Unit Two
Pastry
The basic ingredients of pastry are flour, fat, water or other liquid, salt for flavoring and sometimes sugar for sweetness.
Pastry differs from pasta and bread in that it is usually handled gently to minimize the development of gluten. Gluten is the stretchy mix of proteins that give dough its texture.
Minimal gluten allows pastry dough to be easily shaped and remain tender when baked. Various types of pastry are made with the same basic method.
Short Crust (aka pate brisee) is French style short pastry and its is rich, crumbly dough used for sweet or savory pies, tarts, quiches, turnovers, samosas. The fat is thoroughly cut or rubbed into the flour until the fat is barely visible and the dough resembles course crumbs.
The result is a crumbly dough that, when rolled, can hold moist fillings
Sweet short pastry (aka pate sucree) is a pate brisee with sugar and usually enriched with egg yolks or cream. The sugar helps to prevent gluten formation, making the dough more tender and crumbly.
Pie dough: Most North American pie pastry or pie dough is different from pate brisee in that its made to be more flaky than crumbly. Pie dough is usually made with all purpose flour which creates more gluten when formed and works to support the layers of fat necessary for flakiness. Only solid fats make flaky pastry.
Vocabulary Review:
Pastry, Gluten, Short Crust, Pate Brisee, Pate Sucree, solid fats, pie scraper, tare
Pastry Screencast
listen for a jingling dog tag as I try to thwart my dog, Belly from eating my cat, Trout
A tart is an open-faced shell
A pie is a two-crusted pastry
All pastry is comprised of four basic ingredients
1. flour
2. water
3. fat
4. salt
fat must ALWAYS be chilled.
if it is too soft, it will break down too early and melt into the flour
water
1. the amount varies depending on the moisture content of the flour, the kind of fat, and the humidity of the day.
2. The liquid should be very cold.
3. should be added slowly until the pastry JUST sticks together.
all purpose flour works well for the type of pastry we do, but pastry flour creates less gluten, and less gluten, means more tender pastry
5 common pastry doughs
pate brisee short crust pastry with little or no sugar butter tarts
pate sucree short crust pastry with sugar and cream or yolks lemon tarts
pate choux choux pastry profiteroles or cream puffs
pate feuilletee puff pastry napoleons
pie dough pie dough apple pie
While you’re waiting. . .contemplate the relevance of this:
The Last Breakfast!
