Making pastry
There are several types of pastry that we can use in the kitchen. It is very easy just to pop out to the local supermarket to buy packets of ready-made pastry, but we can make most pastries quite quickly ourselves at home, even more so if we use a processor. And, I’m sure making our own pastry will give a lot more pleasure. The one exception may be puff pastry, as it takes a long while to make with lots of rolling and resting, so it may be best to buy it!
Click below to find out more information on making different sorts of pastry:
The following are some great tips when making and handling pastry:
- Along with cakes and sponges, when making pastry it does become more important to weigh the ingredients correctly
- The type of flour used is also important - sieving flour not only removes any unwanted lumps
- Make sure you use clean utensils and very clean hands when making pastry - it is a commonly held view that you need cold hands to make good pastry by hand, so it may be a good idea to wash them under cold running water for a few moments
- After making the pastry, either by hand or in a processor, allow it time to rest otherwise it may shrink when baking and turn out rather hard. Wrap your finished pastry in some cling film and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before use
- Try your hardest not to overwork the pastry, as the less you handle it, the better it will bake
- When rolling out pastry, lightly dust your rolling pin and work surface with a little sieved flour, rather than dusting the pastry itself, as this would add more flour and may slightly change the texture of the pastry. Always try to treat your pastry gently!
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