I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 103. The Potato Mousse of Truth (2)
But my work was far from finished.
If I simply shoved this into people’s mouths without explanation, I’d be branded a madwoman.
“Besides, the Quest itself instructed me to make mousse from this.”
“Gora?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After thanking Gora for perceptively bringing me a tool to mash potatoes, I began my work.
I let the well-fried potatoes cool slightly, then crushed them without mercy.
I filtered out the hard particles created during frying, broke them down further, then added butter and fresh cream.
“Do you know why we add fat?”
“Gora gora?”
“To lock in the flavor.”
The reason for adding fat in the typical mousse-making process was the same.
It acted as a thin coating, trapping the taste and aroma that might otherwise dissipate after crushing.
Of course, it also softened the texture.
“Here, it will also capture the acrid taste.”
An effect that only manifests for those who speak falsehoods.
Finally, I added honey and a pinch of salt, along with grated cheese, and it was complete.
“It looks delicious.”
“Gora!”
The Potato Mousse, gleaming golden on the surface, looked absolutely appetizing.
Had someone ignorant of its nature seen it, they would have immediately fetched a spoon and taken a generous bite.
But had that person been able to see this mousse’s status window, their thoughts would have changed.
[Neutralized Lumiere Mousse]
▷ A mousse endlessly delicious and smooth to those who speak truth. But merciless to those who lie. The fat preserves the acrid taste thoroughly, and the honey substituted for sugar acts as an adhesive, making it cling longer to the throat. The creator’s manic fury can be felt.
▷ Effects
① Truth and Falsehood: Those who speak truth receive a savory and smooth taste, while those who lie experience a sharp, acrid sting.
② Latent Flavor: Upon consumption, the fat membrane instantly breaks down, releasing an intense flavor accompanied by 200 microscopic vibrations per second.
“Gora gora?”
“No, I really didn’t intend this….”
Gora looked at me with an expression questioning how I could conceive of something so cruel.
But I was truly wronged.
Adding fat to bring out the mousse’s flavor was basic knowledge, common sense, wasn’t it?
And substituting honey for sugar was meant to preserve viscosity and enhance the smooth texture.
As for the acrid taste, I had no intention whatsoever.
Yet the status window claimed the creator’s manic fury could be felt….
“Sigh. Whether fair or not, I should taste it myself.”
“Gora lala! Gora gora!”
“Alright. You try some too.”
Seeing Gora bouncing excitedly with outstretched paws, I scooped a spoonful of mousse and offered it to him.
I’m not sure how the creature managed to use a mouth made entirely of icing, but it displayed a satisfied smile after eating the mousse.
“Then let me try too… Mmm!”
The moment it entered my mouth, I felt the intense crumbliness of potato.
And along with it came an overwhelming softness and savory richness!
“This is incredibly delicious?”
“Gora gora!”
Compared to the exceptional flavors the breads made using the Witch’s power had shown since before, this was no less impressive.
The balanced potato flavor spread together with the aroma of olive oil.
The fresh tartness of berries slipped through the gaps, stimulating my palate.
And thanks to the newly acquired effect, all of it was amplified, intensely stimulating my tongue!
I was certain this Potato Mousse was far more delicious than any other in the world.
“This is no joke, really.”
“Meow. Isn’t that a good thing? That you’ve eaten many good things? Besides, we just resolved the condition the Witch’s Cottage set.”
The moment Noir finished speaking, a notification arrived that the Quest was complete, and the 20,000 BP set as a reward was immediately received.
“This Quest is strange in many ways.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Until now, the objective was always to make bread and deliver it. But not this time.”
That wasn’t all.
The reward was set excessively high for just handling one matter related to my bakery.
It was a Quest with many things that bothered me.
“But Owner. There’s nothing we can know right now. What you must always remember is….”
“I know. The Witch’s Cottage makes the optimal choice to fulfill my wishes.”
“Meow. Precisely. That’s all you need to know.”
This must be the way to get closer to what I desired—’delivering happiness through bread.’
I decided to set aside all these thoughts.
Even though the Quest was complete, my work wasn’t finished yet.
“I haven’t made the bread yet.”
“But what bread will you make? You only mentioned using Lumiere’s eyes, but haven’t told us what bread it is yet. Owner. There aren’t that many breads that can be made with potatoes, are there?”
Most notably, there’s focaccia, an Italian appetizer bread.
When boiled potatoes are mashed and mixed into flour dough, it creates a texture far chewier and fluffier than regular focaccia.
Ciabatta can also achieve this texture.
“Potato bread or campagne can also utilize potatoes. Owner.”
“Right. But those are all just applications. I want to make bread where potato is the star.”
“If potato is the star… can that even be bread? Bread is bread because it uses flour. Owner.”
“Technically, it’s grain. And there’s no reason I have to use potato in the dough, right?”
“So what bread are you making exactly? Owner.”
“I’m going to make potato bread.”
Bread made with rice flour that’s chewy inside, filled with boiled and mashed potato.
It even resembles a potato in appearance, and the main ingredient inside is also potato, which is its defining characteristic.
“Potato… bread? Does such a bread exist?”
“Ah. You might not know about this one, Noir. It’s a bread that was created quite recently.”
It was developed around 2020 at a cafe in Chuncheon, after all.
It was so successful that it became a local specialty almost immediately, and it’s still incredibly popular online.
“I’m thinking of reinterpreting it with my own recipe.”
“By using a mousse made with Lumiere’s eyes?”
“Of course. It’s the main ingredient, so I can’t leave it out, right?”
First, I needed to make the outer dough to wrap everything.
The original recipe used rice flour to achieve chewiness, but I decided to use bread flour and tapioca starch instead.
