Advanced Baking Hpmgt #135

Key Topic Discussion: PÂTE à CHOUX & PUFF PASTRY

v Pâte à Choux

ü Definition: French for cream puff dough or choux pastry; éclair paste.

Ø Name means “cabbage paste”, referring to the fact that cream puffs look like little cabbages. As the name suggests, it is not really a dough in the strictest sense but rather a thick paste that could be described as a roux with the addition of eggs. Choux paste has been around since the sixteenth century and is a must-know dough and a classic among pâtissiers. Typically used to create cream puffs, éclairs and profiteroles.

Ø Unlike puff pastry, pate a choux is extremely easy to make. The dough itself can be prepared in just a few minutes. This is fortunate, because for best baking results the dough should not be prepared ahead of time. The dough is unusual in that it is twice-cooked. The mixture is mixed and heated on the stove top and then baked. The ideal choux paste pastry has a light, very tender crust and an almost completely hollow interior, made for filling with anything from ice cream to a rich seafood stew.

Ø Paste is leavened by steam, which expands the product rapidly and forms large holes in the center of the item. The heat of the oven then coagulates the gluten and egg proteins to set the structure and make a firm product. A strong flour is necessary for sufficient structure.

Ø General procedure:

1) Bring liquid, fat, salt and sugar (if used) to a boil.

Ø The liquid must be heated to a full boil, meaning there are bubbles all over the pot, not just skirting the edges.

2) Add the flour all at once and stir madly until every last speck of flour is incorporated, then keep cooking and stirring some more – it’s this last bit of cooking that will take the raw taste out of the flour; you’ll know you’re ready to quit when the dough forms a ball around your wooden spoon and the bottom of the pan is covered with a light crust.

3) Remove from heat and cool to 140˚.

Ø If not cooled, it will cook the eggs when added.

4) Beat in the eggs a little at a time. Completely mix in each addition of eggs before adding more.

Ø If added too quickly, difficult to get a smooth batter. Don’t use a whisk – it will beat in unwanted air.

Ø Baker’s Notes:

§ Paste must be firm enough to hold its shape when piped from a pastry bag. On the other hand, should not be too dry, which does not puff up well and is thick and heavy. Use the choux paste while it is still warm. Choux paste cannot be kept.

§ Should be piped onto parchment-lined pans, not onto greased pans. Grease causes the paste to spread and flatten when baked.

§ Proper baking temperatures are important. Start at a high temperature (425˚) for the first 15 minutes to develop steam. Then reduce heat to 375˚ to finish baking and set the structure.

§ Most common mistake is not baking long enough. Must be firm and dry before being removed from oven. If removed too soon or cooled too quickly, they may collapse and be wet. “Listen!” As long as you do not let it become too brown, you cannot over bake pate a choux.

§ There are many different recipes and philosophies to choose from when it comes to making this classic pastry. However, the one factor that holds true in each case is that the more eggs you are able to add to the base mixture (without causing it to lose its shape when piped), the higher and lighter your finished product will be, ideally becoming just a hollow shell.

§ Unfilled baked pastries can be well wrapped and frozen for a few weeks.

v Puff Pastry

ü Definition: a rich flaky pastry made by enclosing fat, usually butter, in a sheet of dough, rolling the dough out, and continuing to fold and roll the dough until many thin layers of fat and dough are created; as it bakes the layers rise and separate slightly, due to the steam released by the fat.

Ø Puff pastry is called mille feuilles, or a “thousand leaves” in French. This is the queen of all pastries, the one that, once mastered, entitles you to whatever bragging rights you wish to claim. What you learn making puff pastry also will apply to making croissants and Danish pastry, though these are made with yeast, they are members of the roll-and-fold, or laminate, family of pastries.

Ø Used in many preparations, both sweet and savory (e.g. napoleons, palmiers, tart shells, vol-au-vents and fleurons); also know as pasta sfogliata and pâte feuilletée.

§ Feuilletage (fuh-yuh-TAHZH) – French for flaky and used to describe puff pastry or the process of making puff pastry.

Ø One of most remarkable products of the bakeshop. Although it includes no added leavening agent, it can rise to eight times its original thickness when baked. Steam, created when the moisture in the dough is heated, is responsible for the spectacular rising power of puff pastry.

Ø One of the most difficult bakery products to make and demands great care. To produce a light and flaky product, everything must be done properly, start to finish, or the results will be disappointing. Like so many other products, there are nearly as many versions of puff pastry as there are bakers.

Ø Baker’s Notes:

§ Number of layers and folding methods. There are actually 513 layers of butter and dough in puff pastry made with four double turns and when the dough is given six single turns, which is the classical French technique, the finished dough will have almost 1,500 layers of dough and butter combined.

§ Dough should be cool and firm when it is rolled and cut. If it is too soft, layers may stick together at the cuts, preventing proper rising.

§ Be very careful not to damage the layer structure when rolling the dough. Never let your rolling pin roll over the edge of the dough, which mashes down the sides, and always apply even pressure as you are rolling so that the butter is evenly distributed.

§ Cut with straight, firm, even cuts. Holding the knife at a sharp 90˚ angle so that the edges of the dough are perfectly straight will encourage the dough to rise straight up in the oven.

§ Avoid touching the cut edges.

§ For best rising, place units upside down on baking sheets.

§ Avoid letting egg wash run down the edges.

§ Rest made-up products for 30 minutes or more in a cool place or in refrigerator before baking. This relaxes the gluten and reduces shrinkage.

§ Baking temperatures of 400˚ to 425˚ are best for most puff dough products. Cooler temperatures will not create enough steam to leaven their products well and higher temperatures will set the crust too quickly.

Ø Simple Puff Pastry Dos and Don’ts

§ Chill early and often – keep the pastry cold and you’ll keep the layers.

§ Be neat – fold the dough evenly.

§ Stay away from the ends – don’t roll over the ends of the pastry or you’ll glue the layers together.

§ Take your time – don’t skimp on the number of turns or the chilling periods.