The art of Chinese pastry making has been around for centuries. Perfected over time, Chinese pastries have been headed in both sweet and savoury directions, as well as a fusion of the 2 flavours.
We were pleased to invite Chef Pang once again to guide us in the making of Chinese pastries. During the class, she taught us how to make Char Siew Sou, Red Bean Pastry and Traditional Bean Pastry.
The gist of the pastry skin making was largely similar, comprising of a combination of Blue Jacket Bread Flour dough and her secret weapon - pork fat for the Chinese-style buttery texture. Being a hands on class, students were given the opportunity to knead and shape the dough, filling in their pastry with as much char siew and bean paste without the pastry bursting.
The trick to making beautifully tasting and delicious looking pastry lies therein the dough and pork fat. The pork fat gives it the buttery texture, adding a new layer of flavour and mouth-feel to the puff, while the dough cannot be too dense and heavy, making it too filling and clumpy when eaten. Chef Pang recommends Blue Jacket Bread Flour for it's superior fineness compared to other brands, which are the best for such delicate delights. Furthermore, since our Blue Jacket Flour undergoes no bleaching process and contains no toxic additives, you can be assured that your bakes are the healthiest possible for your family and friends.
After the pastries are filled, it's time for decoration before baking them. The trick to sealing the char siew sou properly is to use the ends of a fork to press the ends of the pastry, simultaneously creating the characteristic lines at both ends. Also, don't forget to do an egg wash to give it that delightful golden colour on your pastry and decorate it with some sesame seeds. Now that you know how it's done, try it out for yourself at home!
Are you interested in learning more? Join us for our next class! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for regular updates and even promotions for our well loved Blue Jacket Flour series.
Comments