By Christian Gillet

Pastry-baker trainer – French Baker Champion
BakeLabRC consulting
www.apprendreautrementlapatisserieboulangerie.com

Plain Puff Pastry

  • 500 g traditional T65 French Flour
  • 10 g salt
  • 250 g  water
  • 50 g beurre noisette
  • 300 g extra dry butter (for tourage)

Sift the flour, then add it to the mixer with salt, cold water and cold browned butter.
Mix everything until you obtain a homogeneous dough, do not knead too much.
Cover and leave to cool for 30 min.
Meanwhile, work the butter until you obtain the same consistency as the reverse puff pastry.
Give either 3 double turns or 5 to 6 single turns, respecting rest times of 30 min in the fridge.
Cut into 8 pieces, 3.5 mm thick and 25 cm in diameter.

Fruits puff pastry

  • 500 g traditional T65 French flour
  • 10 g salt
  • 250 g water/fruit puree
  • 50 g beurre noisette
  • 300 g extra dry butter (for tourage)

Same as plain puff pastry, but replace the water in the pastry with fruit puree. Depending on the fruit used, the quantity of puree will be more or less important and will be supplemented with water in order to reach 50% hydration. Made identical to traditional puff pastry.

“Crème pâtissière”

  • 1 liter milk
  • 180 g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 80 g cream powder
  • 1 vanilla pod

Prepare the materials: saucepan, whisk, 2 dough scraper, stainless steel plate, plastic wrap, mixing bowlIn a saucepan heat 1/3 of the sugar with the milk and the split vanilla pod
Blanch the rest of the sugar with the eggs in a mixing bowl
Incorporate the sifted cream powder into the blanched eggs
When the milk boils, relax the appliance with a little boiling milk
Then off the heat, mix the mixture with the rest of the milk in the saucepan
Return to the heat and cook the cream, stirring constantly
Cook for several minutes depending on the quantity for better conservation and consistency of the crea
Remove immediately onto a plate to cool quickly.

Frangipane

  • 250 g butter
  • 250 g icing sugar
  • 250 g eggs
  • 250 g white almond powder
  • 50 g flour
  • 300 g crème pâtissière
  • 5 g rum

Cream the butter with the icing sugar. Add the tempered eggs, stir well, then add the almond powder and flour. Let the mixer run for a few minutes so that the mixture gains volume. Add the crème pâtissière and the rum, stir well again.

Direction

Garnish with 300 g of frangipane cream (Frangipane and crème pâtissière) per puff pastry bases for the 4 pieces. Sprinkle with dried or fresh fruit. The superior pastry shell being the fruit one.

Brown the perimeter of the dough and close with the rest of the crusts. Cook 40 min to 180° C (356° F).

Critical points

  • Weigh it and break the eggs
  • The cooking
  • The conservation
  • Be careful with fragile cream because of the presence of eggs and therefore microbes

Hygiene

  • Work with a lathe and clean, bleached equipment.
  • Cooking time 1 min per liter.
  • Cover the cream well and bring the temperature down as quickly as possible.
  • Storage 24 h before consumption.

To order your French flours, click here

(Photo credit: C Gillet/BakeLabRC consulting)