Cheats Puff Pastry Recipe from The Great British Baking Show (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to puff pastry? ›

Always preheat your oven for a minimum of 15-20 minutes before baking, because Puff Pastry depends on even heat to rise and puff. Place pastries 1 inch apart. If you want a flaky thin and crispy pastry that's not very puffy, prick the unbaked Puff Pastry all over with a fork, which lets steam escape while baking.

For the rough puff pastry, mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Rub in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually add enough water to form a dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle measuring 30cm x 12cm.

The formula for the number of dough layers is 2(3n-1)+ 1 where n is the number of half-turns. The four-fold method quadruples the number of fat layers each time the dough is folded. Like the half-turn method there is one more layer of dough than fat after each 'half turn'.

The bakers have to write their own recipes for the signature and showstopper rounds. Although the bakers don't have time to prepare for the technical rounds, they get plenty of notice to develop recipes for the other two challenges. "You're given a brief for two challenges — the signature challenge and the showstopper.

Adding an acid, the theory goes, stops the gluten in its tracks and rescues the crust from toughness. These same acid enthusiasts claim that stopping or at least hindering the gluten makes the dough easier to roll out, and may even prevent it from shrinking as it bakes.

Egg wash is the most reliable but it can be very thick and sticky. Milk wash will go on more evenly but it can soak into pastry and make it weaker. Melted butter works nicely after the crust has set but it can make the crust greasy and weaker.

While this results in a very light and delicate product, it is often time-consuming and labor-intensive. Rough puff pastry is prepared by incorporating butter or fat in the form of golf-ball size chunks into the dough, instead of the entire slabs used in classic puff pastry.

Scotch or Rough Puff: In this method, the butter, margarine, or fat is chopped into cubes about (2.5 cm) and mixed into the dry flour. To this the water added and a dough made, keeping the cubes of fat intact. Proceed to give turns in any of the conventional ways.

There are four commonly known types of puff pastry—'half,' 'three-quarter,' 'full' and 'inverted puff. The terms describe the amount of fat to the weight of flour. 'Full' denotes equal weights of fat and flour, 'three-quarter' means three-quarter of the weight of the fat to the flour, etc.

Is shortening better than butter for puff pastry? ›

As shortening is 100% vegetable oil, it has a higher melting point than butter, so stays solid longer when baking. When the shortening does finally melt, steam forms in pockets and puffs the layers of dough apart, making a slightly flaky and less flavorful crust.

Introduce as much air as possible during making. Allow to relax after making to allow the fat to harden. Handle the pastry as little as possible. Roll lightly with short, quick firm strokes.

You will be happy to know that the goodies do not go to waste, as the leftover baked goods are shared between the crew and the bakers themselves.

The contestants are not paid for being on the show, though they are given a modest stipend so they can practice their bakes at home.

Another thing that's very real is the sweltering temperature in the tent - because they're not allowed air conditioning. Dan explained that fans and air-con units were too loud and would interfere with filming, so it was exceptionally hot - as the programme is filmed over the summer months.

Chill the pastry again before baking.

Want a little extra assurance your puff pastry will really puff? Pop it in the fridge after working with it, while the oven preheats. This step gives the butter a chance to re-solidify, to get an even better result.

Heat is the enemy of Puff Pastry—it handles best when cold. So avoid working with it on hot, humid days, in a stifling hot kitchen or next to your oven. Puff Pastry works best when cold.

Always cut Puff Pastry straight down, never on an angle, to prevent layers from sticking together and inhibiting the rise. Cut up and down, and don't drag the knife. You can brush an egg-wash glaze (1 egg plus 1 tsp. water) over the Puff Pastry to create a rich, golden sheen when baked.

Cold butter — To get the distinct, crispy layers in your pastry, the butter must be cold. When the bits of butter melt in the oven as the pastry bakes, it leaves you with air pockets, making the dough airy and flakey.