Different Types of Pastries.

Making the right pastry for dishes is just as important as the filling itself. But don't worry most recipes include the name of pastry that is recommended for the dish. But is is also helpful to have an idea of which pastry suits what and how to make it.

 

What exactly is pastry?

Pastry is a dough made of flour, water and fat. There are a number of different types of pastry. For the most part, they rely on the same basic ingredients with small variations in them, as well as variations in the method required to make them. Pastry is extremely finicky and requires the exact measurements and precise handing in order to get that perfect pastry.

• Here is a list of the most commonly used pastries:

 Short Crust Pastry: 

 

This is probably the most versatile type of pastry. If you are a beginner cook then short crust is the way to begin. It can be used for savoury and sweet pies, tarts and flans. There are several different ways of making shortcrust pastry. But this is the most basic way of making shortcrust. The dough consisting of  flour, fat, water and salt. Once the dough has been made, it is rolled out on a floured board (only once) and then shaped, filled and baked. 

 

Shortcrust pastry requires minimal handling in order to preserve its flakiness. Excessive handling will cause gluten strands to form and toughen up the dough.  Other flavourings, such as cheese for savoury dishes and sugar with egg yolks for sweet pies, can be easily incorporated to suit different short crust pastry recipes.

 

Puff Pastry:

 

Made with layers upon layers that expand as the pastry bakes, puff pastry is an extremely light, puffy, flaky pastry. Puff Pastries are made using flour, butter, salt, and water. Puff pastry takes multiple steps over the course of a few days to bake, and typically involves rolling out the pastry, spreading it butter, folding the pastry over, and re-rolling.

This process is repeated multiple times to create small pockets where the butter will melt and leave air pockets that puff the pastry, hence the name puff pasty. Croissants are also made from a modified form of puff pastry. 

I was told that it is worthwile to make yourself, but because it is so difficult and time consuming to make, I normally cheat and purchase puff pastry in the frozen section of Checkers.

It is used for savoury pie crusts and as wrapping for meat and poultry, as well as vol-au-vents, cream horns and mille feuilles (small iced cakes that are filled with jam and cream.)

 

Flaky Pastry/Rough Pastry:

Used as a crust for savoury pies, sausage rolls, Eccles cakes and jam puffs,

This is perfect if you are looking for a crisp, buttery pastry. The "puff" is obtained by beginning the baking process with a high temperature and lowering the temperature to finish. 

Flaky pastry is best made in cool conditions and must be chilled during and after making, to prevent the fat content from melting out under cooking conditions.

 

All three of these flaked pastries need similar care:

• Handle as little and as lightly as possible;
• Fat and dough content should be of the same consistency and temperature;
• Roll pastry evenly without stretching it or forcing out air;
• Brush with beaten egg glaze before baking.

 

Pate a Choux/Choux Pastry:

This incredibly light speciality pastry is used in the making of éclairs, profiteroles and cream puffs and then topped with chocolate. Choux pastries can also be filled with things like cheese, tuna, or chicken to be used as appetizers.

Making Choux Pastry is somewhat difficult and can be very tideous. The timing of it is fairly precise; however, learning to make a good choux pastry is not out of reach of all novice cooks.

 

This pastry is made by boiling butter and water on high heat, and then beating in the flour. Next, the mixture is cooled (usually in a water bath to speed cooling). Once the mixture has cooled, eggs are added gradually (each egg gets added when the dough is smooth and shiny (that being the tedious part) In the end you will have the stunning smooth and shiny dough. The pastry is then baked, and later filled.

Phyllo/Filo Pastry:

This pastry is used in most mediterranean dishes whether it is sweet or savoury. Phyllo pastry is an extremely thin pastry that is layered in sheets to create a final dish. The thickness of a well-made phyllo sheet is about the same as a sheet of paper or tissue paper.

Because of this thinness, it is the most delicate of all of the pastries and breaks easily. Made with high gluten content flour, filo is very difficult to make and needs careful handling because it is such a thin, fragile pastry that dries out very quickly.

Some people like myself prefers to buy readymade filo pastry at the local supermarket, but even then it is extremely tricky and not easy to use. It must be brushed with oil or melted butter before shaping and cooking, keep the phyllo sheets layered between parchment paper and covered with a damp towel while it is being worked with.  
 
Suet Crust Pastry:

Is a traditional, British, pastry used for steamed or boiled puddings, dumplings and roly-poly. Steak and kidney pudding is famously made with this kind of pastry.  Made with self-raising flour and shredded suet (Suet is raw beef or mutton fat, especially the fat found around the loins and kidneys) Suet crust pastry should have a light spongy texture.

Hot Water Crust Pastry:

Hot water crust is a type of pastry used for savoury pies, such as pork pies, game pies and, more rarely, steak and kidney pies. Hot water crust is traditionally used for making hand-raised pies. ( A Raised Pie is a tall, free-standing pie).

 

Hot water pastry is made by heating water, melting the fat, bringing to a boil, and finally mixing  the flour. This can be done by beating the flour into the mixture in the pan, or by kneading on a pastry board. The result is a hot and rather sticky paste that can be used for hand-raising: shaping by hand, sometimes using a dish or bowl as an inner mould.

As the crust cools, its shape is largely retained, and it is filled and covered with a crust, ready for baking. Hand-raised hot water crust pastry does not produce a neat and uniform finish, as there will be sagging during the cooking of the filled pie. This is generally accepted as the mark of a hand-made pie. It is possible, however, to bake the pastry in a mould, as with other pies.

When baked, the crust acquires a rich, shiny, golden-brown exterior, which is fairly crisp and water-resistant. This allows the pies to be filled with a savoury jelly or gravy as they cool, often through a central hole in the crust made expressly for the purpose during raising.

Pate Sucree Pastry:

This is a french pastry which is very similar to Short Crust Sweet Pastry, however it is more crumbly. Its pastry is sweet and consists of sugar and egg yolks. This resulting in a fantastic rich and sweet pastry. Baked blind, it gives a thin, crisp pastry that just melts in your mouth. 

Making pastry is not difficult and with attention to a few important details like:

• correct fat to flour ratio-roughly half as much fat to flour
• add water carefully and slowly, preferably from the fridge
• handle pastry as little as possible
• avoid over-flouring the rolling pin and board
• always preheat the oven to the recommended temperature
• pastry is only as good as the flour you use. Don't buy cheap flour!!
  
  
  Following the above and the prevoiuse blog article you will be making pies, puddings and parcels with  ABSOLUTE confidence.

 Happy Pastry Making!!