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.