Shortcrust pastry

Rules, with reasons, for successful shortcrust pastry Weak/soft flour: because has low gluten. Plain flour. Thus, air is the raising agent. Use lard – gives shortness or a mixture of lard and margarine for color, flavour and shortness. Sieve dry ingredients, to aerate and to remove lumps. Lift hands out of bowl, keeps fat cool. Use fingertips, coolest part of hand to avoid melting fat. Use hard fat, can rub into small pieces without melting No more than ½ fat to flour, otherwise difficult to rub in Measure/weigh accurately. To ensure correct proportions.

Rules, with reasons, for successful shortcrust pastry Not too much flour for rolling out because alters proportions and makes pastry dry. Avoid re-rolling, additional handling develops gluten, toughens. Handle lightly to avoid pressing out air. Not too much water. Soft dough would need more flour, alters proportion of fat to flour. Keep everything cool, cold air expands more than warm air. Prevents melting of fat. Use cold equipment/cold fat/cold water for mixing, to keep everything cool.

Rules, with reasons, for successful shortcrust pastry Bake in a hot oven/gas mark 7/210°C/425°F. Cooks starch so that fat can be absorbed. If oven too cool, fat melts and runs out before starch is ready to absorb it if oven too hot. Overcooked on outside before inside is cooked. Do not turn pastry over because more flour would be needed, toughens pastry. Do not stretch pastry when rolling, shrinks during baking. Roll with short, sharp strokes in a forward direction avoiding stretching pastry Use light, even pressure to avoid stretching pastry and pressing out air Allow pastry to relax in a cool place before baking, gluten relaxes, cools trapped air, prevents shrinkage.

Rules for rolling shortcrustpastry Do not turn pastry over. Roll in one direction. Do not use too much flour for dredging. Use short, forward strokes. Avoid pressing down on the pastry. Do not stretch the pastry. Lift pastry on rolling pin to turn.

Choice of flour and fat in shortcrust pastry Butter for colour and flavour. Expensive. Lard for good shortnessbecause it does not contain water, but lacks flavour and colour. Mixture of lard and margarine combines shortening power with colour and flavor. Plain flour, air must be the raising agent. White. Not self-raising flour contains baking powder Wholemeal/brown flour adds fibre, fat, colour, flavor, vitamin B, calcium. Can use wholemeal flour or a mix with white, adds NSP, iron, but produces a heavier result, rougher texture and nutty flavor. Margarine for color and flavour. Cheaper than butter.

Dishes using shortcrust pastry Fruit pies Meat pies Cornish pasties Quiches Fruit flan Jam tarts Lemon meringue pie Curry puffs. Sausage rolls Cheese straws Savoury slice

Pastry shrinks during baking Pastry stretched during rolling out Stretched during shaping/lining flan ring etc. Not allowed to rest before baking

Hard, tough pastry Conditions for making pastry not cool enough. Fat not hard enough. Fat melted during rubbing in. Not enough air incorporated during preparation. Heavy handling pressed out air. Too much kneading developed gluten. Pastry re-rolled too many times. Too much water added to rubbed in mixture. Too much flour for rolling out. Pastry turned over during rolling.

Flaky pastry

Method of making flaky pastry Add liquid all at once, knead to develop gluten. Mix to a soft, elastic dough can stretch and flake during baking. Roll to a rectangle, 3 x as long as width Mark into thirds, dot 1 quarter of fat onto top two thirds. Mix the two fats together to distribute evenly. Divide fat into 4 equal pieces add in quarters. Sieve flour and salt, mix together. Aerate rub in one quarter of fat, evenly distributed.

Method of making flaky pastry Repeat rolling and folding to add remainder of pastry. Roll and fold once more without fat to create more layers. Seal. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, allow gluten to relax. Fold bottom third up and top third down, to enclose fat. Seal edges to prevent loss of trapped air. Chill pastry for 5 mins to harden fat. Give pastry a quarter turn, so pastry is rolled in a different direction.

