An introduction to pastry

This new series of features from ckbk will offer a structured guide to a particular area of cooking. This first piece, with its accompanying recipe collections, provides an introduction to pastry.

By Cat Black

Pastry, to make your own, or to not be bothered and head for the shops? No one actually likes the pastry itself anyway, it’s all about the filling. Isn’t it? Those of us who brave the pastry kitchen and do make our own pastry might be tempted to say that those who say that are the ones eating dull shop-bought stuff, and that homemade pastry it delicious, worth eating, the best bit! 

Most pastry, and pastry recipes, can be made ahead of time, at least in part. And so enter into that category of cooking tasks that can be done, radio on, in a pleasing meditative state, when you have time to enjoy the gentle craft of it, and then can either refrigerate or freeze until the next stage of the recipe, the easier bit. Although the one thing about pastry, once you have a recipe mastered, is that you’ll find that easy too. And yet the lucky recipients of your creations will be impressed! There is no need at all to master the full gamut of pastry types in one fell swoop. Pick the one you like most to start with. A quiche lover? Have a go at a basic shortcrust. Fancy a lemon tart? Sweeten things up with pâte sucrée. A coffee éclair lover? Try whipping up some choux. Whatever your pastry inclinations, take a look at our curation of core recipes, and what to make with them. Get ready to wear your pastry chef’s apron with pride. 

Core pastry recipes

Here is assembled a collection of the key recipes you need to make a range of pastries, the core recipes that underpin all dishes using pastry. Find recipes for choux, puff, rough puff, shortcrust, pâte sucrée (sweet shortcrust) and hot water crust pastry. To experiment with different versions or chef’s interpretations of these core recipes search ckbk. You will find a great range of variations, and you may find one you prefer. These are selected for ease of understanding, and to get you started. Once you have a passion for pastry, there’ll be no stopping you!

View the full core pastry recipe collection

What to make with choux pastry

So many of the most popular French patisserie creations start with choux pastry, including that universal export, the éclair, and that favorite in Japan, the cream puff. Choux differs from other pastry in that it is partially cooked, beaten in a pan, prior to piping into shapes for baking. Key is to get the correct thickness and texture of batter. Once you have that sorted, the world is your profiterole!

View the full choux pastry recipe collection

What to make with puff pastry

Puff pastry is a textural treat, light and crispy, rich and buttery, all at once. It takes some time to create the layers that rise into this magic in the oven, but is a really showstopping technique to master. Most recipes can also be made with rough puff, an easier version and just as delicious – which is only not suitable if you need the full height of defined layers, such as for a vol-au-vent. There are a wealth of sweet and savoury recipes that use puff pastry, so this is one to get stuck into. Although many recipes use bought puff pastry, they will be even better, and you will have serious bragging rights, if you make your own. 

View the full puff pastry recipe collection

What to make with shortcrust pastry

With shortcrust pastry, think quiches, pies, galettes and pasties. This simple, unsweetened pastry lends itself to recipes sweet and savoury – although for the sweeter recipes see our collection for pâte sucrée (sweet shortcrust). Recipes using sweet shortcrust can usually be made using plain shortcrust if you want to dial down the sweetness levels. Very simple to prepare, key with shortcrust is to handle the pastry as little as possible, to retain a ‘short’, tender, buttery texture. Too much handling will make the result tough. But get it right and the homemade version makes your home-bakes far more delicious. The possibilities are limitless.

View the full shortcrust pastry recipe collection

What to make with pâte sucrée (sweet shortcrust)

Pâte sucrée is exactly what it says it is, sweetened pastry. A sweetened version of the simplest pastry to make, shortcrust, and not much harder to master than that basic dough. Like regular shortcrust, it benefits from the minimum handling. The dessert queen of pastries, it tastes much like a tender Scottish shortbread, or sablé biscuit – truly delicious in its own right and a world away from any shop-bought version. It is a little enriched, and therefore its natural home is the sweet tart, pie or galette. Apple, lemon, chocolate, frangipane, take your pick! 

View the full pâte sucrée recipe collection

What to make with hot water crust pastry

Hot water crust pastry has its very particular niche. It is the pastry to choose for the raised pie, the pork pie, the terrine en croute, in other words the traditional pie that goes out on a picnic, or graces the dining table during game season. The historic recipes, and glorious patterns that can be moulded into hot water crust, are having a major London revival, and handling hot water crust can be elevated to something of an art. But the dough itself it actually forgiving, as long as worked when still warm. When it cools it is no longer workable, but it will admirably hold its shape. 

View the full hot water crust pastry recipe collection

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