Pastry

This article is about the food. For the distributed hash

table system, see Pastry (DHT).
See also: List of pastries
Pastry is a dough of flour, water and shortening that may

Pecan and maple Danish pastry, a puff pastry type

Blackberry pie made with a pastry crust

be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often

described as bakers’ confectionery. The word “Pastries” Profiterole or cream puff, a choux pastry
suggests many kinds of baked products made from in-
gredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening,
baking powder, and eggs. Small tarts and other sweet
baked products are called pastries. Common pastry
dishes include pies, tarts, quiches and pasties.[1][2]
Pastry can also refer to the pastry dough,[3] from which
such baked products are made. Pastry dough is rolled out
thinly and used as a base for baked products.
Pastry is differentiated from bread by having a higher
fat content, which contributes to a flaky or crumbly tex-
ture. A good pastry is light and airy and fatty, but firm
enough to support the weight of the filling. When mak-
ing a shortcrust pastry, care must be taken to blend the
fat and flour thoroughly before adding any liquid. This
ensures that the flour granules are adequately coated with Strudel, a phyllo pastry
fat and less likely to develop gluten. On the other hand,
overmixing results in long gluten strands that toughen the
pastry. In other types of pastry such as Danish pastry 1 Types
and croissants, the characteristic flaky texture is achieved
by repeatedly rolling out a dough similar to that for yeast Shortcrust pastry Shortcrust pastry is the simplest and
bread, spreading it with butter, and folding it to produce most common pastry. It is made with flour, fat, but-
many thin layers. ter, salt, and water to bind the dough.[4] This is used

1
2 2 DEFINITIONS

thereby solidifying the pastry.[9] Once the choux

dough has expanded, it is taken out of the oven; a
hole is made in it to let the steam out. The pastry
is then placed back in the oven to dry out and be-
come crisp. The pastry is filled with various flavors
of cream and is often topped with chocolate. Choux
pastries can also be filled with ingredients such as
cheese, tuna, or chicken to be used as appetizers.

Phyllo (Filo) Phyllo is a paper-thin pastry dough that

is used in many layers. The phyllo is generally
wrapped around a filling and brushed with butter
Pork pie on a plate
before baking. These pastries are very delicate and
flaky.[10]

mainly in tarts. It is also the pastry that is used most Hot water crust pastry Hot water crust pastry is
often in making a quiche. The process of making used for savoury pies, such as pork pies, game pies
pastry includes mixing of the fat and flour, adding and, more rarely, steak and kidney pies. Hot wa-
water, and rolling out the paste. The fat is mixed ter crust is traditionally used for making hand-raised
with the flour first, generally by rubbing with fin- pies. The usual ingredients are hot water, lard and
gers or a pastry blender, which inhibits gluten for- flour, the pastry is made by heating water, melting
mation by coating the gluten strands in fat and re- the fat in this, bringing to the boil, and finally mix-
sults in a short (as in crumbly; hence the term short- ing with the flour. This can be done by beating the
crust), tender pastry.[5] A related type is the sweet- flour into the mixture in the pan, or by kneading on
ened sweetcrust pastry, also known as pâte sucrée, in a pastry board. Either way, the result is a hot and
which sugar and egg yolks have been added (rather rather sticky paste that can be used for hand-raising:
than water) to bind the pastry.[6] shaping by hand, sometimes using a dish or bowl
as an inner mould. As the crust cools, its shape is
Flaky pastry Flaky pastry is a simple pastry that ex- largely retained, and it is filled and covered with a
pands when cooked due to the number of layers. crust, ready for baking. Hand-raised hot water crust
It bakes into a crisp, buttery pastry. The “puff” is pastry does not produce a neat and uniform finish,
obtained by the shard-like layers of fat, most often as there will be sagging during the cooking of the
butter or shortening, creating layers which expand filled pie, which is generally accepted as the mark
in the heat of the oven when baked. of a hand-made pie.[11]
Puff pastry Puff pastry has many layers that cause it to
expand or “puff” when baked. Puff pastry is made
using flour, butter, salt, and water. The pastry rises 2 Definitions
up due to the water and fats expanding as they turn
into steam upon heating.[7] Puff pastries come out
of the oven light, flaky, and tender.

