Chapter 38

"‘Levain, Levain, Polish Levain,’ I actually forgot to prepare it, damn it! It was always done by Park Aehwa in the past, I thought I had done it, but in the end... I didn’t do it at all!"

Abel, furious at his own negligence, took off his chef’s hat and clenched it tightly in his hand.

"The Polish Levain takes too long, and there’s no time to prepare it now."

"Chef Abel, how about we change the starter? Or we could just use yeast to get by temporarily."

Chen Fei had heard Teacher Shen Fei’s tips on making bread many times.

Even if he hadn’t eaten pork, he had at least seen pigs run, and he knew a bit about it, including what the so-called 'Polish Levain' was.

The 'Polish Levain' is nothing more than a refrigerated fermented dough. A small dough starter pre-fermented in a low-temperature environment can enhance the overall texture of the bread to a certain extent.

Chef Abel refused without any room for negotiation: "Change the starter? How? To which one? No, no, no, my 'Baguettes' must use 'Polish Levain.' Using yeast directly would ruin my reputation!"

Then he paced around in a panic.

Time ticked by, but Chen Fei didn’t give up. He tentatively suggested, "What about 'Boiling Water Levain'?"

"What? What the hell is 'Boiling Water Levain'?"

Abel was taken aback. He searched his mind but found that he had never heard of such a 'levain.'

"I have a friend who is a teacher and is very good at making bread. She taught me this. The bread made with 'Boiling Water Levain' is soft, delicious, and very fragrant."

Chen Fei spoke from personal experience, every word true.

Teacher Shen Fei’s small bread was made with simple ingredients: flour, eggs, butter, milk powder, and yeast. The bread was soft and fluffy, with a rich wheat aroma and a fragrant milk scent, making it hard to stop eating. He even accidentally ate a fully metal flower key puller.

"Soft, no, no, no, my 'Baguettes' are crispy!"

Abel was a stubborn chef, insisting on his own recipe and unwilling to make any changes.

Chen Fei took two 'sticks' and clinked them together.

Clang! Clang!

The clear sound of the collision was unmistakable, truly insane.

Doesn’t he have any sense of proportion?

How can this thing be called bread?

Are you serious?

"..."

Chef Abel’s gaze wandered, and he blushed, saying shyly, "Paired with my Gaulish soup, it’s absolutely delicious."

These two 'sticks' are like lamb soup with steamed buns. Without the lamb soup, the buns are just weapons.

"Then let’s change the way we eat it. My 'Baguettes,' not yours."

Chen Fei gradually took the initiative.

His racial talent was coming into play.

"Cheese fondue?"

Chef Abel’s eyes lit up. He was only stubborn about his 'Baguettes.' Now, influenced by Chen Fei’s words, it felt like a new world had opened up. Stupid pig!~

"Uh! It can be stuffed with something!"

Chen Fei thought, don’t keep running down the same path with lamb soup with steamed buns. Come over to the donkey meat火烧 (burning) side quickly.

"It can be, it can be. How about truffles? And some black caviar, yes, yes, white truffles and black caviar are a perfect match."

Abel started to daydream, letting his imagination run wild.

"How about stinky tofu? It can supplement vitamin B12 and prevent dementia."

Chen Fei felt that Chef Abel was getting carried away, forgetting his place, and daring to think about truffles and caviar. He couldn’t help but retort.

Spreading poison at midnight is justified.

"..."

Abel was indeed nauseated. He rushed to the sink and dry-heaved a few times before recovering. He turned back, gritting his teeth, and said angrily, "Chen Fei, you did that on purpose!"

Chen Fei smiled and said, "If you don’t like stinky tofu, how about some sausages, beef, and vegetables? As for white truffles and black caviar, you should ask Manager Maurice first."

"Let’s forget it. I’ll listen to you. Sausages, beef, vegetables, and there’s some pickled cucumbers in the kitchen."

Abel seemed to have regained his senses. If he foolishly went to the executive manager, he would probably be fired on the spot.

Just the stinky tofu was too much to handle!

"Alright, let’s get started. Boil some water, boiling hot water!"

Chen Fei started to work, setting up a pot, turning up the heat, and then scooping some flour, pouring in corn oil, butter, and sugar, and stirring vigorously in a stainless steel bowl.

