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

Continued  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

Continued  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

Continued  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

Continued  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

Continued  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