6. The ingredients used in pastry making are neither numerous nor
complicated, usually including only flour, salt, shortening, and liquid.
If these are correctly combined, they will be all that is required to
make a pastry that is light, flaky, and crisp. Occasionally a recipe
requiring baking powder will be found and sometimes eggs are called for
in mixtures of this kind, but neither of these ingredients is required
for successful pastry making. Baking powder may be an advantage when it
is used by one who is not experienced in the handling of pastry
mixtures, for it helps to make pastry lighter. However, only a small
quantity of this ingredient should be used, as a very little will bring
about the desired result.
7. FLOUR FOR PASTRY.--Pastry flour is the most desirable for pastry
making. It is made from winter wheat, which, as has already been
explained, contains less gluten and therefore lacks the gummy
consistency of bread flour. For puff paste, which is prepared so as to
hold air between thin layers of pastry, bread flour is often used
because it retains air better. Flours made of other cereals may also be
used. Pastry made of such flours is more difficult to handle, but good
results may be obtained if patience and care are exercised. When corn
flour, rice flour, and barley flour are used as part of the flour for
pastry, it will be found that less shortening is needed than when wheat
flour alone is used. The dark flours, such as barley, produce a pastry
that is dark in color, but this is no particular disadvantage so long as
the quality is not impaired.
No matter what kind of flour is used for the pastry, it should be as dry
as possible. At times, putting the flour in a warm oven and allowing it
to dry will prove to be advantageous. However, flour so treated should
be cooled before it is used, since the cooler the ingredients are the
better will be the pastry.
Cereal products of different kinds, such as corn meal, for instance, may
be moistened, spread into pans in thin layers, and then baked. The
shells thus produced may be filled with various kinds of filling and
used very successfully. Such shells, however, can scarcely be considered
as real pastry.
8. SHORTENING FOR PASTRY.--A solid fat, that is, one that will remain
solid at ordinary room temperature, is the best shortening for pastry
making. Oils of various kinds may be used, but in most cases the results
are not so successful. If pastry is to have the desired flakiness, the
shortening must not be broken into such minute particles and the flour
must not be saturated with fat, as is more likely to be the case if oil
is used in place of solid fat. In addition to being solid, the fat
should be just as cold as possible.
Butter is the fat that is used for puff paste, but for other varieties
of pastry almost any desirable fat may be utilized. Lard has always been
a particular favorite for pastry making; still, for ordinary pastry
making, there are various combinations of fat of both animal and
vegetable origin which serve the purpose.
Certain fats left over from various cooking processes in the home can be
utilized to advantage in the making of pastry. Chicken fat is a very
satisfactory one. A mixture of lard and tried-out beef suet also makes
an ideal fat for pastry, the hard flakiness of the suet being
particularly desirable. In fact, almost any fat without a disagreeable
odor or flavor may be used as all or part of the fat required. As has
already been learned, fats may be clarified and freed of their odor by
first heating them and then allowing a few slices of raw potato to
become hot in them.
9. LIQUID FOR PASTRY.--Water is the only liquid used in pastry making.
Water in which small pieces of ice are allowed to melt is especially
desirable for this purpose, but if ice cannot be obtained, the water
used should be as cold as possible.
10. PROPORTION OF INGREDIENTS.--The proportion of ingredients for the
making of pastry varies with the kinds of flour used and the kinds of
pastry desired. Some varieties can be made with a comparatively small
amount of fat, while others require a large amount. The use to which the
paste is to be put will determine the proportion of fat to be used. It
varies from the minimum amount of one-sixth as much fat as flour, by
measure, or one-third, by weight, which is the proportion for economy
paste, to one-half, by measure, or an equal amount by weight, which is
the proportion used in the making of puff paste. For the ordinary
preparation of pies, an amount midway between the two extremes is
usually sufficient, while oftentimes less may be used to advantage. It
should be remembered that fat is the most expensive ingredient in pastry
making and should be used with discretion.
11. The amount of liquid in proportion to the amount of flour is about
one-fourth, by measure, for, as is explained in _Hot Breads_, pie crust
is an example of a stiff dough, and such dough requires four times as
much flour as liquid. However, liquid should be added to the other
ingredients until the correct consistency is obtained, regardless of the
quantity used. The consistency is not right until the flour and the fat
cling together in such a way that the mixture may be rolled out to form
the crust for a pie. The less liquid used to accomplish this condition,
the flakier will be the crust when it is baked. More skill is required
in the handling of pastry when the smallest amount of water that can
possibly be used is added, but the results achieved usually justify the
care that is taken.