The word ‘pastry’ conjures up various images of indulgent, buttery confectionery or savoury pies. That crumbly shortcrust on your fruit tart is a pastry, and so is the flaky goodness that forms a croissant. In general, a pastry is made using a dough mixture of three main ingredients: flour, water, and fats.
While all delicious, there are actually quite a few distinct types of pastries. In fact, there are about five to eight distinct types, differing in texture, ingredients used, and folding technique. If you are looking for some breakfast pastry ideas or wondering about which pastries you can get at your online bakery in Singapore, wonder no more – let us demystify the different types of pastries for you!
1. Shortcrust
Love quiches and minced pies? Then you’ll be familiar with shortcrust pastry – a crumbly pastry that somewhat resembles shortbread. Thanks to the denser structure, shortcrust is well suited for pies with wet fillings, like saucy meats and fruit mince.
The signature crumbly texture of shortcrust is achieved by having double the amount of flour to the amount of fat, which means the dough is comparatively dry and easy to shape. If you’re new to pastry-making, we suggest starting with shortcrust, as it is the most forgiving and quickest to make!
2. Puff
Puff pastry is delightfully flaky, offering layers upon layers of buttery indulgence! Traditionally, puff pastry is made by rolling an entire slab of butter onto the dough and then folding the dough multiple times to create the layers. During its time in the oven, the butter melts and produces steam, which separates the dough into distinct layers.
It takes great skill and agility to make a great puff pastry, as it requires the butter to be soft enough yet not melting all over the place. Over time, bakers came up with an easier ‘shortcut’ method to create a similar texture to puff pastry – the flaky pastry.
3. Flaky
Flaky pastry is the shortcut cousin to puff pastry, giving you 80% of the goodness of puff pastry in a fraction of the time. The key difference lies in how the butter is added: in flaky pastry, butter is added as slivers or small cubes rather than as a single slab of butter.
You’ll find flaky pastry in much of the same places classic puff pastry is used: in savoury pies, fruit tarts, and Portuguese egg tarts. If you find yourself up for the challenge, you can try to recreate some of Polar Puffs & Cakes’ all-time favourites, like the chicken pie or curry puff, using the flaky pastry method!
4. Filo
Imagine lasagne but in pastry form. Filo pastry – also called phyllo – is made by arranging layers and layers of paper-thin dough onto each other, with oil brushed between each layer. A prime example of filo pastry is the baklava, a Turkish sweet pastry with fillings like chopped nuts and sticky honey.
While filo pastry has layers like puff and flaky pastry, filo tends to have a crispier texture and less airy layers. But making it is notoriously tricky due to the delicate nature of the dough and how quickly it dries out. Try making it at your own risk!
5. Choux
That airy, eggy pastry you get with éclair and custard puffs has a category of its own, called the choux pastry. Typically made for creamy fillings, choux is a beloved French favourite that is commonly seen on the buffet dessert table. Unlike the other pastries, though, making it involves cooking it on the stove before it goes into the oven to be baked.
Notable for its light and crisp texture, choux pastry starts as a batter that contains a high percentage of water, which turns into steam during the cooking process. This plays a vital role in expanding the dough and creating an airy hollow suitable for filling with cream, custard, or other sweet pastes.
Conclusion
Everyone enjoys a good pastry now and then, baker or not. Now you can satisfy your hankering for pastries fuss-free and easily when you order a pastry online in Singapore! From local favourites like the otah puff to all-time classics like éclair, we’ve got you covered on all your flaky, crumbly, buttery pastry cravings!
