The Sweetest Techniques You'll Learn in Pastry School

Ever wonder what it would be like to trade in your blue or white collar for a tall hat and apron? To ditch the mundanity and become a celebrated, even famous, pastry icon? There's never been a more exciting time in the culinary world to make the leap. Pastry school could take you from kitchen novice to baking genie. With classic pastry techniques now being honed with modern innovations, pastry chefs create kitchen wizardry to ensnare the senses. If you're passionate about pastries and bonkers about baking, pastry school could be your home away from home.

Just what do they teach you in these intensive, hands-on courses? We've got the skinny on some of the sweet techniques you'll learn in pastry school.

Have Your Cake & Decorate It, Too

Who can forget the delicately tiered wonder of confections that are the centerpieces of every wedding? Who can ignore a lovingly appointed bakery window display? And who can resist the temptation to taste something so impeccably delicate? When it comes to eating with your eyes first, cake decorators are at the top of the class.

Techniques include borders from string work to basket weaving, flowers from tiny pansies to intricate orchids, baking tools such as cake levelers, turntables and varying icing tips, and color and style coordination. Masters will easily blend techniques for an OMG-worthy creations as beautiful as they are delicious.

She Blinded Me with Science

Art and science collide with the hands-on exploration of baking. A firm grasp on the foundations of this precise craft can pave the way for creative masterpieces. Students will study weights, measurements and baker's math. You'll explore the nitty gritty of the methods behind mixing and baking. Each of these facets will be explored via hands on instruction and informal lectures. 

The sweetest side to a baking foundations course? Without a doubt it's airy, melt-in-your-mouth sweet doughs sure to be on the menu. Sweet dough, or Pate Sucree, is a rich, versatile, sweetened short pastry. Among the many types of dough, sweet dough is most common. It is made by combining flour, sugar, shortening, eggs, milk, yeast, salt, and spices. The end result can be cinnamon rolls, croissants, puff pastry, and more.

Custard's Last Stand

Creating a perfect custard is a work of delicate attentiveness and proportions. Custards can be used as eclair filling (creme patissiere,) cream pies, flan, creme brulee, Zabaglione, and much, much more. Don't let the brevity of ingredients and directions fool you. Custard creations must be coddled like a newborn for ultimate results.

To achieve a custard, gently cook beaten egg yolks and either milk or cream in a double boiler over low heat.  Stir occasionally. Many recipes often call for the addition of sugar and vanilla extract. If a thicker custard is desired, the ratio of yolk to milk should be greater. If a thinner custard is desired, the ratio should be the opposite. Starch can even be added to create an extra thick, rich filling.

Life's a Box of Chocolates

Last but not least, chocolate. Did you know that the smell of chocolate increases brain waves, which then trigger relaxation? Chocolate was once hailed as medicinal and revered as holy. Chocolate is made from cacao seeds that have been roasted and ground.

A house becomes a home when the rich aroma of a tasty chocolate treat wafts through the air. The best way to learn? Students create a series of small chocolate cubes, then use piping and simple tools to fill and decorate and apply. Choco-holics unite!

Pastillage, Piping, & Pizzazz

Ever see those beautifully carved, edible white toppers and think, 'I could do that.' Try your hand at the fun craft of pastillage.

Pastillage is a thick sugar-based dough that smooths into a moldable essential shape for cake decorating. The end result can be a silhouette of a holiday themed event, shower, or just about anything.

 

 

Ecpi is sweet

- Michael Blow (@TrueDesireslove) June 28, 2012

Embrace Your Sweet Tooth: Enroll in Pastry School!

If the decadent aroma of sugary pastries and cocoa treats doesn't stop you in your tracks, you better check yourself for a pulse. There are several things to learn in pastry school, and each is sweeter than the next. Earn your tall hat with the help of the master chefs at ECPI University. ECPI University hosts top chefs from across the land. Bake a difference in your life when you enroll today in ECPI University's Baking & Pastry Arts diploma program! It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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