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.