2. Chapter 40
Pies and Tarts

3. Objective Explain how to prepare quality dough for pies and tarts
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4. Pies
The way in which ingredients are combined and baked can make the difference between a mediocre pie and a great one
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5. Dough Pie dough is a simple mixture of flour, fat, liquid, and salt
Selecting the right ingredients will help produce a better finished piecrust
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6. Flour
Pastry flour produces a delicate piecrust, rather than dense and chewy, because it is lower in gluten and higher in starch
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7. Fat
The choice of fat is the most important factor in creating a piecrust with an excellent texture
Fats commonly used for piecrusts include butter, lard, and vegetable-based solid shortenings
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8. Fat Considerations when choosing a fat for piecrust Butter good flavor
expensive
lower melting point produces crust that isn’t as flaky
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9. Fat Considerations when choosing a fat for piecrust (continued) Lard
higher melting point creates flakier texture than butter
flavor objectionable to some
dietary restrictions may prohibit its use
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10. Fat Considerations when choosing a fat for piecrust (continued)
Vegetable-based solid shortenings
reasonably priced
neutral flavor
high melting point creates flaky crust
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11. Liquid The liquid used in pie dough can be water or milk
Water is most common
Milk helps the crust brown more quickly
Liquid should be ice cold
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12. Mixing
Mixing is important for developing a particular texture in a finished piecrust
Two distinct textures of finished piecrust include
flaky pie dough: commonly used for fruit-filled pies
mealy pie dough: used for pies with liquid fillings because it resists becoming soggy
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13. Mixing
Do not overmix or overwork either type of dough to avoid developing too much gluten
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14. Rolling and Forming Allow the dough to chill before rolling
Don’t try to roll out more dough at one time than is needed
Once the piecrust is formed, the raw pie shell is ready for the filling
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15. Rolling and Forming
After the filling is added, there are three options for finishing the pie
Uncovered: pies with liquid fillings generally have no top crust
Solid top crust: cut holes or vents in the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking
Lattice top: strips of dough are woven into a sheet and placed on the pie to create a decorative top crust
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16. Rolling and Forming
Egg wash is commonly used to seal the top and bottom crusts together and to give the top crust a brown shiny finish
The edge of the pie dough can be crimped or decorated to seal it and add eye appeal
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17. Technique: Forming a Piecrust
Dust work surface with flour to prevent dough from sticking. Place a 9-oz. piece of workable dough on the work surface and dust the top of dough with flour.
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18. Technique: Forming a Piecrust
Apply even pressure with the rolling pin and periodically turn the dough 90 degrees to produce an even sheet of dough.
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19. Technique: Forming a Piecrust
(continued) Dust the dough and work surface with more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
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20. Technique: Forming a Piecrust
Roll dough to ⅛-inch (2 mm) thickness. Either fold the dough in quarters or roll it over the rolling pin to transfer it to the pie pan without tearing.
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21. Technique: Forming a Piecrust
(continued) Lay the sheet of pie dough in the pie pan and gently press it into the corners.
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22. Technique: Forming a Piecrust
Trim the excess dough from the edges by pressing the side of your hand against the rim of the pie pan.
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23. Objective Classify traditional fillings for pies
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24. Pie Fillings Come in a variety of flavors and textures
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25. Pie Fillings
Some are baked with the crust, while others are added after the crust is baked
Must be properly thickened and paired with the appropriate piecrust
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26. Fruit Fillings Raw Fruit Fillings
Mixed with sugar, spices, and a starchy thickener
As pie bakes, moisture from the fruit and starch create a thickened filling
Rarely used in foodservice because thickness of fillings are inconsistent
Underthickened fillings can result in a soggy pie
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27. Fruit Fillings Cooked Fruit Fillings
Either the fruit or fruit juice is sweetened and thickened on the stove top
Bakers can control the thickness of the filling before the pie is baked
For delicate or frozen fruits, cook and thicken the juice and then mix the fruit back into the thickened juice
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28. Liquid Fillings
Most contain eggs that coagulate and thicken the filling during baking
Pies with liquid fillings are best baked with mealy pie dough
Custard, pumpkin, pecan
Can you name some examples of liquid pie fillings?
