A pastry is a dough with a high fat content which gives it a flaky or crumbly texture
Pastry contains the following ingredients:
Flour
Butter
Water
The main ingredient is flour and therefore is considered a
STARCH product and falls into the BREAD AND CEREAL
category on the food pyramid.
FLOUR BUTTER WATER EGGS SALT/SUGA
R
LEMON
JUICE
• Gluten
structure.
• Elasticity
• Too much
will result
in a tough
dry end
product.
• Too little
will result
in a flat,
tough
pastry
• Texture
• Good,
unique
flavour
• Excellent
colour
• Binds
ingredients
• Creates
steam to
act as a
raising
agent
• Makes
pastry
more
pliable
• Golden
brown
colour
• Sets
during
cooking
so
products
hold their
shape
• Sugar
produces
a crisp
baked
product
• Salt
enhances
flavour
• Softens
the gluten
network
which
makes the
dough
more
pliable
Measure ingredients accurately
Always ensure everything is ice cold – ingredients (you
can even put ice-blocks into the water), working surfaces
and your hands. It is best to make pastry early in the
morning.
Handle pastry as little as possible.
Always roll the pastry in ONE direction. You can move
the pastry in a 180˚angle should you wish to make a
rectangular shape.
Always rest and chill pastry during preparation and
before assembling for baking.
Use butter as it gives a better flavour and texture
Rubbing-in
• Incorporating butter into flour using your finger tips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Cutting-in
• Incorporating butter into flour using a dough cutter or two knives.
Rolling
• Always chill before rolling.
• Sprinkle flour on the work counter.
• Always roll in one direction.
• Rotate pastry to maintain even shape
Folding
• Fold a third of the pastry over the centre and then the other third over to make three layers – it will resemble a book.
• Seal the edges using a rolling pin
Lining
• The pastry should be wider than the tin used.
• Roll the pastry around the rolling pin to lift it off the work counter.
• Unroll over the pie tin
• Ensure there are no air pockets
Glazing
• Brush pastry with whole egg, egg yolks mixed with water or milk.
• Brush sweet pastry with milk or egg white and dust with castor sugar.
Process Line pastry and dock it.
Line with greaseproof paper the same
shape as the pie dish.
Weigh down greaseproof paper with
beans or rice (Cartouche)
Bake in a preheated oven for 10-15
minutes.
Remove (Cartouche) and bake for a
further 5-10 minutes until pastry is
golden brown
Reasons to bake blind Prevents crust from blistering.
Ensures pastry is cooked thoroughly
Ensures the pastry remains crisp
Especially for ready cooked fillings or
fillings that could make the pastry soggy if
not cooked prior to baking
Baking Blind=baking a pastry prior to adding the filling
Docking
• Use a fork to prick the base and sides of the pastry before baking to prevent blistering
Sealing
• Brushing the base of a pre-baked pastry with beaten egg & baking it again for 3-5 minutes. This prevents the pastry from becoming soggy
(Ratio for butter to flour = 1:2)
INGREDIENTS:
500 g Flour
250 g Butter
175 ml Iced water
You can enrich a pastry by replacing water with egg
(pate brisée).
You can add sugar to the pastry to make it a sweet pastry (pate sucrée).
METHOD:
1. Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
2. Cut the butter into the flour.
3. Add water a bit at a time until mixture forms a ball.
4. Knead lightly
5. Cover with cling wrap and rest in the fridge for 30
minutes.
6. Roll out in into required shape (remember to roll in one
direction only).
7. Bake blind at 200˚C
Rich
Light
Golden brown colour
Crisp
Soft
Crumbly
Flans Quiche Pies
Barquettes Hertzoggies Turnovers
A light flaky pastry containing several layers created by
rolling and folding pastry repeatedly.
(Ratio for butter to flour = 1:1)
INGREDIENTS:
500 g Flour
500 g Butter
250 ml Iced water
5 ml Lemon juice
5 ml Salt
METHOD:
1. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl.
2. Cut half the butter into the flour.
3. Add water a bit at a time until mixture forms a ball.
4. Knead lightly.
5. Shape the dough into a thick round ball.
6. Cut half way through the ball of dough in the shape of a cross (it should resemble a star).
7. Place the remaining butter into the centre of the dough.
8. Fold the arms of the pastry over the butter.
9. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
10. Roll pastry into a rectangular shape.
11. Fold the dough into three (should resemble a book) and seal the edges
12. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
13. Repeat steps 10 and 11 six times
14. Roll out and cut into desired shapes
15. Bake at 230˚C
Light
Many layers
Golden brown in colour
Rich delicate flavour
Bouchees Beef Wellington Tart Tartin
Cream horns Palmiers Milk tart
Mille Feuilles Sausage rolls Jam tarts
A paper-thin dough.
Bought ready made frozen.
Melted butter must be brushed onto the sheets to keep
pastry from drying out.
You should always cover the pastry with a damp towel
during preparation to prevent it from drying out and
becoming brittle
Pastry can be ready bought in the shops and is a
convenient way of making pastry products without
physically having to prepare the pastry.
Frozen pastries/ready made pastries include:
Puff pastry
Short crust pastry
Phyllo pastry
Spring roll pastry
Samoosa pastry
FROZEN REFRIGERATOR DRY STORAGE
• Always wrap securely to
prevent freezer burn
• Keep up to three months
• Thaw before use
• Best used within
seven days
• Wrap securely
• Unfilled pastry cases
can be kept in airtight
containers for two
weeks.