“You can preserve some chewiness with rice flour, but if you use only that, the texture becomes more bland and crumbly.”
Rice often has little to no gluten compared to wheat, making it difficult to achieve that distinctive chewiness and stickiness.
Besides, the gluten structure and starch composition would preserve the Potato Mousse well.
“I’ll need to add sugar and salt in appropriate amounts.”
Just because there’s mousse inside doesn’t mean I should ignore the flavor of the outer dough.
Since I’m adding filling, I need to pay attention to the outer layer’s taste too, so everything harmonizes properly.
After creating that chewy dough and stretching it out, I proceeded to fill it.
“I’ll scoop out an appropriate amount of Potato Mousse, fill it to about this much, then knead and shape it firmly.”
“Gora gora.”
“That’s right. You’re doing well.”
“Meow? Owner, can’t I try doing this too?”
“Your fur sheds, so you’ll have to wait.”
“Meow… But this body is a Familier, so my fur doesn’t shed…”
Noir, apparently starved for praise, approached cautiously with claws retracted, but had no choice but to retreat.
No… no matter what, having a furry animal make bread just doesn’t seem right.
Even if it doesn’t shed, psychologically speaking, it’s a bit much.
Only after promising to let Noir watch plenty of videos he liked on YouTube later did he perk up.
“Meow! There was a Korean pride video I wanted to watch!”
“This is driving me crazy…”
“Gora!”
While wrestling with him, I finished shaping all the dough with Gora.
Shaped like potatoes, these bread doughs really did look like actual potatoes.
Next, I dusted the surface with soybean powder and black sesame powder.
“This way, I can enhance the flavor while making them look even more like potatoes.”
Good taste is important, but these days people eat with their eyes too, don’t they?
Since I’m already making potato-shaped bread, I might as well make them look as much like potatoes as possible.
Besides, the nutty flavor of soybean and black sesame powder will elevate the overall taste of the bread.
“Meow? But won’t the powder burn if you dust it before baking?”
“That’s something I can control with the oven temperature. And there are advantages to dusting before baking that shouldn’t be ignored.”
As Noir mentioned, the most common and orthodox method is to bake the bread first, then dust it with powder on the outside like injeolmi.
But if I bake it at a relatively low temperature of around 150 degrees, the powder won’t burn and will stick nicely to the dough.
Plus, when the powder bakes together with the dough, it creates a much deeper, nuttier flavor.
“Besides, my hands don’t get covered in flour.”
“Meow! That’s an incredible advantage!”
“Right?”
I mixed brown and black in appropriate proportions to create a powder the color of earth, dusted it on, and baked it in the oven.
The single intention I poured into it was simple.
All truths would be laid bare and undeniable.
Perhaps because Noir understood that sentiment so well.
Ding!
[Lumiere of Truth Bread]
▷ The crumbly yet chewy texture combined with the savory potato aroma is exquisite. However, beware—those who make a habit of lies will find an intricate trap lying in wait!
▷ Effects
① Truth and Falsehood: Those who speak truth experience savory softness, while those who lie receive a sharp, stinging, and acrid taste.
② Latent Flavor: Upon consumption, the fat membrane instantly breaks down, releasing an intense flavor accompanied by 200 microscopic vibrations per second.
③ The Shackle of Confession: These effects persist in the mouth until the resonance of truth is spoken.
“This is the first time effects have accumulated in stages.”
First came the effects of the ingredients, then the mousse, and finally the effects gained from baking the bread itself.
These three effects interlocked perfectly, creating tremendous synergy.
For those who speak truth, this bread would truly showcase the pinnacle of culinary excellence.
But for those who lie…
“They’d endure incredible suffering… and it would continue until the truth is revealed…”
“Meow. I’m curious what 200 microscopic vibrations per second combined with that intense stinging taste would feel like.”
“Want to try it?”
“Meow! I’ll pass! A cat’s tongue is far more sensitive than a human’s! Owner!”
He goes around insisting he’s a Familier, not a cat, yet conveniently reverts to being a cat whenever it suits him.
“But what do you plan to do with this? Isn’t this bread difficult to sell?”
“You’re right. It is.”
This bread was honestly unsuitable for sale.
If people only spoke truth after eating it, perhaps—but otherwise, it would cause serious suffering.
Yet where in this world would you find someone who speaks only truth?
Consider a scenario like this.
‘Big brother! This bread is so delicious!’
‘Right? It tastes like potato, and I actually added potato to it, so it’s potato bread. Haha!’
‘Yeah! But this is carbs, so what if I gain weight? I’ve already gained so much weight, haven’t I?’
‘Uh? Uh… Ah… No! My baby hasn’t gained a single pound… KYAAAAH! GWAAAAAH!’
‘Big brother! What’s wrong!’
‘GWAAAAAH! I’ve gained so much weight! I need to diet! UAAAAH!’
Let me stop imagining that.
“So this bread is meant only for those who’ve lied to us.”
“Isn’t that like putting a bell on a cat’s neck? Why would people who’ve lied come here?”
“No, they’ll definitely come.”
This was a kind of certainty.
Even those who’d spread lies would have heard somewhere that our bakery’s bread was delicious.
So even while lying, they’d be endlessly curious.
‘Ah, but just how delicious is it to have become this famous?’
‘Nah. Is it really that good?’
‘Hmm… should I just try it once?’
“I’ll grant that such thoughts are possible, Owner. But what if the person who orchestrated all this doesn’t show up?”
“They will definitely come.”
“Meow?”
Those who commit crimes inevitably return to the scene of their wrongdoing.
* * *
And just days after I’d made the potato bread.
“What? You don’t know me? Huh? I’m the one who bought bread here and got sick from it!”
Noir finally had the opportunity to prove my words.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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