What should pastry taste like?
What Does It Taste Like? Puff pastry tastes buttery, with a slightly crunchy crust, and a light and airy texture.
What are the characteristics of shortcrust pastry?
Shortcrust has a slightly biscuity, crumbly texture that is resistant to soaking up fluids so is perfect for quiches, tarts, samosas and other savoury delights with wet fillings or those that are not being served immediately. It is surprisingly sturdy when removed from its tin.
What should the texture of shortcrust pastry be?
Once it’s become a good crumbly texture with larger and smaller chunks it’s good. If however, the dough still feels like plain flour or it has already come together in a ball, you’ve probably added too much or too little fat.
What are the 4 characteristics to a perfect shortcrust pastry?
CHARACTERISTIC
- FLAKINESS.
- TENDERNESS.
- LIGHTNESS.
Why is my shortcrust pastry hard?
Shortcrust. Hard and/or tough pastry: Usually occurs due to too much liquid and too much flour when rolling out, too little fat, over-handling or insufficient rubbing in. Soft and crumbly pastry: The chef has used too little water or self-raising flour instead of plain.
What are the faults in pastry making?
Principles of pastry making
CONTINUE READING BELOW
| Fault | Reason |
|---|---|
| Blistered pastry | Ingredients too warm Over kneading and heavy handling Oven temperature too cold Too much flour used for rolling out Too much water used for mixing |
| Hard tough pastry | Uneven addition of water Over temperature too hot Fats insufficiently and unevenly rubbed in |
Is shortcrust pastry the same as sweet pastry?
Sweet pastry (or pâté sucrée) differs from a traditional shortcrust in that the softened butter is creamed with sugar before adding eggs and flour. This may seem counter-intuitive, especially if you’re used to making shortcrust which sees fridge-cold butter gently combined with flour to form a breadcrumb-like mixture.
Why does my shortcrust pastry crack when it cooks?
Cracking in pastry: is due to the dough drying out. If the top layer loses moisture, it shrinks and then cracks. To prevent cracking, keep it covered with a piece of clean plastic film before baking or when storing. Spots on the surface of the baked pastry: too much water.
Does shortcrust pastry go off?
I’d use it. I wouldn’t consider pastry a risky foodstuff to eat if out of date. Ready rolled pastry will go mouldy when it is past its best (I know from past experience!). Therefore, as long as it looked fine I don’t think there should be a problem.
Why is my shortcrust pastry too soft?
If your pastry has shrunk during baking, the pastry might have been stretched during rolling, the oven temperature wasn’t hot enough, there was too much liquid in the pastry, or the pastry wasn’t chilled for long enough before baking.
What happens if you overwork shortcrust pastry?
Overworking the pastry will develop the gluten in the flour, which will make the pastry hard to roll. Overworked pastry is also more likely to shrink during cooking and to be tough once cooked.
What temperature do you cook shortcrust pastry at?
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Fill the pastry case with a round of baking paper and add baking beans (see tip) to weigh it down. Bake for 15 mins, then carefully remove the paper and beans and cook the pastry for 5 mins more (this is called baking blind).
Should shortcrust pastry be rested?
RULE #7 Rest the pastry
Putting the dough back in the fridge to rest for any time longer than 15 minutes – but ideally at least 30 minutes – allows the gluten to relax and allows the pastry to chill. Cool and relaxed pastry is far more likely to hold its shape when cooking.
What is the secret of good shortcrust pastry?
Tips for working with shortcrust pastry
Roll and handle shortcrust pastry as little as possible as overworking it can produce tough and unpleasant results. Choose a metal tart tin rather than a ceramic one to ensure the bottom of your tart is well cooked. Ceramic tart tins, though pretty, can cause soggy bottoms.
Should you add egg to shortcrust pastry?
The choice varies depending on the desired crumbliness: the yolks – being fatter – will accentuate it, while the egg whites are for a crispier shortcrust pastry. More generally, to make a soft shortcrust pastry for tarts it is always better to use whole eggs.
How do you know when shortcrust pastry is cooked?
Set the oven to 180° C and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to minutes to 20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes as it’s easy to burn the edges from cooking for too long.
Why is my pastry sticky?
Mistake to Avoid #2: Your Pie Dough Is Too Sticky
If you’re rolling it out and it’s sticking to your rolling pin like crazy, your dough has too much moisture. … Adding more flour is always an option, but too much flour and your dough will end up like a cracker—not a pie crust.
Is shortcrust pastry sweet or savoury?
Shortcrust pastry is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart, quiche, pie, or (in British English) flan. Shortcrust pastry can be used to make both sweet and savory pies such as apple pie, quiche, lemon meringue or chicken pie. Shortcrust pastry recipes usually call for twice as much flour as fat by weight.
Will undercooked pastry make you ill?
Steps like grinding grain and bleaching flour don’t kill harmful germs—and these germs can end up in flour or baking mixes you buy at the store. You can get sick if you eat unbaked dough or batter made with flour containing germs. Germs are killed only when food made with flour is baked or cooked.
