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 moisture and will have a better flavour. It also means ensuring your flour is as finely sieved as possible to add extra air and lightness to the dough. Finally, don't overwork the dough by rolling it too hard. This will prevent the flour from developing too quickly, resulting in a challenging, brittle pastry. Follow these golden rules, and you'll be rewarded with flaky, tender pies, tarts and parcels.

Keeping your hands cool and working fast are two of the most important things you can do to ensure your pastry turns out right. Especially on a warm day, the fat in the pastry will melt if you work too long. A bowl of cold water to keep your hands cool will prevent this.

Using room-temperature butter in your dough is also a good idea, as it will be soft enough to incorporate into the flour easily. This means that you'll be able to achieve the flaky and tender crust that many recipes require. The best way to do this is to use a food processor to cut the fat into the flour without melting, giving you the ideal consistency. You could also try using a thermometer to check that the butter is at its optimum temperature before you begin. This will make your job much more accessible and the results far more impressive!

There are many rules of thumb when it comes to working with pastry, but a few stand out as the most important for both the novice and the experienced cook. The most obvious rule of thumb is to keep your kitchen, worktop, and hands relaxed. This will ensure the ingredients don't overheat and the dough doesn't become too soft or brittle. It's also a good idea to introduce as much air into the mix as possible to create a more light and fluffy product.

Using the right ingredients in the right way is the key to successful pie baking, but having the correct tools is also essential. These include a good-quality rolling pin and a pastry cutter with a twist for easier cutting. Using a dedicated board for your pastry is also a good idea if it is going in the oven.

Resting pastry allows the gluten structure to relax, which makes it easier to work with. It also helps to distribute the water evenly across the dough and ensures a more consistent result. Dough that is not rested is often harder to work with and will shrink during baking. In addition, it may be challenging and have a dense texture.

For types of pastry that contain a large amount of fat – usually butter – resting the dough helps to set it, which makes it easier to roll and less likely to shrink during baking. This is particularly important for flaky pie crust, puff pastry and shortcrust.