Pastry making hints and tips

Here are some “pastry making” hints, tips and a rule I hope you'll find helpful :

The colder your kitchen the better your results and

the same applies to your ingredients – it will help keep

your pastry light so first thing in the morning is a good time!

The less you work your pastry the better – flour contains

gluten – the more you work it the more you develop

the gluten and if you want a pastry suitable for

laying a patio that's how to achieve it!

When rolling out try not to use too much flour – you're

adding more flour to your pastry and distorting the recipe

If you have to work on a warm day in a warm kitchen

then roll your pastry between two sheets of baking

parchment – wear suitable kitchen gloves (not

Marigolds!) and try to keep your hands as cool

as you can – dip into iced water and pat dry

before starting work

Rest your pastry for 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling

out - it will also prevent shrinkage when baking

Rest your pastry again, covered, when rolled out and in its tin

There is one golden rule that should always be observed – baking is a science – be accurate with your weighing out. There's nothing wrong with using a food processor to make your pastry but I think you get a better result from using what comes naturally – your own hands.

I weigh out ingredients the day before I intend to use them – I can then get on with what I enjoy doing – making the pastry! It's personal choice of course, I just like to set my stall out.

Bring on the recipes ...