Different Types Of Pastry That Every One Should Try

Pastry has been adored throughout the ages because of the wonderful sweet and savory foods that you can make with it. Some of the most amazing pastries we still use today are created by France, Italy, and Spain. A variety of culinary traditions has produced different types of pastry, but what makes them taste different from the other is the ingredients, proportions, and the method. With so many types of pastry list, it’s difficult to choose the right one. This list below will help you choose better.

7 Different Types of Pastry To Die For!

Puff Pastry

Puff pastry has been around for generations and is considered the king of pastries. These types of pastry form the base for many wonderful pastries due to its unmatched rise and picture-perfect structure. A puff pastry consists of many layers and is made of three main ingredients – flour, water, and butter. The dough and butter are rolled together and then overlapped many times to form layers. The trapped air between the layers expands, making the pastry to rise, creating gaps that make some of the fantastic pastries you have ever tasted. It is prominent in many French dishes and very popular around the world.

What You Can Make: Puff Pastry Pizzas, Nutella Puff Apple Turnovers, Cinnamon Pastry Roll.

Filo Pastry

Filo pastry or the phyllo pastry is an unleavened pastry of very thin, delicate sheets of dough. The layers of these types of pastries are separated by melted butter or oil. It is very crispy and flaky when baked. Made from flour, water, salt, and oil, the dough is different from both puff and shortcrust due to its low fat content. Due to this, filo pastry dries out fast and does not rise like puff pastry but the plus side is that they are highly versatile as they can be folded, rolled, ruffled, or made into any shape. Filo pastry dough is stretched to a very thin layer, brushed with the liquid fat and generally used with dry fillings.

What You Can Make: Apple Strudel, Samosa, Crispy Tarts, Spring Rolls.

Choux Pastry

These types of pastry have a crispy crust and a hollow center, which is often filled with piped cream, topped with melted chocolate, or anything of your choice. This French delight is made from flour, eggs, butter and water. The water and butter is boiled before incorporating the flour, after it cools, the eggs are mixed in and that brings even more moisture to the dough. This moisture turns to steam when baked, causing it to puff up and rise in size. The basic dough is cooked twice, first, on the stove-top and then, piped into small puffs and baked into light and airy pastries.

What You Can Make: Cream Puffs, Éclairs, Profiteroles.

Shortcrust Pastry

A shortcrust pastry is usually made with half the amount of fat to flour. Simple ingredients like flour, fat, and a liquid to bind are used in these types of pastry. By far this is the most common, versatile and easiest pastry to make at home. The dough is much more cohesive than flaky pastry, hence often used as the base for tarts. It does not puff up but gives a crumbly texture as the dough involves pricking with a fork before baking. You can also use baking beans to weigh it down to prevent the dough from rising and add the filling once the pastry has hardened. Shortcrust pastry is suitable for sweet and savory dishes.

What You Can Make: Pies, Tarts, Flans, Quiches.

Rough Puff Pastry

Otherwise known as flaky pastry, rough puff pastry is commonly used to make all sorts of lunch and dinner dishes. This is a favorite among many as it takes a fraction of time to make, and it’s hassle free too. It is made with diced, chilled butter or grated frozen butter which is mixed with flour, salt and cold water. Here the butter is not rubbed into the flour, but rather the water is used to bring the flour together. It consists of large lumps of shortening that keep the layers of the dough separate from each other. The results are great as it gives a similar rise and texture to flaky pastry, but with a lot less risk.

What You Can Make: Mini Chicken Pies, French Onion Pies, Caponata Pies.

Hot Water Crust Pastry

This English pastry is rich and heavy, and is used to create raised meat pies and pasties. As the name suggests, fat is melted in a high concentration of heated water to which flour is added, to form a hot and sticky paste. Use of hot water can speed up mixing time and make it easier to fill and form dough. These types of pastry are easy to shape and work with. Hot water crust pastry is best for dishes which require a stronger crust that can hold saucy or heavy ingredients. It holds up incredibly well, so you can fill them up with as many as dry or wet fillings.

What You Can Make: Pork Pies, Game Pies, Steak And Kidney Pies.

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Suet Crust Pastry

This traditional British pastry is used particularly for steamed puddings, whether savory or sweet. Suet crust pastry is a pastry that has suet in it instead of the fat. The suet has to be minced or shredded finely, or you’ll end up with a lumpy pastry. All that you need to make this old fashioned pastry is the self-rising flour and shredded suet. Suet crust pastry could be the only pastry that needs a chemical raising agent. In most other pastries, the rising agent is steam within the pastry. This very quick and simple to make pastry must be used quickly once made.

What You Can Make: Dumplings, Christmas Pudding, Kidney Pudding.

Now that you know exactly which pastry to use, go try them out and don’t forget to share your experience in the comment box below.