Mixing Info
The recipes in this chapter involve a wide variety of familiar mixing methods, from creaming (muffins) to foaming (pavlova) to cut-in (biscuits). But certain techniques specific to pastries deserve special attention: the “straight-dough method,” used for brioche, and the lamination method for croissants and Danishes.
Straight-Dough Method
The straight-dough method is used to make yeast-risen doughs and is so named because the ingredients are combined all at once in the stand mixer. It’s the basis for my insanely versatile brioche dough and for all sorts of baked goods. For this type of dough, you just combine the ingredients as directed in the recipe and mix to the proper level of gluten development. The process does require a decent amount of time, because you have to wait while the yeast does its work. If you’re anything like me, though, after the first bite of whatever you make with the dough, you’ll decide that the time was totally worth it.
• First things first: I use instant yeast, available in grocery stores or online, for all of my yeast-raised doughs. This yeast should be combined directly with the flour. (When you’re using any other kind, it must be combined with water before being added to the other ingredients.)
• Mixing the dough generally means starting at low speed, mixing for a certain period of time, and then increasing the speed to medium or high and continuing until you achieve the proper stage of gluten development. When combining the ingredients, how vigorously and how long you mix them depends on what stage of gluten development is desired. There are three primary types of gluten development: short, improved, and intense. Brioche, the main bread dough in this book, has intense development.
• A dough with intense gluten development looks very smooth and uniform. When you pull it apart with your hands, it will stretch almost endlessly, forming a “gluten window”—a portion of dough so thin you can nearly see through it.
• After the dough is mixed, it must go through a series of steps specific to bread baking:
1. Bulk fermentation: The dough is allowed to rise (a process known as fermentation); this builds flavor and structure.
2. Preshaping: The dough is shaped into loaves or individual breads, such as rolls, which are usually rounds or ovals.
3. Resting: The dough gets a 10- to 20-minute rest. This helps it relax before the final shaping.
4. Shaping: The dough is given its final shape and/or placed in the pan(s) or mold(s) it will be baked in.
5. Proofing: The dough is set in a warm place for the final stage of fermentation, known as proofing, loosely covered with greased plastic wrap or a slightly damp towel. When you press properly proofed dough with your finger, it will leave a distinct indentation that will slowly disappear. The dough is ready to be baked!
My Advice: Don’t rush. When you’re working with yeast, which is a living organism, you have to be flexible—but that doesn’t mean you can’t multitask! Go do something else while your dough rises. Preshape it, then do the dishes. Finish shaping it, and make dinner while it rises again. You’re somewhat at the mercy of the yeast, but it doesn’t have to steal the show.
Lamination Method
“Lamination” refers to a method of folding dough over itself that results in flaky, layered pastries, from palmiers to croissants. Some laminated doughs are yeast-risen and some aren’t, but the folding technique is the same for both. A block of butter is sealed inside the dough, which is then rolled out and folded multiple times. Each roll-out and folding creates layers of butter within the dough. Then, when the dough is baked, the moisture in the butter evaporates, creating steam, which physically leavens the dough and creates lots and lots of flaky layers.
My Advice: Lamination may seem intimidating, but it’s so satisfying once you get the hang of it. If you’re just starting out, try my Faux-Laminated Maple Sugar Brioche. It uses the same folding technique but substitutes a work-around for the butter block, so it’s a good jumping-off point.
Frying
If you’re going to make beignets or doughnuts, you’re going to need to know your way around a pot of hot oil. First off: It’s easiest to fry when you have a decent amount of oil. Yes, you can skimp a bit and get OK results, but if you can, use at least 4 inches of oil in a deep heavy pot. I fry pastries at 325° to 350°F / 162° to 177°C—you can attach a deep-frying or candy thermometer to your pot to help you determine if the oil is up to temp. Or you can do what I do: Throw a scrap piece of dough (from whatever you’re about to fry) into the pot as a tester. It should immediately begin to sizzle (little bubbles will form all around it) and then rise to the surface. If the test dough browns too quickly, turn the heat off and let the oil cool a bit. Too-hot oil will make a doughnut that may look perfect on the outside but is doughy or even raw inside. Too-cold oil means oil will be absorbed into the doughnut or other pastry, making it greasy on your hands—and in your mouth!
My Advice: My favorite method for draining doughnuts and beignets is simple: several layers of paper towels on a baking sheet. When the top layer gets saturated, toss it and use the dry ones underneath. Some folks opt for a wire rack set on top of paper towels to absorb the grease. Either way is fine. Be sure to use a spider (skimmer) or slotted spoon to remove the fried pastry from the oil to drain them as you lift them out.
Cutting Biscuits, Scones, and Other Pastries
Whether you’re cutting biscuits, doughnuts, or puff pastry, the same rules apply:
Dip the cutter in flour to help prevent sticking and make a cleaner edge. Place the cutter on the dough and press down firmly in one smooth motion; try not to twist the cutter, which can smoosh the dough down and affect the height of the final rise. I love my set of round metal cutters, which range in size from ½ inch to 3 inches in circumference, but in a pinch, anything round will work, like the rim of a glass.
Shaping Pastries
This chapter has several recipes that make a large amount of dough. That’s because when I make something complicated like puff pastry, I want to get a lot out of it! Most of the doughs in this chapter can be prepared ahead and kept in the refrigerator or freezer for extended periods. So if you prepare the brioche dough, for example, you can use it for a few recipes, shaping it in different ways.