The water boiled quickly, and the bubbling hot water was poured into the stirred oil and flour mixture, which was then stirred again to become a thinner batter.

"Boiling Water Levain" done!

Abel watched Chen Fei’s operations, stunned. The final product was somewhat similar to 'Polish Levain' but much thinner.

"Next, we start kneading the dough. How much flour do we need?"

Chen Fei placed the stainless steel bowl with the 'Boiling Water Levain' batter to the side and looked at Abel.

"Twenty kilograms will do."

Chef Abel led Chen Fei to a dough mixer.

Pour the 'Boiling Water Levain,' water, milk powder, butter, a dozen eggs, two ten-kilogram bags of whole wheat bread flour, yeast dissolved in water, improver, and set the timer for one hour.

"Done, now the potatoes!"

Chef Abel clapped his hands and walked to the large basket of potatoes brought out from the cold storage.

Chen Fei looked at the dough mixer starting to run, then at Abel, and then at his own hands.

The promised kneading technique, and this is what you show me?

The high-end gourmet image instantly collapsed.

Peeling potatoes wasn’t something Chen Fei had to do himself. All he had to do was rinse the potatoes in a basket under the tap with a brush, then put them into the potato peeler, and wait for the peeled potatoes to come out.

There were also specialized machines for slicing, cutting into strips, or cutting into strips.

The entire process was not done by hand; machines were more cost-effective.

The peeled potatoes were steamed in a steamer, then mashed and pressed into potato cakes using a mold, sprinkled with flour, and ready to be fried in oil when it was almost dawn, sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper, and they were incredibly fragrant.

After assigning Chen Fei his tasks, Chef Abel started his own work. The kitchen was filled with the sounds of clanging and banging for about an hour before it temporarily came to a halt.

By this time, the dough in the mixer had successfully formed a film and was kneaded into long strips by Chef Abel and Chen Fei. The strips were placed on large baking trays, layered, and sent into the large oven to start the automatic fermentation and baking process, which took two hours.

The large oven in the kitchen could bake a hundred 'Baguettes' at once. After cooling until dawn, they would be ready for breakfast.

A whole 'Baguette' is meant to be shared by several people. Twenty kilograms of whole wheat bread flour can make eighty 'Baguettes.' Considering not everyone would choose to eat bread, this quantity was just right to supply the base’s two hundred people.

They kept busy until midnight, and the ingredients needed for breakfast were finally ready.

Placing the last new-style 'Baguette' on the stainless steel cooling rack, Chen Fei clapped his hands and prepared to say goodbye to Chef Abel.

Chef Abel handed him a 'Baguette' and a large piece of stewed beef, winked, and said, "Come early tomorrow. Help me for two hours every day, and I’ll pay you... two hundred, no more."

The money might not be enough, but there were always some perks in the kitchen. As the chef, it wasn’t against the rules.

Without Park Aehwa to assist, he had no choice but to ask Chen Fei for help. This was a temporary solution, and he would have to confirm the expense with the base’s executive manager, Maurice Morgan.

Looking at the still warm bread and beef in his hands, Chen Fei said without hesitation, "Deal!"

A whole 'Baguette' plus beef was enough for two meals. If he saved it, it could last for three.

After finishing the small bread from Teacher Shen Fei, the next free meals were secured, and he would also earn some extra money from the kitchen. Only a fool would refuse.

As the sky began to brighten, people started to arrive at the base canteen.

The coolest kid at 911 Air Base, Deputy Commander Chekhov, was surrounded by people as he entered the canteen. The pilots didn’t have to pay for their meals; they could help themselves to whatever they wanted.

The lewd and violent big bear casually picked up a 'stick' and started to show off, blowing his own horn.

"Think of me, Chekhov, who has roamed the world for over forty years, seen countless women. When the ladies see my big sword, they all throw themselves into my arms..."

As he spoke, the 'big sword' in his hand started to shake and suddenly went limp, drooping.

The scene fell silent, and then burst into laughter. The boasting was instantly shattered.

Chekhov Leonidovich Ivanov’s face turned ashen.

After roaming the world for over forty years, I’ve never lost face like this...

-