Intro to Pastry
Yesterday was our introduction to pastry. Our lecture portion concentrated on pastry crusts and the differences between a tender and a flaky pastry. For the cooking portion, we all made the same thing - apple galette. This is actually what we are going to have to prepare for our Pastry Practicum in 2 weeks, to it was truly great practice. It just didn't make for a very diverse day of recipes to taste and share.
Pastry Crust Notes
Tender Pastry:
-Made with softened or liquid fat (oil or butter)
-Crumbly, often shortbread-like texture
-Prepared using a low-gluten flour, such as whole wheat pastry flour
-When preparing, handle the dough as little as possible as to not develop too much gluten
Flaky Pastry:
-Made with solid and cold fat (butter)
-Thin flaky pastry
-Layers are created when the cold fat begins to melt during baking, creating air pockets and steam, which push the layers of gluten around it apart
Tips:
-Use cold ingredients which inhibit gluten development
-Sift dry ingredients to aerate them
-Roll out pastry between 2 sheets of parchment paper
-Refrigerate dough after each handling-if you don't, the fat will melt out of the dough, creating a very dense pastry
-Coconut oil, though solid at room temperature, will not produce the same result as butter - instead of producing layers, it often produces a crust with holes in it
-If your filling requires no baking, is quick-cooking, or is quite wet, blind bake your crust before placing the filling in it. This is done by pricking the dough all over with a fork once in the pan, laying parchment paper over the crust, filling partially with dried beans or pie weights, and baking the crust until lightly golden brown. Remove the beans or weights for the last 5 minutes of cooking to enable the bottom to become golden brown.
Now for the one recipe that we all made... Apple Galette with Vegan Crust
Vegan Crust: Yields 1 9-in Crust
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
2 Tbsp maple crystals
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3-5 Tbsp ice water
1. In a medium bowl, sift together flours, maple crystals, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and whisk together to combine.
2. Blend in oil with a pastry cutter. Add in vanilla, 1 Tbsp water and maple syrup to dough and mix with a wooden spoon to combine.
3. Add water 1 Tbsp at a time, using a rubber spatula to fold it in. (Don't over-work the dough!) Add just enough water to result in a dough made of large crumbles that are no longer dusty and hold together.
4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill for 10 minutes.
5. Remove dough and allow to rest until it is able to be rolled. Place on a lightly floured sheet of parchment. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour and cover with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll out dough gently and lightly, starting in the center and rolling in all directions, until it is a circle that is 1/8 of an inch thick.
6. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before using.
Apple Galette: Yields 3-4 servings
2 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8 inch thick (Granny Smith apples are preferred, or a combination of sweet, tart and crisp apples)
1 Tbsp lemon juice in 1-2 cups water
1 Tbsp coconut oil
4 Tbsp maple crystals, divided
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Vegan Crust
1. Place apple slices in lemon water as cutting. Drain right before using.
2. Heat coconut oil in a medium saute pan over medium/medium-high heat. Add apples and cook until slightly tender, but not mushy. Add in 2 Tbsp maple crystals, vanilla and cinnamon and toss. Remove to a bowl to cool.
3. Heat oven to 375. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of maple crystals over rolled-out dough. Pile cooled apples into the center of the dough leaving a 1 and 1/2 inch border. Fan out the top apples in a circle for pretty presentation. Sprinkle with remaining Tbsp of maple crystals.
4. When dough is pliable enough to move without breaking, fold edges over the apples. Alternatively, to avoid thick pleats of dough, you can cut out small triangles of the dough at equal distances and fold the remaining strips up over the apples.
5. Place on a baking sheet or in a pie pan. Chill for 30 minutes.
6. Bake galette for 15 minutes. Remove and brush with maple syrup. Return galette to the oven to bake for 15 additional minutes, or until brown and firm to the touch. Cool before slicing and serving.
This is a fairly simple recipe and can be used for other fillings as well, such as pears or peaches (sprinkle the crust with 2 Tbsp of breadcrumbs if the alternative filling is too wet so that the dough does not get soggy). If you do not like the rustic edges, cut a circle from the dough before filling and folding it.
Even though we spent all that time practicing pastries yesterday afternoon, I still tested my tart recipe last night for the recipe contest. It turned out amazingly. It was light, tart, not too sweet, tangy, super simple, and an all-around new favorite of mine. Though I cannot post the recipe just yet, here is a picture to tide you over! Making a yummy Mediterranean dinner tonight, so I hope to have the recipe for you tomorrow. Happy Cooking!