Choice of flour and fat for flaky pastry Flour hard/strong, high gluten content, white, plain. Brown flour gives heavy pastry, but contains NSP. Fat hard, margarine, butter, give flavor, and colour. White vegetable fat, no cholesterol Lard or a mixture of lard and margarine.

Dishes using flaky pastry Cream horns Sausage rolls Eccles cakes Cornish pasties Cream slices Fruit turnovers Russian fish pie Savoury plait steak Kidney pie

Pastry has not flaked well Oven temperature too cool Mixture too dry Uneven rolling and folding Edges sealed by careless rolling Uneven addition of fat Fat melted during preparation Not allowed to rest in a cool place Cooling in a draught

Pastry has risen unevenly Fat unevenly distributed/added unevenly Pastry rolled and folded unevenly Pastry tilted in oven Not enough time allowed for pastry to relax

Victoria sandwich cake

Purpose of ingredients in Victoria sandwich cake Self–raising Flour Adds bulk: main ingredient. Carbohydrate: provides energy. Gluten: forms framework / sets on heating. Contains baking powder: raising agent Traps air during sieving: raising agent Sugar Softens crumb / sweetens / adds flavour / taste Traps air when creamed, raising agent / lightens texture Caramelises: dry heat during baking / browns / colour Preserves: high sugar concentration, helps to retain moisture

Purpose of ingredients in Victoria sandwich cake Eggs Protein: growth / repair Iron: haemoglobin Gives shape: protein coagulates on heating Colour: depends on brightness of yolk Emulsifies: holds fat and water separate / prevents curdling Traps air when beaten: raising agent / lightens Flavour Water (steam): raising agent Margarine Retains moisture, keeps cake fresh longer High energy: fat concentrated source of energy Traps air when creamed: raising agent / lightens Adds colour Adds flavour Adds nutrients: vitamins A and D added during manufacture

Victoria sandwich cake One ingredient to vary flavor: Name one method which could be used to make this cake: Grated orange / lemon rind. Vanilla / almond / coffee essence. Cocoa. Mixed spice / ginger; Dried fruit / cherries. Chopped apple / pineapple / banana. Creaming method OR All-in-one method / one- stage method

Victoria sandwich cake Ingredients to increase NSP / dietary fibre: Gases which help cake to rise: Replace flour with wholemeal flour. Add: coconut, dried fruit or specific example. Chopped Apple, pineapple, banana. Nuts or example. Grated vegetables e.g. carrot. Carbon dioxide. Steam. Air.

Other changes which take place during baking Victoria sandwich cake Fat melts: absorbed by starch Sugar melts: caramelisation on surface of cake Protein coagulates: sets shape of cake Starch absorbs liquid from egg, gelatinices, surface browns Starch dextrinises Liquid from egg evaporates, steam helps to raise mixture, carbon dioxide given off from baking powder. Expands mixture. Effect of moist heat: expands mixture. Maillard browning: reaction between sugar and protein. Crust forms: as surface dries in heat of oven.

Choice of sugar for Victoria sandwich cake Caster sugar: Small crystals, easier to cream and trap air, dissolved by warmth caused by friction when creaming, gives a smooth texture. Not granulated sugar: Larger crystals, do not dissolve - speckled appearance to finished cake, as sugar caramelises soft brown sugar colour and flavor.

Choice of fat for Victoria sandwich cake Butter for colour and flavour. Margarine, colour, not as good a flavour as butter, cheaper than butter. Soft margarine: creams easily. Spreads should not be used High water content alters proportions and will not hold air during creaming.

Problems with Victoria sandwich cake The cake has risen to a peak then cracked Due to: Oven temperature too high. Too much mixture for the size of tin. Too high oven shelf.

