tips for perfect pastries

You may have easily followed the instructions on the back of a cake box, and even managed to decipher your grandmother's writing when baking her cookie recipe. But now you want to take the next step and bake something truly magical. Making pastries is a delicate procedure which requires a baker with both knowledge and skill. The result, however, is well worth the effort. Here are a few tips that will make the road to baking the perfect pastry all the sweeter.

1. Crafted From Quality

Just as an artist shouldn't use a threadbare canvas and cheap paint, so too should you not use sub-par ingredients for your pastries. If you can't afford the priciest stuff, go for something in between. Purchasing bargain brand items may seem like the wisest choice, but be aware the quality of the ingredients will reflect in the quality of the finished product. 

2. Tis the Season

The reason why pumpkin and apple pie are staples of autumn is because that is when they are the most fresh. Even though modern conventions have allowed you to purchase most fruits all year round, it's still best to enjoy them when they're in season. This also allows you to experiment with new fruits that are freshest right now.

3. Change You Can't Believe In

On the topic of experimenting, be aware that any changes you make to a pre-existing recipe will affect the result of the pastry. This is especially true about substituting fat for low-fat products. The texture and flavor of pastries relies on the source of fat, and lowering the amount will drastically change the pastry.

4. Make Sure To Read the Terms and Services (For Real This Time)

Most mistakes in cooking happen when you don't read the instructions thoroughly. Measurement sizes, mixing instructions, oven temperature, and cooking times have all been tested over the years, so straying too far from them is inviting failure into your kitchen.

5. Double or Nothing Can Cost You Everything

Even though measurements are important, doubling or halving the recipe shouldn't do too much harm, right? Wrong. Increasing or decreasing the scale of the recipe affects cooking times, and it's not as simple as just doubling the time. You're better off cooking two batches, or checking on the pastries early if you make less.

6. Make it Rain (Flour)

One of the common mistakes in baking is leaving your flour as-is. Flour becomes compact in storage and tends to clump. Sifting flours breaks it up and gives the resulting pastries a fluffy texture.

7. Pied or Puffed?

If you're making homemade dough, you should be aware that there are two distinct types of pastry dough. Non-laminated dough uses flour with cubes of fat mixed in to create a crumbled texture, used for pie and tart crusts. Laminated dough uses dough with butter layered in between, for puff pastries and croissants. Be sure to know which dough you need and the particular method of making it before you begin.

pied or puffed dough for pastries?

8. Butter Is A Dish Best Served Cold.

One of the most important rules is to never use warm butter when making pie crusts. Chilled butter allows for the crumbled texture your desire to occur, while melted butter creates a more congealed consistency. 

9. You're Too Knead-y

Another important rule when making pastries in general is to never over-knead the dough. Kneading the dough for too long makes the gluten in the dough harden, giving the dough a tough texture. You should stop kneading when there is no more loose flour in the bowl. 

10. Socialize Your Bakery

When making multiple pastries, everything should be in even proportions. If one of your pastries is slightly bigger than another, it will take longer to bake, ensuring your batch is unevenly cooked.

11. Pie Crust and Chill?

Chilling your pie crust before filling and baking allows the butter to reset as well as the gluten to deactivate, keeping the desired texture of the crust intact. 

for perfect pie crust, refrigerate!

12. Workin' At the Egg Wash

Applying a thin coating of egg wash with a brush before cooking a pastry gives the finished product a gorgeous finish. 

13. Un-fanning the Flames

An overzealous cook is likely to check the oven multiple times. But each time you open the oven the temperature drops, affecting cooking time. You should only check the oven near the end of the cooking time. 

Hone Your Skills in Baking & Pastry School!

Are you interested in turning your hobby into a full time career? ECPI University is here to help with their Baking and Pastry Arts degree. You'll learn expert cooking techniques, a wide variety of delicious decadents, and the knowledge to run your own business. And best of all, with their accelerated degree programs, you could have your degree in as little as 15 months! Call today—it could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

Learn more about ECPI's College of Culinary Arts TODAY!

DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.

Gainful Employment Information – Baking & Pastry Arts - Diploma

For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.