Pies and Pastry

							Pies and Pastry
Pies and Pastry
 Pastry- dough used to make pie
  crust, tarts, and turnovers
 Pastry is used in desserts, but main
  dishes as well
   Pot pie
 Can add flavoring to pastry
   cheese
Pies
 4 Types
     Fruit
     Cream
     Custard
     Chiffon
Types of Pies
 Fruit
   Two crust
   Solid top crust or lattice
   Fruit filling from canned, frozen, dried, or fresh
 Cream
   One crust
   Use cornstarch-thickened pudding to make the
    filling
   Coconut, fruit, nuts
   Often have meringue topping
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 Custard
   One crust
   Filled with custard made from milk, eggs, and sugar
   Bake in pie crust or in separate pie plate
       Slip cooled filling into crust
       Pumpkin most popular
 Chiffon
   Light and airy
   One crust
   Filled with mixture containing gelatin and cooked
     beaten egg whites
   Filling may contain whip cream
   Chill until filling sets
Ingredients for Pastry
 4 basic ingredients
   Flour, fat, salt, water
   When combined correctly, pastry is
    tender and flaky
 Flour give structure
   Can use pastry or all purpose flour
   Pastry has lower percentage of protein
    and uses a smaller amount of fat
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 Fat makes the pastry tender
   Inhibits the development of gluten
   Contributes to flakiness by separating
    layers of gluten
   Lard and hydrogenated vegetable
    shortening produce most tender and
    flaky crust
   Oil can be used, but will be mealy
    instead of flaky
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 Water provides moisture needed for
  development of gluten and production
  of steam
   Small amounts needed
     1 cup flour = 2 Tbsp
 Salt contributes flavor
   If eliminated, will not affect the pastry
    except for flavor
Preparing Pastry
 Use correct ingredients and measure
  accurately
 Handle dough gently and as little as
  possible
Measuring Ingredients
 Poor quality pastry will result if flour, fat,
  and liquid are not measured correctly
 Gluten forms a framework when you
  moisten and stir the flour
    Gluten holds air and steam during baking
 Pastry needs the trapped air for flakiness
 Correct amount of flour will produce
  enough gluten to hold the air and steam
 Too much flour will make pastry tough
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 Fat forms a waterproof coating around the
  flour particles
   Prevents too much water from coming in contact
    with the proteins in the flour
   Prevents development of too much gluten
 Layers of fat separate the layers of gluten
 Too little fat produces a tough pastry
 Too much fat produces a pastry that will be
  crumbly
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 Liquid hydrates the flour so gluten will
  develop
 Produces the steam needed for flakiness
 Correct amount of liquid will develop the
  correct amount of gluten
 Too much liquid will make the pastry tough
 Too little liquid will make it crumbly and
  difficult to roll
Handling the Dough
 Handling causes gluten to develop
   The more gluten that develops the
    tougher the pastry
 Don’t over mix the dough when
  adding liquid
 Don’t use a lot of speed or force when
  using the rolling pin
 Don’t stretch the pastry when fitting
  it into a pie plate
Preparing Pastry
 Biscuit method most popular:
   Sift dry ingredients together
   Cut in fat
   Add liquid
 Flute edges, bake, then fill
 Prick bottom and sides of crust before
  baking, unless you are filling before
  baking
Characteristics of Pastry
 Tender and flaky
 Flakiness is determined by layers of
  gluten separated by layers of fat
  puffed up with steam
 Tender: cuts easy with a fork, “melts
  in your mouth” when eaten
 Flaky: see thin layers of dough
  separated by empty spaces when cut
  with a fork