Unit 260

Prepare and Cook Basic Pastry

Dishes.
 What is Pastry?
• Basic pastes are the building blocks of a
great number of sweet and savoury
dishes.
• A combination of flour, fat and liquid.
• Is used to produce tarts, flans, pies and
cases.
• Can be baked or steamed.
 Why is it important?
• A wide range of dishes in kitchen,
pastry and larder use pastry.
• Traditions of pastry goods from a wide
range of countries inc. baklava, strudel
and steak pie.
• As customer demand is more
cosmopolitan it is important to know
about and how to cook these items.
 Preparing basic pastry.
Types of basic pastry.

• Short pastry
• Sweet pastry
• Suet pastry
• Boiled pastry (choux)
 Short pastry.
• Should be light and easily broken when
cooked.
• Contains no sugar, is the basis for
savoury items.
• Soft flour and a range of fats are used.
• 1:2 (50%) fat to flour ratio, bound with
water.
• Aeration is important.
 Sweet pastry.
• Addition of sugar and eggs, reduction of
water.
• Rubbing in or creaming method.
• Needs to be made and rested prior to
use.
• Sugar caramelises to produce colour, so
a lower cooking temp is required.
• Used for fruit flans, tarts, mince pies
and barquettes.
 Suet pastry.
• Suet is the fat surrounding kidneys of
cattle and sheep.
• Pastry combines suet, flour and water.
• Usually produced for steamed dishes
inc. steak and kidney pudding and sweet
steamed puddings with syrup, orange or
lemon flavouring.
• Vegetarian alternative is now used esp.
in mince pies.
 Boiled (choux) pastry.
• Made by adding flour to boiling water and fat.
• Needs to be cooked after addition of flour to
gelatinise the starch and form a panade.
• Too much egg will result in a wet mix and end
in mis-shapes.
• Boil, Beat and Bake.
• Used for éclairs, profiteroles and some
potato dishes.
 Mixing methods.
• Rubbing in Short pastry
• Creaming Sweet pastry
• Flour batter Sweet pastry
• Blending Suet pastry
• Folding Puff pastry
• Boiling Choux pastry
 Common problems.
• Tough mix through overworking or
insufficient resting.
• Use of wrong type of flour- strong or
soft.
• Contamination through weevils or
foreign bodies. Clean equipment and
work surfaces is essential.
• Fat to flour ratio incorrect.
• Liquid content incorrect.
 Quality points.
• Texture. Does it feel right?

• Appearance. Does it look right?

• Consistency. Is it wet enough, or too

wet?
 Cooking basic pastry.
Cooking methods.
• Baking. Different pasties require
different temperatures and times. Puff,
choux, sweet and short.

• Steaming. Atmospheric (low) or high

pressure steamer. Moist atmosphere is
required.
 Quality points of a cooked pastry
product.
• Appearance. Does it look cooked?
• Aroma. Does it smell pleasant?
• Texture. Does it feel cooked?
• Temperature. Is it hot enough in the
centre?
• Time. Has it been in the oven the right
amount of time for the recipe?
 Finishing methods.
Dusting.
• Dusting with icing sugar, cocoa,
cinnamon or a combination should be
light and delicate, using a strainer,
muslin or shaker. Different styles
include:

• Scones - lightly dusted.

• Pithiviers - dusted and glazed.
• Victoria sandwich- dusted with a template.
 Piping.
• Piping with cream, chocolate or fondant
requires practise. Health issues with
the use of cream should be considered.
• Cream - Care taken not to overwhip.
• Chocolate - Can be thickened with glycerine,
brandy or stock syrup.
• Fondant - Care taken not to overheat.
 Filling.
• Important in both raw and cooked
goods. It is vital not to overfill the
pastry or the look of the final product
will be spoiled.
• Raw - Allow room for expansion or the pastry
will spill or burst.
• Cooked- Ensure all items are filled equally, using
attractive designs and appropriate nozzles.
 Glazing.
• Various methods of glazing pastries to
obtain a brown colour or gloss finish.
• Hot & cold process gels.
• Eggwash- added salt helps to improve the glaze
by denaturing the protein.
• Dust with icing sugar and grill or bake.
• Fondant- care must be taken with temperature
control.
• Apricot jam- should be heated and strained
before use.