The 4 pastry techniques to achieve perfect textures
Do you know these techniques and their importance in the creation of pastry recipes? We are so aware that in the second module of our Extended Online B·Concept Pastry Course we cover all four pastry techniques in their entirety.
With the importance of the molecular composition of ingredients learned in the first module, understanding the interactions and bonding of molecules and mastering the possibilities they offer depending on how we organize and work with them will bring you one step closer to being able to formulate your own pastry recipes.
Now, let's start with a brief introduction to these basic pastry techniques!
The interactions and unions between molecules offer us multiple possibilities to create any texture, it all depends on how we organize and work with them. At Jordi Bordas Pastry School, we have always focused on aqueous textures since, as we told you in our last article in which we talked about molecular pastry, controlling water molecules in your elaborations is a must in order to obtain optimal results in pastry. This is why our B·Concept method analyses raw materials, techniques, processes, physicochemical phenomena and reactions that take part in the creation process of gel, creamy and aery textures.
To obtain these textures, we have four basic pastry techniques that we will introduce below: emulsification, aeration, thickening and gelation.
Emulsification technique
Emulsions play a key role in pastry since they are thestructures responsible for creaminess on, for example, ganaches, custards or ice creams. When understanding what an emulsion is, how is it formed or undone and what factors influence its stability, you comprehend why emulsions bring us a creamy mouthfeel, something already upholded in the article "Beyond the lines of traditional pastry – redefining the concept of creaminess".
It is really important to note that creaminess is not directly associated with traditional ingredients, as it is obtained thanks to this texture creating technique: emulsification. You can find a very clear example of it in our recipe for creamy chestnut cream, a vegan recipe developed with the B·Concept method that does not contain dairy or egg, but the creaminess is obtained by incorporating an emulsifying ingredient composed of citrus fibre (Natur Emul).
Aeration technique
Aerated textures, also called foams, are very representative in the world of pastry and bakery: from plated desserts foams, through several kind of meringues, guimauves, mousses and ice cream, to sponge cakes and even bread. There are many aerated textures with different appearance and mouthfeel, but they all have something in common: they are extremely delicate, so it is essential to learn how to create and stabilize them.
Thickening technique
Thickening is the process of increasing viscosity in recipes. But why is it so essential to control this parameter? Viscosity greatly influences the mouthfeel caused by food and this is as important as the flavour of the product itself. For this reason, when you master the thickening technique, you can improve and refine your textures to create a unique tasting experience.
Gelation technique
If you think of gelling, the first textures that come to mind are surely those that have a truly gelatinous texture, such as jams, marmalades, compotes or pâte de fruit. However, most pastry and bakery recipes are gelled to maintain their shape and stability, such as mousses, foams or even bread.
As you can see, it is a fundamental technique for the creation and execution of stable recipes and, to work with it, each ingredient and its parameters must be considered. Let’s take the case of working on a recipe with alcohols: their molecular composition will play a role when choosing which gelling agents combine them with, as well as their dosage.
Yes, we know that you are eager to know more and have more information about each of them, but above all, to put them into practice, so take a look at our Extended Online B·Concept Pastry Course!
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