Meaning of Pastry
Pastry - is a dough
of flour, water and shortening (solid
fats, including butter) that may
be savoury or sweetened.
Sweetened pastries are often described
as bakers' confectionery. The word "pastries"
suggests many kinds of baked products made
from ingredients such
as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking
powder, and eggs.
Small tarts and other sweet baked
products are called pastries. Common
pastry dishes
include pies, tarts, quiches, croissants,
and pastries.
Pastry can also refer to
the pastry dough, from which
such baked products are made.
Pastry dough is rolled out thinly
and used as a base for baked
products.
Pastry is differentiated
from bread by having a higher fat
content, which contributes to a
flaky or crumbly texture. A good
pastry is light and airy and fatty,
but firm enough to support the
weight of the filling
History of Pastry
The European tradition of pastry-making is often
traced back to the shortcrust era of flaky
doughs that were in use throughout the
Mediterranean in ancient times.
In the ancient Mediterranean, the Romans,
Greeks and Phoenicians all had filo-style
pastries in their culinary traditions. In the plays
of Aristophanes, written in the 5th century BC,
there is mention of sweetmeats, including small
pastries filled with fruit.
Roman cuisine used flour, oil and
water to make pastries that were
used to cover meats
and fowls during baking in order
to keep in the juices, but the
pastry was not meant to be
eaten.
A pastry that was meant to be eaten was
a richer pastry that was made into small
pastries containing eggs or little birds and
that were often served at banquets.
Greeks and Romans both struggled in
making a good pastry because they used
oil in the cooking process, and oil causes
the pastry to lose its stiffness
Inventor of Puff Pastry
Claudius Gele – a French pastry
assistant , who invented puff
pastry in 1645
At the end of his apprenticeship, Claudius
wanted to bake a delicious loaf of bread
for his sick father, who was prescribed a
diet consisting of water, flour and butter.
Claudius prepared a dough, packing the
butter into it, kneading the dough out on
the table, folding it, and repeating the
procedure ten times, after which he
moulded the dough into a loaf.
The pastry cook, who had
watched the procedure, advised
Claudius against baking the loaf
as he thought the butter would
run out of it. Nevertheless, the
loaf was put in the oven, and as
the loaf baked, both the
pastrycook and Claudius were
more and more surprised at the
shape and the unusual size it
attained.
Having finished his apprenticeship,
Claudius left for Paris, where he found
work at the Rosabau Patisserie. Here he
completed his invention, which won the
shop an enormous fortune and name.
Claudius later went to Florence, where
he worked in the Brothers Mosca's
pastry shop. The brothers Mosca reaped
the honour of having invented the Puff
Pastry, although Claudius kept his
secret to himself and always prepared
his pastries in a locked room. Claudius
died in 1682, a highly regarded artist.
Meaning of Pies
Pies – are defined as a crust with a
sweet or savory.
Pies have a top and
bottom crust, a bottom
crust only, or a top crust
only.
Classification of Pies
1. Single crust pie has
no top crust
2. Two-crust
pie has a bottom and a top
crust.