Choux pastry Choux pastry is a very light pastry that is

often filled with cream. Unlike other types of pas-
try, choux is in fact closer to a dough before being
cooked which gives it the ability to be piped into
various shapes such as the éclair and profiterole. Its
name originates from the French choux, meaning
cabbage, owing to its rough cabbage-like shape after
cooking.[8]

Choux begins as a mixture of milk or water and but-

ter which are heated together until the butter melts,
to which flour is added to form a dough. Eggs are
then beaten into the dough to further enrich it. This A French pastry shop window
high percentage of water causes the pastry to expand
into a light, hollow pastry. Initially, the water in the
dough turns to steam in the oven and causes the pas- • Pastry: A type of food used in dishes such as pies
try to rise; then the starch in the flour gelatinizes, or strudel.
 3

3 Chemistry
Different kinds of pastries are made by utilizing the nat-
ural characteristics of wheat flour and certain fats. When
wheat flour is mixed with water and kneaded into plain
dough, it develops strands of gluten, which are what make
bread tough and elastic. In a typical pastry, however, this
toughness is unwanted, so fat or oil is added to slow down
the development of gluten. Lard or suet work well be-
cause they have a coarse, crystalline structure that is very
effective. Using unclarified butter does not work well be-
cause of its water content; clarified butter, which is virtu-
ally water-free, is better, but shortcrust pastry using only
butter may develop an inferior texture. If the fat is melted
with hot water or if liquid oil is used, the thin oily layer
Pastry chef with croquembouche
between the grains offers less of an obstacle to gluten for-
mation and the resulting pastry is tougher.[15]
• Pastry bag or piping bag: An often cone-shaped
bag that is used to make an even stream of dough,
frosting, or flavored substance to form a structure, 4 History
decorate a baked item, or fill a pastry with a custard,
cream, jelly, or other filling.

• Pastry board: A square or oblong board, preferably

marble but usually wood, on which pastry is rolled
out.

• Pastry brake: Opposed and counter-rotating rollers

with a variable gap through which pastry can be
worked and reduced in thickness for commercial
production. A small version is used domestically for
pasta production.

• Pastry case: An uncooked or blind baked pastry

container used to hold savory or sweet mixtures. A typical Mediterranean baklava, a phyllo dough pastry sweet-
ened with nuts and honey
• Pastry cream: Confectioner’s custard. An egg- and
flour-thickened custard made with sweetened milk
flavored with vanilla. Used as a filling for flans,
cakes, pastries, tarts, etc. The flour prevents the egg
from curdling.

• Pastry cutters: Various metal or plastic outlines of

shapes, e.g. circles, fluted circles, diamonds, gin-
gerbread men, etc., sharpened on one edge and used
to cut out corresponding shapes from biscuit, scone,
pastry, or cake mixtures.[12]

• Pastry blender: A kitchen implement used to prop-

erly combine the fat and flour. Usually constructed
of wire or plastic, with multiple wires or small blades
connected to a handle. Russian pirozhki

• Viennoiserie: French term for “Viennese pas- The European tradition of pastry-making is often traced
try,” which, although it technically should be yeast back to the shortcrust era of flaky doughs that were in use
raised,[13] is now commonly used as a term for many throughout the Mediterranean in ancient times.
laminated and puff- and choux-based pastries, in- In the ancient Mediterranean, the Romans, Greeks and
cluding croissants, brioche, and pain au chocolat.[14] Phoenicians all had filo-style pastries in their culinary
4 7 SEE ALSO

