Chapter 15
Bread Part Three: For Small Business Owners, Two Jobs Are Standard (6)
Since it was an environment with plenty of meat, Ellie kept it simple when choosing a menu:
Meat Pie.
First, she cut cold butter into small pieces and mixed it with cake flour. Speed was essential, as the butter couldnāt melt.
When the flour and butter were crumbly, she added egg yolk, cold water, salt, and sugar, then kneaded the dough. She roughly shaped it into a single lump and put it into the refrigerated storage.
“The magic refrigerator in the knightsā headquarters is huge…”
She was envious.
Normally, dough should be refrigerated for two to three hours for better flavor, but these people didnāt know that, so she decided to pretend she didnāt either.
In this world, where people ate meat with their right hand and tore flatbread with their left, desserts like pies had not developed. Desserts were just small, transparent candies, honeyed fruits, or flowers.
The idea of mixing flour with sugar and butter to make a dessert simply didnāt exist.
“If only there were a magical device to quickly mature or ferment dough, Iād buy it no matter what.”
It was frustrating that such a device didnāt exist, but that was only the beginning.
Ellie seriously considered whether she should study cooking tools or machines first, rather than researching bread, until she became familiar with the oven. Of course, her father would never allow her to learn such things, so she had to give upābut all the more reason it was necessary.
While the dough chilled in the refrigerator, she picked lean meat and minced it finely.
The kitchen staff took over this task. Ellie seasoned the minced meat with salt and a little spice. Then she heated a pan with cooking oil and sautƩed the meat.
Sizzling sounds filled the air, and a delicious aroma wafted through the kitchen.
Up to this point, the process wasnāt particularly unfamiliar, so the chefs looked somewhat disappointed. Ellie felt a little intimidated.
All of the chefs were huge. It felt more like being in a sports team locker room than a kitchen. Their forearms and biceps were impressiveāperfect for kneading dough.
“Still, Malina is even more impressive…”
Out of courtesy, Ellie also chopped mushrooms, onions, and jalapeƱos. Since she wasnāt skilled with the cast-iron pan, one of the chefs held the handle for her. Ellie added tomato sauce and chosen spices to the pan.
“What is this, meat soup?”
“No. Please simmer it like this. The less moisture, the better.”
“What are you trying to make?”
She took the short-rested dough from the fridge and rolled it out using a large glass bottle instead of a rolling pin.
Since there were no molds, she used a baking dish for the oven. The shape was a little awkward, but it didnāt matterāit wasnāt for sale.
“I can figure out the taste, but shaping it is harder than I thought…”
Some of her recipes couldnāt be sold simply because the shape wasnāt good enough.
She laid the thin dough in the dish, filled it generously with meat, and covered it with more dough. If she had more time, she would have made a lattice pattern, but she decided not to worry about it for now.
“What is this?”
Because the shape was awkward, she carefully brushed egg wash on the seams so it would stick and placed it in the oven. She had already tested the dough beforehand to check the temperature and how fast it would bake.
About thirty minutes laterā¦
“Wow…”
“What is this!”
“The hot, salty meat goes so well with the crispy crustā¦ Iāve never tasted anything like this!”
“What did you do to the flour?!”
Ellie smiled proudly, hands on her hips.
The meat pies disappeared as soon as they were servedāEllie didnāt even get a taste.
“Isnāt it amazing? Tasty, right!”
“Wow! Incredible! Delicious!”
“Feel free to praise it as much as you want!”
The meat pie wasnāt a menu Ellie regularly ate, so it was honestly a bit rough. She hadnāt practiced it much, and the dough hadnāt rested long enough, so the results were not perfect.
Normally, Ellie never released a recipe to the public without at least hundreds of trials, but she chose to share this one to show a way to eat flour and meat together.
“Can we use any kind of meat?”
“Yes, anything that tastes good is fine. If you want, I can write down the recipe for you.”
“Reallyā¦ can you do that?!”
The head chefās eyes widened. Ellie nodded.
“Itās nothing difficult. Give me paper and pencil, and Iāll write it down. Measurements arenāt exact, but as long as you keep the proportions and follow the tips I showed earlier, itāll work.”
Baking required precise measurements.
One drop of water could ruin meringue; fermentation depended on exact temperatures; even when measurements were correct, humidity could change the result. She had discovered workable recipes for baguettes, campagne, and bread through practice, yet failure still occasionally happened.
Ellie said, “Delicious things are even better when shared!”
“Missā¦”
The large chef, surprisingly sensitive, teared up immediately. Ellie didnāt think much of itāafter all, she wasnāt revealing her personal recipeābut sharing a recipe in this world was almost unheard of. Especially new dishes.
New dishes were valuable.
Many nobles pursued fine dining, rewarding chefs who pleased their taste buds. For exceptional chefs, it was also an honor.
Ellie had already impressed the noble Demi-Michel Cronin, but considering the future, she would usually keep recipes like this secretāyet she generously shared itā¦
“Miss, your generosity is incredible!”
“Generosity? My belly is incredible?!”
“No, generosity, not your belly!”
Ellie wrapped her own protruding stomach, and the chef burst out laughing.
She thought she might enjoy this part-time job after all.
Irene climbed into the carriage, huffing.
“What kind of person is that?!”
She had trusted his reputation as a kind and gentle knight.
Though he appeared friendly, he didnāt care about othersā feelings and spoke sharply.
Yet Irene could not respond.
“He only ran because he hated me…”
She couldnāt confidently say no.
Ellie had clearly found her intimidating. It was inevitable.
Irene realized too late that her father had shaped her world. There was no one there to teach her right from wrong.
Even her desire to apologize or search for Ellie was selfish.
Still, Irene felt she couldnāt do anything until she confirmed Ellie was safe.
She secretly contacted detective agencies without her father knowing, but all refused. Her last hope was to ask the knightsā commander, but he also refused.
“Ellie, where are you?”
She had to be safe. She had to be aliveā¦
“What ifā¦ my father did something to Ellieā¦”
Irene shivered, hugging her shoulders in fear.
This was wrong.
If no one was going to find herā¦
“Iāll find her myself.”
She should have acted this way from the start.
Upon returning from her meeting with Irene, Ban found Ellie smiling warmly amidst the cheerful atmosphere and chuckled.
“I thought she was shy.”
Unlike how she kept her guard up around him, Ellie now seemed completely at ease.
“I did something to make her dislike me.”
He recognized he had teased her persistently.
At first, he had been a little spiteful simply because she disliked him without reason.
Some of the things Ellie deliberately said to provoke him had stung.
But Ban never wanted her to hate him.
Because Ellie was the one who made him baguettes, he wanted to treat her well.
So from the next day, he bought baguettes or disguised himself with a hood when no one was around.
“That counts as a disguise?”
“She wonāt recognize me, right?”
“Do I even call such unnecessary effort an effortā¦?”
Still, Ellie continued to dislike him.
That was fine. Ban appreciated Ellie and liked her honesty in openly showing her displeasure.
Being near Ellie felt comfortable.
So he decided to help her hide if she needed it.