Why does the edge of a pie sometimes crumble?
Your dough is too crumbly.
If your pie dough breaks and crumbles when you try to roll it out, it’s probably too dry. This is a relatively easy fix. Just sprinkle some cold water over the dough with your fingers and work it in—gently!
Why is my pastry fragile and crumbly?
Pastry dough becomes crumbly mainly when it is too dry. If there is not enough moisture to hold the dough together, it will just fall apart. Simple as that!
What is the difference between shortcrust and sweet shortcrust pastry?
Sweet short crust (pâte sucrée) is also classically made with all butter, and is richer, crisper, sturdier and slightly less flaky and tender than an unsweetened pâte brisée, or a short crust made with lard or vegetable shortening.
Is shortcrust pastry the same as flaky pastry?
Much sturdier than puff, shortcrust pastry is a combined dough of flour and fat, resulting in a crumbly texture, rather than flaky. As it has a much closer crumb structure, it can be used to construct robust cases and exteriors for pies and tarts, and can stand up to both wet and dry fillings.
Why is shortcrust pastry called shortcrust?
Traditionally, the jam tart has been made with shortcrust pastry – “short” because it comes apart into small, “short” irregular particles.
Why should pastry be chilled in the refrigerator before cooking?
Pastry must always be chilled in a fridge after making. This helps it to relax which in turn will help to prevent it shrinking on baking. Additionally, instead of trimming excess pastry from a tart case before baking blind you could also leave it overhanging the tin.
What happens if you add too much water to shortcrust pastry?
Adding too much water in the initial stage when you mix it with the butter and flour can mean that as the water evaporates in the oven, the structure of the pastry tightens up and shrinks, so be patient in the early stages and add the water gradually.
What is the function of egg in shortcrust pastry?
Egg yolks contain fat and act as an extra shortening agent but are used more to add colour and richness to the pastry. When you’re adding water to pastry, be careful to add only enough to bring the mixture from a crumbly dough to one that can be kneaded and rolled easily.
How can you tell if pie crust is bad?
Look at your crust for signs of mold or discoloration. Also give your crust a sniff, a spoiled pie crust will smell “off”. And you can even taste a small piece, if the flavor isn’t right then your crust is no longer good.
How do I know if puff pastry is off?
Changes in smell can tell you if you need to discard your puff pastry even if there are no visible changes to the overall appearance. A sour or funny smell indicates improperly stored puff pastry and you better listen to your smell.
Can you use pastry past date mix?
Yes, provided it is properly stored and the package is undamaged – commercially packaged pie crust mix will typically carry a ” Best By,” “Best if Used By,” “Best Before”, or “Best When Used By” date but this is not a safety date, it is the manufacturer’s estimate of how long the pie crust mix will remain at peak …
Why is my pastry chewy?
A tough or gummy pastry is basically due to the fact that too much gluten has developed. This can be caused by a few factors, such as overmixing or over-kneading, there not being enough fat, the addition of too much flour, or too much liquid.
How do you keep your bottom pastry from getting soggy?
Coating the surface of the bottom crust will create a barrier to prevent sogginess. Adding a layer of corn syrup or a slightly beaten egg white before pouring in the filling will form a seal between the pie dough and the filling and will help make the crust crisp and flaky.
How should pastry dough be handled?
Your hands should be cold, too, when handling it. Run them under cold water or squeeze a plastic zipper-top bag full of ice to cool them off. Try to keep Puff Pastry from becoming too warm when working with it by only using your fingertips—the coolest part of your hands.
Why should you not knead pastry dough?
If you handle and knead the dough to much you will develop the gluten which will toughen the pastry. If it’s too tough it will shrink when baked and result in a tough chewy pastry. Short crust should be light and delicate.
Why does pastry break up when rolling out?
Chilled pie dough cracks when rolled out
Dough was too cold or not kneaded enough, making the edges of the dough disk ragged and dry. Also, the dough may not have rested enough to allow the flour to hydrate evenly. If there are many cracks and the edges seem dry, gather the dough into a ball.
Why is my pie puffy?
The heat needs to set the crust quickly. Also, when blind baking, (pre-baking for a single-crusted pie) make sure the pie weights go all the way to the top of the chilled crust—that will help shore-up the sides and keep them from sinking or puffing.
How thick should shortcrust pastry be for a pie?
Shortcrust pastry should be rolled out to approx. 3-5 mm. depth.
Do you bake shortcrust pastry before filling?
To prevent them becoming soggy, shortcrust pastry cases need to be partially cooked before adding moist fillings. This process, known as blind baking, which seals the surface and results in a crisp pastry case.
Do you cook the base of a pie first?
But the one surefire way to make absolutely certain your pie’s crust will be golden brown, crisp, and delicious — just as appealing as its filling — is to prebake it. That’s right: bake the bottom crust first, before adding the filling.