traditions. There is also strong evidence that Egyptians 5 Pastry chefs

produced pastry-like confections. They had professional
bakers that surely had the skills to do so, and they also had See also: List of pastry chefs
needed materials like flour, oil, and honey. In the plays of
Aristophanes, written in the 5th century BC, there is men-
tion of sweetmeats, including small pastries filled with Pastry chefs use a combination of culinary ability and cre-
fruit. The Roman cuisine used flour, oil and water to ativity in baking, decoration, and flavoring with ingredi-
make pastries that were used to cover meats and fowls ents. Many baked goods require a lot of time and focus.
during baking in order to keep in the juices, but the pas- Presentation is an important aspect of pastry and dessert
try was not meant to be eaten. A pastry that was meant preparation. The job is often physically demanding, re-
to be eaten was a richer pastry that was made into small quiring attention to detail and long hours.[18] Pastry chefs
are also responsible for creating new recipes to put on the
pastries containing eggs or little birds and that were often
served at banquets. Greeks and Roman both struggled in menu, and they work in restaurants, bistros, large hotels,
making a good pastry because they used oil in the cooking casinos and bakeries. Pastry baking is usually done in an
area slightly separate from the main kitchen. This section
process, and oil causes the pastry to lose its stiffness.[16]
of the kitchen is in charge of making pastries, desserts,
In the medieval cuisine of Northern Europe, pastry chefs and other baked goods.[19]
were able to produce nice, stiff pastries because they
cooked with shortening and butter. Some incomplete lists
of ingredients have been found in medieval cookbooks,
but no full, detailed versions. There were stiff, empty
6 Gallery
pastries called coffins or 'huff paste', that were eaten by
servants only and included an egg yolk glaze to help make • Linzer torte
them more enjoyable to consume. Medieval pastries also
• a Petit four
included small tarts to add richness.
It was not until about the mid-16th century that actual • assortment of cookies (also called biscuits in some
pastry recipes began appearing.[15][17] These recipes were areas)
adopted and adapted over time in various European coun-
• Cream puff pastry, Dutch Moorkoppen
tries, resulting in the myriad pastry traditions known to
the region, from Portuguese "pastéis de nata" in the west • Tompouce, a Dutch and Belgian pastry
to Russian "pirozhki" in the east. The use of chocolate in
pastry-making in the west, so commonplace today, arose • Liège style waffle
only after Spanish and Portuguese traders brought choco-
late to Europe from the New World starting in the 16th • English Pork pie topped with redcurrants
century. Many culinary historians consider French pastry • Argentine sweet pionono
chef Antonin Carême (1784–1833) to have been the first
great master of pastry making in modern times. • Slice Argentine sweet pionono
Pastry-making also has a strong tradition in many parts of • Crocetta of Caltanissetta to lemon and orange left to
Asia. Chinese pastry is made from rice, or different types right
of flour, with fruit, sweet bean paste or sesame-based fill-
ings. The mooncakes are part of Chinese Mid Autumn • Spina santa of Caltanissetta
Festival traditions, while cha siu bao, steamed or baked
pork buns, are a regular savory dim sum menu item. In
the 19th century, the British brought western-style pastry 7 See also
to the far east, though it would be the French-influenced
Maxim in the 1950s that made western pastry popular
• Bakery
in Chinese-speaking regions starting with Hong Kong.
Still, the term “western cake” ( ) is used to differen- • Cake shop
tiate between the automatically assumed Chinese pastry
Other Asian countries such as Korea prepare traditional • Danish pastry
pastry-confections such as tteok, hangwa, and yaksik with
• Doughnut
flour, rice, fruits, and regional specific ingredients to
make unique desserts. Japan also has specialized pastry- • Hot water crust pastry
confections better known as mochi and manjū. Pastry-
confections that originate in Asia are clearly distinct from • Jesuite
those that originate in the west, which are generally much
sweeter. • Konditorei

• Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry

 5

• List of baked goods [14] David Applefield (6 April 2010). The Unofficial Guide to
Paris. John Wiley & Sons. p. 317. ISBN 978-0-470-
• List of desserts 63725-8. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
• List of food preparation utensils [15] Jaine, Tom, and Soun Vannithone. The Oxford Compan-
ion to Food. New York: Oxford UP, 1999
• List of pastries
[16] History of Baking and Pastry Cooking
• Mold (cooking implement)
[17] Pastry
• Pan dulce (sweet bread)
[18] Pastry Chef | Read a Pastry Chef Job Description & Get
• Pastry brush Career Information

• Pastry fork [19] Pastry Chef Job Profile

• Pâtisserie
• Pie crust 9 External links
• Pastry – entry at Encyclopædia Britannica
8 References
[1] Bo Friberg. Professional Pastry Chef. John Wiley and
Sons. ISBN 0-471-21825-1.

[2] L. Patrick Coyle (1982). The World Encyclopedia of

Food. Facts on File Inc. ISBN 0-87196-417-1.

[3] “Definition of 'pastry'". Oxford English Dictionary. Re-

trieved 7 January 2015.

[4] Leanne Kitchen (2008). The Baker. Murdoch Books. p.

171. ISBN 978-1-74196-097-6. Retrieved 29 October
2013.

[5] “Tarts”. The Art and Soul of Baking. Andrews McMeel

Publishing. 21 October 2008. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-7407-
7334-1. Retrieved 29 October 2013.

[6] Peter Barham (2001). “Short crust variations”. The Sci-

ence of Cooking. Springer. p. 183. ISBN 978-3-540-
67466-5. Retrieved 29 October 2013.

[7] Peter Barham (2001). The Science of Cooking. Springer.

p. 189. ISBN 978-3-540-67466-5.

[8] Michel Suas (2009). “Part 4: Pastry”. Advanced Bread

and Pastry, 1st ed.: A Professional Approach. Cengage
Learning. p. 504. ISBN 978-1-4180-1169-7. Retrieved
29 October 2013.

[9] Secrets of Eclairs. Murdoch Books. 1 November 2012.

pp. 78–. ISBN 978-1-74336-424-6.

[10] http://web.archive.org/web/20061031174304/http:
//www.kswheat.com/upload/got-pastry.pdf

[11] Dan Lepard (24 November 2007). “Hot water crust pas-
try”. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Re-
trieved 6 January 2015.

[12] Sinclair, Charles. International Dictionary of Culinary

Terms. Grand Rapids: Bloomsbury Plc, 1998

[13] Wayne Gisslen (17 January 2012). Professional Baking.

John Wiley & Sons. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-118-08374-1.
Retrieved 30 October 2013.
6 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

