Go ahead and bake Harvard! Shangcheng Cakes and Pastries Xiangyangfang won the championship

In order to qualify for admission to the Culinary Institute of American (CIA), which is known as the "Harvard of the baking industry", baking experts from all over the country gathered at the Y17 Taipei Youth Recreation Center today (22nd) to compete with each other and unleash their creativity in the "2012 California Raisin & California Cheese Baking Competition". As a result of the competition, Zhang Baoyi from Shangcheng Bakery won the championship in the Western pastry category, and Yang Zhiwei from Taichung Xiangyangfang won the gold medal in the soft European bread category.

The "2012 California Raisin & California Cheese Baking Competition" brought together many domestic baking masters to compete with each other, and in the end a total of 12 winners. (Photography by Luo Huiwen)

Zhang Mingxu, director of the Baking Department of Kaohsiung University of Culinary Arts, who served as the chief judge of this competition, said that the California Raisin Creative Baking Competition has entered its fourth year. In addition to the raisins specified in previous years, cheese has been added as a designated ingredient this year. The reason is that raisins contain trace elements, and cheese is concentrated milk, which can provide the minerals and calcium needed by the human body, which is in line with the concept of health emphasized by modern people. In addition, cheese has a soft texture, making it a very suitable ingredient to test the skills of baking chefs.

Shangcheng Bakery won the unanimous favor of the judges with its eye-catching romantic maple leaf appearance and excellent taste that combines softness and crispness, and won the gold medal in the Western Pastry Group.

This baking competition is divided into two groups: "Western pastries" and "soft European bread". In the pastry category, Chef Zhang Baoyi of Upper Town Bakery won the gold medal with his eye-catching maple leaf-shaped Napoleon pie, which was filled with soft angel food cake and light cheese. The excellent texture of the pie, which was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, won unanimous favor from the judges.

Xiangyangfang, which won the championship in the soft bread category, served up its garlic cheese basil bread. The creative concept of combining Chinese and Western styles was highly praised by the judges.

In the soft European bread category, contestant Yang Zhiwei from Xiangyangfang in Taichung used Lupin dough with raisins and honey that had been carefully brewed for three months to make Lupin honey grapes with a light vanilla aroma. He used 51% whole wheat flour with high-fiber and high-nutrition multi-grains, and replaced the usual sugar with 30% raisins, which is in line with the modern people's low-sugar, high-fiber diet concept. In addition, the garlic cheese basil European bread was dense and not greasy. The creative concept of combining Chinese and Western styles was highly recognized by the judges and won the championship.

Zhang Guorong, chairman of the Taipei City Bakery and Pastry Association, one of the organizers, said that in this competition, the six winners of the Western pastry group and the soft European bread group will compete in the California Raisin & California Cheese Baking Competition at the "2012 Taipei International Baking and Equipment Exhibition" which will start on March 22. The two winning groups of champions will be awarded a chance to go to the American Culinary Institute for a free 7-day training course.