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29. Cream and Chiffon Fillings
Cream pies are made with a pudding or pastry cream filling
Use a prebaked pie shell or a pie shell with a crumb crust
The consistency of the filling should be thick, so slices hold their shape when cut
Chiffon pies are a lighter version of cream pies with gelatin and whipped cream added to make it airy and firm
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30. Objective Summarize how tarts differ from pies
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31. Tarts Similar to pies because of the nature of their pastry crusts
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32. Tarts
Much shallower than pies at only ½ to ¾ inches (1.5 to 2 cm) deep
The classical shape for tarts is round with fluted sides, but tarts can also be square, rectangular, or oval
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33. Tarts Tartlets are small individual tarts of any shape
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34. Dough
Depending on the type of filling, short dough or sweet dough may be used for making tarts
They are both rolled and formed in the same manner as pie dough
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35. Short Dough
Short dough, also called pâte brisée (paht breez AY), is used with savory fillings for items such as quiche, hors d’oeuvres, and canapés
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36. Sweet Dough
Sweet dough, also called pâte sucrée (paht soo CRAY), often has flavorings such as ground nuts, extracts, and cocoa powder added to it
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37. Blind Baking
Tarts and tartlets are often filled with ingredients that do not need further cooking or baking
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38. Blind Baking Before being filled, the tart shells are blind baked
The dough is lined with parchment paper and then small, loose weights such as dried beans or ball bearings are placed on top of the paper
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39. Filling and Decorating
Pastry cream is the most common filling for tarts made with sweet dough
After filling with pastry cream, the tart can be decorated with fresh fruit
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40. Filling and Decorating
A thin layer of apricot pastry glaze is brushed on the surface
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41. Objective Recognize the characteristics and uses of puff pastry
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42. Puff Pastry
The texture of baked puff pastry is light, delicate, and extremely flaky
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43. Puff Pastry
Puff pastry is a roll-in or laminated dough like croissant and Danish dough
Ready-made puff pastry is often used because it is time and labor intensive to make
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44. Puff Pastry
A basic dough made with flour, butter, and water is prepared.
A layer of butter shortening is spread onto the dough.
The dough is folded and then rolled out.
The process of folding and rolling the dough is repeated multiple times.
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45. Puff Pastry
The process creates many very thin layers of fat in the dough that give it a flaky texture when baked
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46. Puff Pastry Puff pastry is
layered with pastry cream to create a napoleon
used for making pastry cases or containers that can be filled with various savory or sweet fillings
used to wrap various products before they are baked, called en croute (ehn KREWT)
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47. Review Name the four ingredients used to make pie dough Flour Fat
Liquid
Salt
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48. Review
How does the fat used to make the dough affect the texture of the finished crust?
Fats with higher melting points create a flakier crust
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49. Review What liquids are generally used to make pie dough? Water Milk
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50. Review Name the two textures of pie dough Flaky pie dough
Mealy pie dough
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51. Review
What are the three options for finishing a pie once it has been filled?
Uncovered
Solid top crust
Lattice top
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52. Review
How are fruit fillings most commonly made in the foodservice industry?
Fruit fillings are commonly thickened with cornstarch or arrowroot on the stove top before baking
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53. Review What ingredient helps thicken liquid fillings?
Eggs coagulate and thicken during the baking process
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54. Review What are the two types of dough used to make tarts?
Short dough (savory)
Sweet dough
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55. Review Describe the process of blind baking
Blind baking is the process of prebaking a pie or tart shell that is weighted down to help it keep its shape
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56. Glossary
blind baking. Prebaking a pie or tartlet shell that is often weighted down during baking to keep its shape and prevent the shell from bubbling or buckling.
flaky pie dough. The pie dough that results when fat is mixed or cut into flour until it is in pieces approximately the size of a pea and then liquid is added.
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57. Glossary
mealy pie dough. Pie dough that results when the shortening is cut into the flour until it resembles the texture of cornmeal and then liquid is added.
pastry glaze. A commercially prepared product made from fruit jelly and gelatin that is brushed on fruit tarts to keep the fruit fresh looking and in place.
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58. Glossary
puff pastry. A very flaky dough that puffs to as much as eight times its original thickness when baked and made by a complex process that creates many thin layers of dough and fat.
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59. Glossary
short dough. Dough that is similar to mealy pie dough and used for savory tarts. Butter is typically used as the shortening for this dough.
sweet dough. This dough is similar to short dough with the addition of sugar and egg yolks.
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