The right pastry. Differences between different dough types
In a world where everyone claims the rights to pâte sablée, brisée, sucrée, feuilletée, and all the other doughs, there is actually no recipe that can be mine or yours. Things like doughs, which have been prepared for centuries, belong to everyone, and the story behind them is more about the products that we use and the way we work with these products rather than the recipe as such. Do we choose the sandier or crunchy, less sweet or sweeter recipe? That is the story. Not to whom it belongs.
Yes. I also wish to think that I have invented my dough recipes, but, to be honest, I have not, no. I firmly believe that many people in this world use the same measurements; they just do not post them on the internet. So, yes, even though I and many others would like to claim the right to these doughs, we cannot. They are ours, they are diverse and here you can see why.
Pâte brisée or pâte à foncer
Made with flour, salt, butter, and water (egg can be added as well, yet most often it is not). This is a fragile and mostly not sweet (although you can add a bit of sugar) dough used for quiches and tarts with fruit (apple tart). Made using the sanding method by mixing flour with salt and soft butter and sanding it using fingertips. Only then water is added and mixed into the dough. Most of the time, you fill the pan with dough and filling right away and bake for a sufficient time to be sure that the bottom is baked. I like to bake these on the lower level of the oven.
Pâte sablée
Quite fragile, crumbly, and tender, yet so good. Used many times to make tarts that do not need to go in the oven afterwardpâte à foncer. Usually made by mixing flour, caster sugar, salt, and butter with fingertips, adding egg later to knead into a dough. But it can also be made with the beating method.
Pâte sucrée
Made up of the same ingredients as pâte sablée, except that icing or powdered sugar is used instead of caster sugar, making it more brittle. There is much more texture in this dough, letting it hold a better shape. It is much crunchier and sweeter as well. In this recipe the butter is creamed with the sugar instead of just mixing in a bowl with fingertips. Only after mixing, eggs and salt are added, and finally the flour.
Most of the time, it is the one that you bake blind to fill up with different required fillings — both baked and non-baked.
Pâte feuilletée
The most famous and terrifying of the doughs, although, when “felt”, quite easy to make. This dough recipe requires flour, water, some milk, salt, and butter, laminating it between layers of dough. The temperature here is important. Both for dough and butter. And the result — mille-feuille, quiche, palmiers, arlettes, mirlitons, cheese straws and so much more. Croissants – when yeast is added.
Pâte à choux
Made from water, milk, butter, salt, a bit of sugar, flour, and eggs, this is the one that we enjoy as éclairs, profiteroles, croquembouche, Paris-Brest, gougères, etc. Made by heating water, milk, and butter together and adding flour later when the dough is dried a bit and then eggs are added. This makes the pastries bake with hallow centres to fill.