Problems with Victoria sandwich cake Due to: Too much liquid in mixture. Too little raising agent used. Not enough creaming. Mixture has curdled. Oven temperature too low. Cake not cooked for long enough. Overbeating when adding flour, causes loss of air. Overbeating after adding liquid, not sieved. Wrong proportions. Opens oven door too much before cake sets. Close textured cake

FATLESS SPONGE CAKE

FATLESS SPONGE CAKE Proportion: 1 egg per 25g of plain flour and 25g of caster sugar Recipe: 3 eggs 75g plain flour (allow SR) 75g caster sugar

Method of making and baking Add flour in thirds: weight of flour would press out air. Use a cutting action or figure of eight (to avoid loss of air). Continue until no dry flour seen, to give an even consistency. Whisk eggs and sugar over hot water with electric hand mixer until thick and creamy. Leaves a trail to introduce air Sieve flour to aerate and remove lumps Fold in flour: with a metal spoon/palette knife, to prevent air loss.

Method of making and baking Pour – into greased and floured/greased and lined tin – do not spread – air bubbles will break – tilt to give even thickness Bake in preheated oven so rising can begin immediately. Sponge cake 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6, for 15–20 minutes. Until golden brown, firm to the touch, shrinks from sides of tin. Cool on wire rack – to allow steam to escape

Changes during baking Air expands, gases rise, push up cake mixture. Protein coagulates – at 60°C. Around air bubbles, sets in risen shape, open texture. Sugar caramelizes. Maillard browning (action of protein and sugar) Starch grains absorb water, from egg, swell, gelatinize. Flour on outside dextrinises as an effect of dry heat (browns, dries on outside, forms a crust. Steam, from egg, evaporates and helps cake to rise.

Reasons for a close texture Insufficient whisking. Air knocked out during folding in of flour/addition of flour. Did not use a cutting action to add flour – whisked/beat in flour. Used wooden spoon or an electric mixer for adding flour. Did not use metal spoon/palette knife to incorporate flour. Continued folding after all flour was incorporated Not baked immediately Oven temperature too low Insufficient baking/undercooked

Other baked items which can be made with this recipe Swiss roll Sponge flan Sponge fingers

Types of flour

Types of flour PLAIN: White: 72–73% extraction, no raising agent, 7–10% protein, fine particles. Uses: Sauces Batters Shortcrust pastry Biscuits Shortbread Very rich cakes SELF-RAISING: 70–72% extraction Soft/weak flour, low protein/gluten content Winter wheat Fixed quantity of raising agent added. Uses: Cakes Scones

Types of flour WHOLEMEAL: 100% extraction. Light brown colour, nutty flavour due to presence of bran/germ Stone ground or roller milled Shorter shelf life because fat in germ becomes rancid Heavy/close textured product because germ and bran reduce rise Uses: Bread Pastry Scones STRONG: Plain. Spring wheat, more than 10% protein/gluten. Forms and elastic dough. Uses: Bread Yeast mixtures Flaky pastry Puff pastry

Types of flour WHEATGERM: BROWN FLOUR: 70% extraction. Added treated wheat germ, rich in B vitamins, must contain at least 10% germ. Germ cooked with salt to prevent fat and enzymes spoiling quality. Uses: Bread BROWN FLOUR: 80–85% extraction, no coarse bran particles, better rise. May be mixed with white flour. Uses. Bread Pastry, Scones

Types of flour CORNFLOUR: From maize: 100% starch, fine powder. Uses: Thickens sauces Shortbread

Importance of cereals

Importance of cereals Cheap, easy to grow. Easy to store, easy to transport. Versatile used for sweet and savoury dishes. Starch/carbohydrate used for energy. Lasts a long time easy to process. Many varieties filling. Staple food source of LBV protein Readily available

Importance of cereals Storage of cereals: Cool, dry place to prevent mould. Check regularly, can be attacked by weevils Covered containers, prevent entry of dust, sealed, keep out moisture. Keep cereal bins off ground, prevent attack by rats, use in rotation, do not mix old and new supplies. Whole grain cereals do not keep long, fat becomes rancid. Types of cereals: wheat barley oats rye rice maize/corn/mealie meal millet sorghum