the center to look like a turtle's shell. Bake for about 20 to 25, or until golden brown. Serves 4 to 6.

©2006 Yuzu Eats

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Croquette Pan

I remember the first time I tried croquette many years ago. It was at a Japanese restaurant. These delicious little breaded balls of yumminess were served as a side dish to the salmon teriyaki I had ordered. My first thought upon eating them was, 'Fried mashed potatoes!' Of course, croquette is a lot more than just mashed potato that's breaded and fried. Croquette includes vegetables, and sometimes even cheese, meat or poultry.

As I mentioned in a blog entry last year, I'm fascinated with the different types of breads that are offered in Japanese bakeries. One unique bread that I'd never seen before until this weekend was croquette pan. To take mashed veggies, bread the mixture, fry it, and then wrap it in dough and bake it - I call it tasty!

Vegetable croquette bread from a market in Little Tokyo

©2006 Yuzu Eats

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Shrimp Calzones

I'd never made calzones before, so I thought I'd give 'em a try. I was a bit nervous about making pizza dough. I think the last time I attempted to make bread was when I was in elementary school, and we had to bake bread with different types of yeast for a science project. If I recall correctly, the bread didn't turn out so well. I'm happy to report that this time the result was much better.

The pizza dough as I kneaded it

The pinched edges on the calzones came out kind'a nice

©2006 Yuzu Eats

The inside was stuffed with shrimp in a homemade white-wine tomato sauce

Here is the pizza dough recipe, which I borrowed from Giada De Laurentiis:

½ cup warm water (105-110ºF)
2 tsp. active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for bowl

Mix the warm water and yeast in a small bowl to blend. Let stand until the yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Mix the flour and salt to blend, then blend in the oil. Add the yeast mixture and blend until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and turn the dough to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm area, away from drafts, until the dough doubles in volume (about 1 hour). Punch down the dough and form into ball. The dough can be used immediately or stored airtight in the refrigerator for 1 day.

I served these to my family for lunch, and they liked them. I think that's the best part of cooking — seeing others enjoy what you made for them. :) Gives me the warm fuzzies.

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Turtle Bread

I bought this animal pan (turtle bread) at Yokohama St. Honore, a Japanese bakery at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Costa Mesa, CA. It tastes like a chocolate-filled croissant.

©2005 Yuzu Eats

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