All the sweet treats have got some interesting story behind their existence. And the same thing goes for versatile pastries. There is quite a lot to this lovely sweet treat, so sit back and relax with a cup of coffee, because after this you are sure to get down with a baking fever.
Fact: Did you know that the Romans created pastry dough to keep their meat soft? They used to shield the dough over meat while cooking so that the meat remained moist and did not burn. For a matter of fact, it was never supposed to be eaten and to be eventually discarded. But, thanks to the creative minds of those ancient bakers to give us this sweet beauty! Pastry was earlier made using only 4 ingredients – flour, water, eggs and fat. It’s amusing to know that these few ingredients came together to make one of the most indulgent and yummy edibles of the world.
All your favourites like pies, croissants, puffs, tarts, éclairs, etc., fall under the pastry category. There are both sweet and savoury versions of this beloved food. Here are the top 5 types of popular pastries that you must know of. Read on…
1. Phyllo/Filo Pastry
Filo pastry is an unleavened pastry sheet, quite popular in Greek, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine. It is thin like paper and is used widely for many sweet and savoury dishes wherein layers are joined together with generous amounts of butter and oil.
Baklava is one such decadent dessert made with layers of filo sheets, sweetened with sugar syrup or honey. There are varied versions of Baklava in many countries, but the most interesting is the Greek’s version because they prepare it with 33 layers of filo pastry sheets referring to the years of Christ’s life.
2. Shortcrust pastry
A type of pastry which is generally used as a base for tarts, quiches or pies. It does not puff up while baking because it’s not leavened at all. It can be used to make both sweet and savoury dishes. If you want to master the art of making a short crust pastry, here’s the recipe for you to make it from scratch.
3. Choux pastry
This one’s the popular one from French cuisine. One can make éclairs, cream puffs, churros, beignets, etc. with it. This pastry has a hollow centre when steamed so that it can be filled with cream in it. It might seem a little elaborative to make this type, but at the end of the day, it’s all worth! For starters, you can try this éclair recipe.
4. Puff pastry
Let’s take a moment to appreciate this particular pastry because it has contributed so much to our sweet tooth. Actually, not just sweet, the savoury versions are no less either. The flaky layers, the buttery flavours, the tenderness makes this pastry absolutely irresistible.
5. Suet Crust Pastry
A classic from British cuisine, these are used for steamed puddings and dumplings. This is the only type of pastry which requires a chemical rising agent for itself. The best way to make this one is to shred the suet perfectly otherwise it might get a lumpy texture. A little cumbersome to make, but trust us, when we say each bite makes you feel like you’re in food heaven!
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