With so many regional variations and international influences putting their marks on pastry in Britain, this humble dough has taken a truly remarkable journey through the culinary world. He was a famous pastry chef for European royalty, one of whom was George the fourth before he became king.

Many culinary historians consider French pastry chef Antonin Carême (1784–1833) to have been the first great master of pastry making in modern times. Pastry, stiff dough made from flour, salt, a relatively high proportion of fat, and a small proportion of liquid. Using only unclarified butter does not always work well because of its water content; clarified butter is virtually water free.

Pastry as we know it today – in all its crumbly, flaky, buttery glory – is a far cry from where it all began. The rise of the sweet tart provided more fodder for interpretation, with custard fillings often forming the base. In 1270 when Régnaut-Barbon decided he wants to make oublies (confectioners’ ancestor…

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It seems that the main factor holding back ancient bakers (they were not wanting for ingenuity or creativity) was the lack of butter or lard to create the richness we associate with pastry today.

Éclairs are filled either by cutting it in half lengthwise or poking hole in the bottom of the éclair to fill. The English prided themselves on their pastry-making and it was considered a skill all good housewives should have, says Pennell. The word custard itself derives from both the Anglo-Saxon word ‘crustarde’ (a tart or pie with a crust) and the French word ‘crouste’ (crust).

The Bedfordshire Clanger took this one step further, with a suet-pastry case enclosing both main and dessert in one package, a savoury filling at one end and sweet at the other. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. They were also piped with a star tip then filled with a chocolate diplomat cream (a combo of whipping cream and pastry cream).

This article was most recently revised and updated by, The Vintage Cookbook Trials - A short history of pastry, Great British Chefs - The history of pastry. For a flaky pastry, low-gluten flour is quickly blended with butter, lard, or vegetable shortening so that the fat is broken into bits.

In a typical pastry, however, this toughness is unwanted so fat or oil is put in to slow down the development of gluten.

History of Baking and Pastry Cooking. He combined his love of architecture and food to create magnificent desserts such as the Charlotte Russe cake. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! The word "pastries" suggests many kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder, and eggs. The glamour and splendour associated with these rich, buttery confections helped grow the popularity of French pastry desserts as the epitome of fine dining.

It may also contain sugar or flavourings.

French and Italian Renaissance chefs eventually perfected the Puff and Choux pastries, while 17th and 18th century chefs brought new recipes to the table. Handily packaged in pastry for labourers, these were noticed by visiting huntsmen and thus word of these little pies travelled further afield. They need to be baked at 425F, venting the oven about half way through the bake. When wheat flour is kneaded into plain dough and made with water it develops strands of gluten, which are what make the bread tough and elastic. The Derbyshire town of Bakewell gave its name to the almond-filled Bakewell tart, although the earliest recipes, such as from the iconic Mrs Beeton’s 1869 book on Household Management refer to a richer Bakewell pudding, made with puff pastry rather than the shortcrust we know today. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term éclair first appeared in the english language in 1861. Many baked goods require a lot of time and focus. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Once considered a mere utensil, these days it is used more as a delicious culinary canvas for increasingly creative toppings and fillings.

Examples.