A reborn mother longs for her daughter's happiness.

Chapter 227 A Sweet First Baking Check-up

Yang Xuexue stood at the entrance of the bakery called "Sweet Dream Workshop," took a deep breath, and silently prayed, "Yang Xuexue, you must succeed today and embark on the path to becoming a baking master!" She was dressed in her most presentable clothes and had her hair neatly tied up, but her palms were sweating with nervousness, as if she were about to take a life-changing exam.

Pushing open the door, the shop was filled with the sweet aroma of bread and the rich scent of coffee, which immediately calmed Yang Xuexue's tense nerves. Behind the counter, a chubby middle-aged man was busy processing customers' payments; he was the owner of the bakery, and everyone called him Uncle Zhang.

"Hello, are you Mr. Zhang? I'm Yang Xuexue, here for a baking apprenticeship interview." Yang Xuexue tried her best to make her voice sound calm and confident.

Uncle Zhang looked up and sized her up, then smiled and said, "Oh, young lady, you look quite energetic. Come, sit down, let's chat."

As soon as Yang Xuexue sat down, she couldn't wait to introduce herself: "Uncle Zhang, I love baking! I often experiment at home, and I've made all kinds of cakes and cookies. Although sometimes they don't look very good, they still taste pretty good! Let me tell you, the chocolate chip cookies I made last time were praised by my parents. They said they were even better than the ones you can buy outside!"

Uncle Zhang couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Haha, young lady, you can't just do it at home, the work in the shop is much more complicated. But seeing your enthusiasm, I quite like it. How about this, I'll test you, do you know why chiffon cakes are prone to collapsing?"

Yang Xuexue's eyes lit up, and she quickly replied, "I know, I know! Either the egg whites weren't whipped enough, or the cake wasn't inverted after baking, so the heat couldn't escape and the cake collapsed!"

Uncle Zhang nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, it seems you do know a thing or two. Okay, then you can start work tomorrow!"

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Uncle Zhang!" Yang Xuexue was so excited she almost jumped up, feeling that she was one step closer to her dream of becoming a baking master.

The next day, Yang Xuexue arrived at the shop early. Her mentor, Master Li, the shop's baking expert, was already busy in the kitchen. Master Li was a man in his thirties with a small mustache, who looked very cool, but he didn't talk much.

"Master, I'm here!" Yang Xuexue greeted him with a smile.

Master Li glanced at her and nodded: "Okay, put on the apron. Let's start with the basics. Today I'll teach you how to make the most classic baguette."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xuexue's eyes widened: "Baguette! I love baguettes! They're crispy and so fragrant. Master, please teach me! Please teach me!"

Master Li's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile: "Making dough sticks isn't easy. First, you have to knead the dough, and the elasticity of the dough is very important. Here, you try it first." As he spoke, he pushed a lump of flour and water in front of Yang Xuexue.

Yang Xuexue rolled up her sleeves and confidently began kneading the dough, but after only a few kneads, she felt that the dough was like a naughty child, refusing to listen to her. One moment it would stick to her hands and she couldn't shake it off, and the next moment it would lie limply on the work surface.

"Master, why is this dough so difficult to work with!" Yang Xuexue was sweating profusely with anxiety.

Master Li came over, gently took her hand, and demonstrated the kneading motion: "The pressure should be even, like this, feel the elasticity of the dough." Under the master's guidance, Yang Xuexue finally gradually mastered the technique, and the dough became more obedient.

Next comes fermentation. As Master Li puts the dough into the fermentation box, he says, "The fermentation time and temperature must be well controlled. If it's too short, the bread won't rise; if it's too long, it will turn sour. There's a lot to learn about this."

Yang Xuexue nodded earnestly like a primary school student, her eyes never leaving the fermentation box, afraid of missing any crucial steps.

Finally, it was time to bake. Yang Xuexue excitedly put the baguette into the oven, eagerly anticipating her masterpiece. But not long after, a burnt smell wafted from the oven.

