What is the golden rule of pastry?
There are lots of things to consider when making pastry . Having the right ingredients on hand, measuring them correctly and following a recipe from start to finish all go a long way in helping you achieve the best results possible. But sometimes, despite your best efforts, things work out differently than planned. For example, the dough may shrink too much when it's baking. This can ruin the final result - a shame because all the effort and care goes into making it! The pastry is a complex dough containing flour, water and fat, so keeping everything as cool as possible is essential. This helps the flour develop its gluten more slowly, making the pastry more elastic and easier to work with. It also ensures that the fat doesn't heat up too much, which makes it soft and greasy. Aside from ensuring your kitchen, worktop, and hands are as cool as possible, using good quality ingredients is vital to get the best results. This means using the correct type of butter, which is lower in...