Pastry Crust Notes
Tender Pastry:
-Made with softened or liquid fat (oil or butter)
-Crumbly, often shortbread-like texture
-Prepared using a low-gluten flour, such as whole wheat pastry flour
-When preparing, handle the dough as little as possible as to not develop too much gluten
Flaky Pastry:
-Made with solid and cold fat (butter)
-Thin flaky pastry
-Layers are created when the cold fat begins to melt during baking, creating air pockets and steam, which push the layers of gluten around it apart
Tips:
-Use cold ingredients which inhibit gluten development
-Sift dry ingredients to aerate them
-Roll out pastry between 2 sheets of parchment paper
-Refrigerate dough after each handling-if you don't, the fat will melt out of the dough, creating a very dense pastry
-Coconut oil, though solid at room temperature, will not produce the same result as butter - instead of producing layers, it often produces a crust with holes in it
-If your filling requires no baking, is quick-cooking, or is quite wet, blind bake your crust before placing the filling in it. This is done by pricking the dough all over with a fork once in the pan, laying parchment paper over the crust, filling partially with dried beans or pie weights, and baking the crust until lightly golden brown. Remove the beans or weights for the last 5 minutes of cooking to enable the bottom to become golden brown.
Now for the one recipe that we all made... Apple Galette with Vegan Crust
Vegan Crust: Yields 1 9-in Crust
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
2 Tbsp maple crystals
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3-5 Tbsp ice water
1. In a medium bowl, sift together flours, maple crystals, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and whisk together to combine.
2. Blend in oil with a pastry cutter. Add in vanilla, 1 Tbsp water and maple syrup to dough and mix with a wooden spoon to combine.
3. Add water 1 Tbsp at a time, using a rubber spatula to fold it in. (Don't over-work the dough!) Add just enough water to result in a dough made of large crumbles that are no longer dusty and hold together.
4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill for 10 minutes.
5. Remove dough and allow to rest until it is able to be rolled. Place on a lightly floured sheet of parchment. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour and cover with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll out dough gently and lightly, starting in the center and rolling in all directions, until it is a circle that is 1/8 of an inch thick.
6. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before using.
Apple Galette: Yields 3-4 servings2 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8 inch thick (Granny Smith apples are preferred, or a combination of sweet, tart and crisp apples)
1 Tbsp lemon juice in 1-2 cups water
1 Tbsp coconut oil
4 Tbsp maple crystals, divided
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Vegan Crust
1. Place apple slices in lemon water as cutting. Drain right before using.
2. Heat coconut oil in a medium saute pan over medium/medium-high heat. Add apples and cook until slightly tender, but not mushy. Add in 2 Tbsp maple crystals, vanilla and cinnamon and toss. Remove to a bowl to cool.
3. Heat oven to 375. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of maple crystals over rolled-out dough. Pile cooled apples into the center of the dough leaving a 1 and 1/2 inch border. Fan out the top apples in a circle for pretty presentation. Sprinkle with remaining Tbsp of maple crystals.
4. When dough is pliable enough to move without breaking, fold edges over the apples. Alternatively, to avoid thick pleats of dough, you can cut out small triangles of the dough at equal distances and fold the remaining strips up over the apples.
5. Place on a baking sheet or in a pie pan. Chill for 30 minutes.
6. Bake galette for 15 minutes. Remove and brush with maple syrup. Return galette to the oven to bake for 15 additional minutes, or until brown and firm to the touch. Cool before slicing and serving.
This is a fairly simple recipe and can be used for other fillings as well, such as pears or peaches (sprinkle the crust with 2 Tbsp of breadcrumbs if the alternative filling is too wet so that the dough does not get soggy). If you do not like the rustic edges, cut a circle from the dough before filling and folding it.
Even though we spent all that time practicing pastries yesterday afternoon, I still tested my tart recipe last night for the recipe contest. It turned out amazingly. It was light, tart, not too sweet, tangy, super simple, and an all-around new favorite of mine. Though I cannot post the recipe just yet, here is a picture to tide you over! Making a yummy Mediterranean dinner tonight, so I hope to have the recipe for you tomorrow. Happy Cooking!
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