10.1 Text
• Pastry Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastry?oldid=724462791 Contributors: LA2, Rmhermen, Karen Johnson, William Av-
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E23~enwiki, Robbot, RedWolf, Henrygb, Srtxg, Fabiform, Wikibob, Edcolins, Peter Ellis, Utcursch, Geni, Creidieki, Quota, Mike Rosoft,
Shiftchange, Dr.frog, Freakofnurture, AliveFreeHappy, Discospinster, Night Gyr, Bender235, Calvix major, Berdidaine, Adambro, Bill
Thayer, Koosh, Longhair, Smalljim, Shenme, Man vyi, Alansohn, SlimVirgin, Velella, Dabbler, Angr, Mindmatrix, Spikex, Talskiddy,
Gimboid13, Audiovideo, Graham87, FreplySpang, SchuminWeb, Otets, Benjwong, Daev, YurikBot, Cheesewire, Peter G Werner, In-
nerspace, Grafen, Malcolma, Yano, Finizio, Where next Columbus?, Junglecat, SmackBot, Bomac, Eskimbot, CGameProgrammer, Can-
thusus, Colonel Tom, Yamaguchi , Gilliam, Hmains, Bluebot, Rkitko, MK8, Snori, Miquonranger03, TMFSG, TheGerm, Garrytowns,
Crboyer, Decltype, TedE, Zeamays, AThing, Harryboyles, Scientizzle, Applejaxs, 16@r, Noah Salzman, DShadow~enwiki, RekishiEJ,
Gilabrand, Eastlaw, Charvex, Ibadibam, Outriggr (2006-2009), Emilio Juanatey, Oo7565, Jac16888, Cydebot, Gogo Dodo, Chasingsol,
SimsHsia, DumbBOT, Alaibot, Mamalujo, Epbr123, X201, Tzhourdeka, ThomasPusch, Mentifisto, TartrazineE102, AntiVandalBot, Turlo
Lomon, Doc Tropics, JAnDbot, Husond, BillGordon, PhilKnight, PacificBoy, Bongwarrior, VoABot II, Swpb, WhatamIdoing, Chris G,
JaGa, Jerem43, Hdt83, Rettetast, Nadbusta, RockMFR, J.delanoy, Trusilver, Whitebox, Btouburg, Koven.rm, Samtheboy, Takora D, Sun-
derland06, Bonadea, TastyLemonsmmm, Blipadouzi, Wikieditor06, Lights, Off-shell, Huntingtonjbear, Jeff G., Barneca, Philip Trueman,
Oshwah, Pikachumaster, DaniMagoo, BotKung, ACEOREVIVED, Enigmaman, Synthebot, Eve Teschlemacher, Jaguarlaser, Enviroboy,
Brianga, Botev, SieBot, Euryalus, WereSpielChequers, ToePeu.bot, Caltas, Smsarmad, M.thoriyan, Walandablap, Aillema, Doctorfluffy,
Oxymoron83, Sasssy boy, Elassint, ClueBot, Jacob9897, Kempy6969, Wikievil666, SuperHamster, Hafspajen, Adc90, Auntof6, Excirial,
Someguyudontknow, Sebleouf, Monobi, Leonard^Bloom, En.Dev, Iohannes Animosus, Bearclaw55, S19991002, JasonAQuest, Pamela
Gardiner, Thehelpfulone, La Pianista, Spiderjenni13, Berean Hunter, Vanished User 1004, Polarbears12ab, XLinkBot, Kintaro, ErkinBatu,
Bublz333, Addbot, Hitendra bansal, Jonbryce, Download, Favonian, Hedfones, Tide rolls, Loconut5, Fryed-peach, Luckas-bot, 2D, Legobot
II, AnomieBOT, Lolhahas, IRP, 90, Materialscientist, Frigatorie, Citation bot, E2eamon, AaB-ern, LilHelpa, Xqbot, Caseyonfire, Jeffrey
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Recognizance, Ankara, RoyGoldsmith, Aychyouslayer, HJ Mitchell, Jhfortier, Javert, King bouba, Grleq, Pinethicket, Gytu8, SwellAp-
preciation, Stephen Henry Davies, Sindrefj, Remyrem1, Zvn, MajorStovall, Joee mate, Haagondaz, Reach Out to the Truth, Ac4570,
Hajatvrc, John of Reading, Tommy2010, Wikipelli, K6ka, John Cline, Hardmoose1, OppidumNissenae, Aeonx, Noahk100, Ocaasi, Eri-
anna, Lexusuns, L Kensington, MonoAV, Dangerousjimmycanada, Sven Manguard, Rmashhadi, Diamondland, Petrb, Taltalytalya, ClueBot
NG, Chien10, Jiwa Matahari, Brutus1996, Mad-man918273645, SunCountryGuy01, Editør, Braincricket, Widr, Helpful Pixie Bot, Hamed
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Corinne, Pincrete, Wonderingcat768, Lange.lea, B14709, DavidLeighEllis, Ibaudia, Kahtar, Skeisidy, Ableeker, Benjamin muir, Lagoset,
Filedelinkerbot, Bobbylops17, KBH96, KasparBot, Jordanmount and Anonymous: 301

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