10 pastry tips
In an age where we can buy pre-rolled pastry of all sorts for our dishes at home, there are still many home bakers that like to make their own. Many of our dishes require pastry so we’ve compiled a list of tips that may assist you next time you make pastry and help you achieve the best results possible.
Keep it cool
Your kitchen, worktop and hands should all be cool when handling the pastry so that the fat in the dough doesn’t become too soft. A marble slab is also excellent for rolling out the pastry as the surface remains cold.
Don’t over-flour
It’s tempting to use a generous dusting of flour when handling pastry but adding too much can cause the pastry to dry out. So brush off excess flour before folding or baking pastry or, to prevent sticking and using flour, try rolling it between two layers of cling film.
Chill out
It’s easy to rush things when you have dishes to cook, but perfect pastry takes time. Always rest your pastry in the fridge after handling as this allows the fat to firm up again.
Don’t overwork it
The pastry should be handled as little and lightly as possible. Depending on the pastry this could be for several reasons: to make sure it still rises, to prevent it from drying out or to stop it becoming tough or brittle and crumbly.
It’s how you roll
Take the pastry out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before you plan to roll it as rolling out cold dough leads to cracks and craggy edges. Roll the pastry away from you as well, rolling from the centre outward, turning the dough and not the rolling pin.
Cool is key
All your ingredients should be cool and when making pies and tarts so keep your fillings cold before pouring into the pastry cases, covering with pie lids or wrapping otherwise the heat will cause the fat to melt and lead to soggy pastry.
Glaze away
Pastry deserves a lovely shine or deep colour so glaze before cooking. You can use different glazes to create different effects: use egg whites for a very shiny finish, beaten eggs or egg yolks for a deeply coloured shine and milk or cream for a matt golden colour.
It’s getting hot in here
Preheating the oven is vitally important and make sure it is at the right temperature before putting your pastry in the oven; too cool and the fat will melt before the pastry firms up, too hot and the pastry may burn before the filling is cooked.
Pie in the middle
Placing your dish or baking tray in the middle of the oven will allow heat to circulate around it cooking the pastry evenly on the bottom and the top.
Save it for later
If you have any leftover dough, want to make it for later or are simply batch baking, you can freeze pastry raw and cooked. Wrap it up tightly though and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to use and roll from chilled.
