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Amazing Pies - Helpful Hints & Tips
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Always learn about preparing methods before you start baking. Variety of methods exist
in preparing and mixing the ingredients used in pastry making. Each method
is producing a different effect in the finished product. Some of these methods
are explained in detail, so that the people interested
in this subject will not have any difficulty in producing splendid results.
Familiarity with all of them will insure success every time. Click here to learn more...
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 tiny 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 only 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 will serve the purpose.
Water is the only liquid
used in traditional pastry making. Water should be as cold
as possible, or cold water in which small pieces of ice are allowed to
melt is especially desirable for this purpose.
Pastry blender is great
tool to have. You could actualy save time when cutting butter into flour
for preparation of pie and/or pastry dough. Make sure to choose one with
handle that is sturdy and comfortable to hold. The best are usually the
ones with diamond shape blades, sharp enough to prevent sticky clogs as
you work. Buy stainless steel with comfortable handle and also dishwasher
safe. More pastry blenders...
A perforated pie tin
is an advantage in the baking of shells or single-crust pies, for it prevents
the air from becoming confined between the pan and the crust and producing
air spaces that would cause blisters to form as the pie is baked.
If desired, the crust
may be placed over the back of the pan and baked, thus forming a shell
that may be filled with a cooked filling and served.
Often, especially in
the baking of fresh berry or cherry pie, the juice that forms inside the
pie cooks out. This can be prevented by rolling a small piece of paper
into a funnel shape, leaving both ends open, and inserting the small end
in one of the openings in the top crust. This arrangement provides a vent
for the steam, and so the juice is less likely to cook out of the crust
while the pie is baking. Click here to find out more...
You will need less sugar
if canned fruits are used instead of fresh ones because they are usually
canned with sugar.
Always
try to serve pie warm, as is well known, pie is much more palatable when
it is warm and fresh than when it is cold or stale.
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