You can use the same dough (and filling) to create five different-shaped pastries. Many of the shaping techniques that follow can be used for both individual pastries and larger ones. Some are as simple as cutting the dough into a shape and using your hands to add the final touches. I love my pastry wheel and use it often for the recipes in this chapter. A pastry wheel is a round sharp blade with a handle that rotates as you push it through the dough, cutting it perfectly in an easy, smooth motion. If you don’t have one, you can always use a sharp knife, a pizza wheel, if you have one, or even, in some cases, scissors.
Turnovers: To make turnovers, cut the dough into squares (which will make a pastry shaped like an equilateral triangle) or rectangles (which will make a more exaggerated right-triangle shape). Center the filling on the dough, then fold one corner over to meet its opposite. Press the edges to seal, and crimp if desired.
Closed Square: Start with a square piece of dough. Pipe or scoop the filling, if using, onto the center of the square (this shape also looks good on its own). Working with one corner at a time, fold the corner toward the center of the dough and press gently to seal (see Kolaches). If you’re using a filling, it may ooze out a little at the edges—which I love!
Foldover Diamond: Cut the dough into squares. Pipe or scoop the filling onto the center of the square, then fold one of the corners over toward the center and press gently to seal. Then fold over the opposite corner and seal—the filling may ooze toward the other corners, and that looks great!
Filled Square: This shape is a little bit like a free-form tart. Cut the dough into rectangles or circles. Cut a narrow strip away from each of the four edges or all around the circumference. Place the strips on top of the edges of the base dough and press to seal, forming a wall of dough around the empty center. Trim the edges as needed. Pipe or scoop the filling onto the center.
Pinwheel: Cut the dough into squares. Use a bench knife (bench scraper), knife, or pastry wheel to cut a slit in the dough at one corner, at least 1 inch deep (longer cuts will make a more exaggerated pinwheel look). Fold the piece of dough over to the right, toward the center of the square, and press gently to seal. Repeat at each corner, making the pinwheel shape. Pipe or scoop the filling onto the center.
Easy Braid: Braiding is a great technique that works well with both small and large pastries. See Almond Danish Bread for a simple way to encase filling in a beautifully braided pastry.
Twist: I love this method for making twisted pastries that lie flat on the baking sheet and don’t unfurl. You can leave them as is, or place a filling on top (fresh fruit works especially nicely). Start with long, thin rectangular strips of dough (about 5 inches by 1 inch, for example). Use a pastry wheel to cut a slit lengthwise down the center of each piece, leaving both ends intact. Hold one end in each hand and loop the right end through the center slit twice. Then do the same with the other end. This will twist the pastry but keep the ends flat.
Piping Pastries
Some batters, like pâte à choux and meringue, can be piped into shapes.
I like my pastries to be similar in size and shape, so I often draw guidelines onto parchment paper to help me when I’m piping. Use a dark pen or marker to draw the shape, then flip the parchment over so the ink won’t touch whatever you pipe onto it.
My Advice: When piping pâte à choux, it’s very common for the batter to form a “tail” as you finish piping. Never fear! Dip your finger in water and touch it gently to the surface, and it will smooth right out, making the finished shape perfectly round, with a prettier result after baking.
When piping meringue, you need to work relatively quickly, as it will lose volume as you work. If the meringue starts to get runny toward the end of piping a batch, it will be more difficult to work with.
Making It Pretty
There’s nothing more gorgeous than a towering, flaky biscuit or a pile of freshly glazed doughnuts. Here are some of my favorite tips for making your pastries beautiful.
Glaze with egg wash: A coating of egg wash makes pastry brown better and more evenly, plus it adds a lovely sheen to the surface. I brush it on anywhere and everywhere: pastries, pie dough, even certain cookies!
My basic egg wash is 57 g / 1 large egg whisked with 15 g / 1 tablespoon water and a small pinch of salt (see Parbaking and Blind-Baking Crusts). Depending on your preference for browning and sheen, though, you can also glaze with just egg white, just egg yolk, melted butter, or cream. Here’s a rundown on the different results for each of these options:
• Egg white only: Makes a nice sheen on the surface but doesn’t promote browning.
• Egg yolk only: Promotes browning, but the finished look will be rather matte rather than having a sheen.
• Melted butter: Can help promote browning, but it can run off the surface relatively quickly; I usually wait to brush it on items just before they’re done baking and/or right when they’ve come out of the oven.
• Cream: Provides a little browning and a slight sheen, but it’s not comparable to the results with egg wash.
Sprinkle with sugar: A sprinkling of sugar is one of my favorite ways to dress up a pastry—I do it with almost every one of these recipes. I like turbinado sugar because of its caramel color and flavor, but sanding sugar, superfine sugar, and pearl sugar are all great options, as is vanilla sugar. If you’re working with a wet batter, as for cream puffs, you can apply the sugar directly to the pastry before baking. If the item is on the drier side (like many doughs), first brush on an egg wash, melted butter, or cream (see Making It Pretty, above) to help the sugar stick.
Determining Doneness
It can be trickier to gauge the doneness of pastries than of other baked goods. It’s especially tough with yeast-risen products—they may look perfect and golden on the outside, but who knows what’s going on inside? The best way to find out is to insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of it (yup—just like you’d do with a piece of meat). The target temperature for baked pastry doughs is around 190°F. If your pastry is very golden brown on the outside but still has a low internal temperature, tent with foil, decrease the oven temperature by 25°F, and continue baking until the pastry reaches the right internal temp.
My Advice: One of the most common problems beginning bakers have is that they are so afraid of overbaking that they underbake instead. Don’t fear browning: It leads to the texture you find in baked goods at the best pastry shops. Golden brown means crispy and crunchy; pale means a soggy and chewy dough or pastry.