Pastry

About pastry

At its most basic, pastry is a mixture of flour and fat bound with water to form a paste. Historically it was used as a case for baking other items, but people eventually realised the pastry was worth eating too.

The wide range of pastries made today vary in texture and taste according to the proportion of fats used, the way in which it is incorporated with the flour, and the method used to shape the dough

Basic types of pastry

Shortcrust pastry is the easiest type of pastry to make. It's also very versatile as it readily incorporates other flavourings. It can be used for sweet or savoury pies and tarts, pasties and other pastry parcels. Regular shortcrust pastry is bound with water but for a richer version the water is replaced with egg.

Pate sucrée is a French sweet pastry similar to shortcrust pastry but with high sugar content and egg yolks for richness.

Puff pastry has a much higher fat content than short pastries and uses a special rolling and folding technique to create fine layers of dough that trap air between them. The pastry then puffs up on baking, creating scrumptious leaves with a light texture and rich flavour. This is one pastry that really impresses.

Flaky pastry and 'rough puff' are both similar to puff pastry but easier and quicker to make. They are ideal for recipes where you want a flaky texture but do not need the pastry to rise impressively.

British pastry

Suet-crust pastry is a traditional British pastry that, despite being made with shredded beef suet, can be used for sweet or savoury dishes such as steak and kidney pudding or jam roly-poly. Suet-crust pastry is steamed, rather than baked, to give a light spongy texture and can also be used for dumplings.

Hot water crust pastry is used almost exclusively for Britain's traditional raised pies, such as pork pies. Hot water is used to create a pliable dough that can be shaped by hand and is solid enough to hold a heavy pork filling.

Speciality pastry

Choux pastry, famously used in profiteroles and eclairs, is unusual in that it has a high egg content and is made in a saucepan with a mixture of boiling-hot water and melted butter. The raw mixture is sticky, so it is piped or spooned rather than rolled. Its high water content creates steam during cooking which forces the pastry to expand in volume, leaving it with a hollow centre and a light texture Once they are cooked, profiteroles and eclairs need to be pierced or slit to allow the steam to escape and create a pocket that you can fill with a luscious mixture.

Thin-leaved filo and finely shredded kadafi pastry from the Mediterranean require so much skill and time to make that most people prefer to buy them ready-made. Unlike other pastries, homemade filo needs flour with a high gluten content (gluten is a protein found in some grains, particularly wheat, that gives bread dough its elastic texture), so that the elastic dough this gives can be stretched into very large, very thin sheets. Strudel pastry, famously used in central Europe for apple strudel, is very similar.

Even when purchased ready-made (fresh, or frozen), filo pastry's gossamer-thin sheets need careful handling because they're fragile and dry out quickly. They must be brushed with melted butter or oil prior to shaping and baking. Try to keep the unused sheets covered with a damp cloth as you work, too.

Making pastry

There is an old cooks' saying that people with cold hands are good at making pastry. Shortcrust, puff pastry and their relatives need to be kept cool for best results. This means chilling the ingredients and the utensils before making the pastry, and working on a cool surface - marble is ideal. Traditionally, pastry was made first thing in the morning, before the kitchen had a chance to get hot in the heat of the sun or the ovens.

Similarly, pastry needs to be mixed quickly. This helps keep it cool but also minimises development of the flour's gluten content, otherwise the pastry may become too elastic, difficult to roll, inclined to shrink, and tough in texture. Too much handling can also make the fat soft and the finished pastry greasy.

When making shortcrust, a food processor can be an advantage in that it can help minimise handling. However it is important not to let the machine overwork the pastry - take it out as soon as it forms a lump.

Once the dough is formed, chilling it for 30 minutes or so helps relax the gluten and set the fat, making the dough manageable and less likely to shrink. Chilling the dough between each stage of making puff pastry is vital. Raw shortcrust, puff and flaky pastries can be kept wrapped in cling film in the fridge for two or three days before rolling and baking. They can also be frozen for up to three months.

Flours for pastry

Regular white plain flour is the best choice for most pastries, giving a light texture and crisp finish. The high gluten content of strong or bread flour makes the pastry too elastic so should be avoided. Italian type '0' and '00' flours, which are soft and finely milled, are also good for making pastry.

Pastry made with wholemeal flour usually requires a little extra water, and some recipes will include baking powder or bicarbonate of soda to help lighten the texture.

People with allergies to wheat and gluten need not forgo pies and tarts thanks to the ready availability of gluten-free flours. While they are not suitable for pastries such as puff and flaky, they can be simply substituted for the wheat flour in shortcrust recipes.

Fats in pastry

Using equal quantities of butter and lard is a good idea for shortcrust and flaky pastries. Butter gives pastry an excellent flavour and crisp texture. Lard does not add flavour but makes pastry short and flaky.

Margarine can be used to make pastry but it will not taste as good as that made with butter. Vegetable shortening (a solid fat made from hydrogenated vegetable oils) lightens the texture and is a vegetarian alternative to lard.

Some recipes incorporate oil, usually in an effort to replace the saturated fats of butter or lard with healthier polyunsaturates and monounsaturates. However, oil can make the dough difficult to handle and its use also compromises the flavour and texture of the cooked pastry. The greasy finish means it's best suited to savoury recipes.

Ground nuts have a high fat content but also give flavour and body to a pastry, effectively replacing some of the flour as well as fat. Walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds - even peanuts - can be used.

Pastries made with cream cheese or sour cream in place of some of the fat will tend not to be flaky but will have rich dairy taste.

Suet is a rich form of solid white fat that is usually derived from the fat surrounding beef kidneys. It's sold ready-grated and dusted with flour. Vegetarian alternatives are readily available, although people who wish to avoid the hydrogenated vegetable oils from which they are made may like to try finely ground brazil nuts as a substitute.

Working with pastry

When rolling pastry you need a cool work surface dusted with flour to prevent sticking. Marble is ideal. Alternatively, you could roll the pastry out on a special pastry cloth that shows the dimensions required for various tart tins, or between layers of cling film or greaseproof paper.

Turning the pastry occasionally as you roll it will help to give an even circle. Dust the rolling pin and pastry lightly with flour to prevent it from sticking. Aim for a thickness of 0.3cm and try to flatten and smooth the pastry rather than pull or stretch it, as the latter will just lead to tearing and shrinkage.

When lining a tart tin, it's a good idea to curl your rolled pastry over the rolling pin and use that to help you transfer the pastry to the tin. Gently ease the pastry into the corners of the tin and allow it to rest again before trimming off the excess pastry - resting helps prevent the pastry shrinking excessively while baking.

As you can see from Lesley Waters' citrus tart recipe, pie and tart shells are often part- or fully-baked before adding the filling. The term 'bake blind' means to line the raw pastry shell with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans (or rice) to stop the base from rising while in the oven. This will also help the pastry stay crisp if a saucy filling is added. Another way to ensure a crisp pie base is to place the tart tin on a preheated baking sheet while cooking.

Recipes

Mediterranean filo pastry pie by Lesley Waters (video recipe)

Salmon en croûte by Lesley Waters (video recipe)

Profiteroles with pistachio cream by Lesley Waters (video recipe)

Jam roly-poly by Keith Floyd

Hot water crust pastry by Keith Floyd