"Oh dear, what happened?" Yang Xuexue hurriedly opened the oven, only to find that the surface of the baguette was blackened like a piece of charcoal.

Master Li shook his head helplessly: "You must not have adjusted the temperature properly. This baguette needs to be baked at a high temperature for a long time. Your temperature is too high and the time is too long. How can it not burn?"

Yang Xuexue lowered her head in frustration: "Master, am I too stupid? I messed it up on my first try."

Master Li patted her on the shoulder: "Don't be discouraged. That's how baking is. It's normal to fail a few times. Come on, let's try again. This time it'll definitely work."

Encouraged by her mentor, Yang Xuexue rallied and began a new round of attempts. This time, she carefully controlled every step, from kneading the dough to fermentation and baking, not daring to blink even for a moment.

Finally, the moment the oven door opened, an enticing aroma of wheat wafted out, and a golden, crisp baguette appeared before my eyes.

"Master, I did it!" Yang Xuexue shouted excitedly, almost turning the whole kitchen upside down.

Master Li smiled with satisfaction: "Not bad, not bad. It's already very impressive that you could do this on your first try. With more practice, you'll definitely be able to do even better in the future."

From then on, Yang Xuexue followed Master Li every day to learn various baking techniques. When making cupcakes, she always squeezed the cream crookedly, making them look like little kittens; when making egg tarts, she could never get the amount of egg mixture right, either overflowing or not filling them properly. But with each failure, she learned new knowledge and experience from her master.

Once, the shop was making a huge birthday cake for a child's tenth birthday party. Yang Xuexue volunteered to help.

"Master, I also want to try making this big cake. Please teach me!" Yang Xuexue said coquettishly, pulling on Master Li's arm.

Mr. Li couldn't refuse her, so he had to agree: "Okay, but you have to be careful, you can't mess up this cake."

So, Yang Xuexue and Chef Li began preparing the ingredients together. She was in charge of stirring the cream, while Chef Li guided her on how to color it.

"Master, I think this pink is too light. Would it look better if we added some coloring?" Yang Xuexue asked, holding the mixing bowl.

Master Li quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't add too much. Too much food coloring is bad for your health. When we bake, we want it to be healthy and delicious."

Working together, the cake base was quickly completed, and the next step was decoration. Yang Xuexue picked up a piping bag, preparing to pipe beautiful flowers onto the cake. But her hand trembled, and the cream that should have been flowers turned into a strange blob.

"Oh dear, I messed it up again!" Yang Xuexue said in frustration.

Master Li smiled and took the piping bag: "Watch me. When piping, you need a steady hand and even pressure." As he spoke, he skillfully piped lifelike buttercream flowers onto the cake.

Yang Xuexue was stunned: "Master, you are amazing! When can I be like you?"

Master Li smiled and said, "Don't rush. As long as you are willing to learn diligently and practice more, you will definitely be fine. Here, give it another try."

With her instructor's patient guidance, Yang Xuexue finally managed to pipe a few decent-looking little flowers onto the cake. Looking at her creation, she was overjoyed.

After the cake was made, it was delivered to the child's birthday party. Not long after, Uncle Zhang received a call from the child's parents, who praised it highly, saying it was the best-tasting and most beautiful birthday cake they had ever eaten.

Upon hearing the news, Yang Xuexue was so happy that she danced around the shop: "That's wonderful! Our cakes are so popular, Master, it's all thanks to your excellent teaching!"

Master Li smiled and said, "You deserve credit for this too. You learn quickly and are hardworking. You'll definitely become an excellent baker in the future."

Days passed, and Yang Xuexue's life at the bakery was fulfilling and joyful. She not only learned various baking techniques but also became close friends with her colleagues. Every day, she pursued her baking dreams in this sweet-smelling shop, and she knew that even more sweetness awaited her in the future to explore and create.