French Aroma Baking: The Secret To Delicious Pastries

Aromatics are combinations of vegetables, herbs, and sometimes meats that are heated in fat, such as butter, oil, or coconut milk, at the beginning of a dish. They are used to add depth and flavour to a variety of dishes, including sauces, braises, curries, rice dishes, sautees, stir-fries, soups, stews, and stocks. French-inspired dishes typically start with a mirepoix, which involves heating butter or olive oil and then adding diced onions, carrots, and celery. This creates a distinctive French aroma.

French baking terms

Pâtisserie: This term refers to a bakery that specialises in French pastries. Pâtisseries offer a variety of treats, including croissants, éclairs, tarts, and macarons.

Crème Anglaise: A thin custard sauce made by heating milk, sugar, and vanilla, then slowly whisking in egg yolks. It can be used as a dessert sauce or the base for ice cream.

Sablage: The technique of cutting butter into flour to create a crumbly mixture used for pie crusts and tart shells.

Enrobage: A technique of coating truffles or other confectioneries in a layer of chocolate.

Crème Pâtissière: A classic French pastry cream used as a filling for cakes, pastries, and desserts. It has a thick, custard-like texture and is made from milk, sugar, eggs, and cornstarch.

Crème Chantilly: Also known as whipped cream, it is sweetened and flavoured with vanilla. Crème Chantilly is often used as a topping for cakes and pastries.

Pâte à Choux: A type of dough used to make profiteroles, éclairs, and other French pastries. It is made by cooking flour, water, butter, and eggs together on the stovetop.

Sablé: A rich and buttery French shortbread cookie. The name comes from the French word for sand, describing its crumbly texture.

Gâteau: The French word for cake, encompassing a variety of sweet baked goods, from simple butter cakes to elaborate layered creations.

Ganache: A mixture of chocolate and cream used to fill or coat pastries, cakes, and truffles. Ganache can be made with dark, milk, or white chocolate and flavoured in various ways.

Bain-Marie: A water bath used to gently cook or bake delicate dishes like cheesecakes, custards, and crème anglaise. It involves placing a container of food in a larger pan of hot water to ensure even, indirect heat.

Appareil: The French term for a batter.

Beurre: Butter, a key ingredient in baking.

Farine: Flour, another essential baking ingredient.

Levure: Yeast, necessary for leavening dough and giving baked goods their rise.

Sucre: Sugar, used to sweeten and flavour baked goods.

Cuire: To bake or cook in the oven.

Mélanger: To mix or combine ingredients.

Pétrir: To knead dough, developing its structure and texture.

Four: The oven, where the magic happens and baked goods are transformed.

These terms provide a foundation for understanding French baking recipes and techniques. With these tools, you can delve into the world of French pastry and create delicious treats with confidence.

Aromatics

There are two simple rules for preparing or chopping aromatics:

• If you plan on removing the aromatics from the final dish, such as in a stock, you don't need to worry about fine chopping. Halving an onion or chopping a carrot into a few large pieces will suffice.
• If the aromatics will be a part of the final dish, you'll want to finely dice or chop them to increase the surface area, allowing for more flavour release in a shorter time, and ensuring they melt into the texture of the final dish.

For a French-inspired dish, you can use a mirepoix, which involves heating butter or olive oil and then adding diced onions, carrots, and celery. You can also add herbs such as parsley, thyme, bay leaves, or Herbs de Provence to enhance the flavour.

French bread

Ingredients

The primary ingredients for French bread are:

• Flour (all-purpose or bread flour)
• Water (warm)
• Yeast (instant or active dry yeast)
• Salt
• Sugar
• Oil (olive, canola, vegetable, or avocado)

Method

Making the Dough

Rising the Dough

There are two methods for letting the dough rise:

• Using a Mixer: Cover the bowl with a lid or towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then, turn on the mixer for about 10 seconds to stir the dough. Repeat this "rest and stir" cycle five more times.
• Transferring to a Bowl: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, which usually takes about an hour.

Shaping the Loaves

Scoring the Dough

Scoring the dough, also known as slashing or gashing, helps the bread rise better and prevents unexpected cracks. Use a bread lame, a sharp razor blade, or an extremely sharp knife for this step. You can score the bread before or after the final rise, but be careful not to deflate the risen dough.

Baking Tips

For a delicious golden crust, toss 3-4 ice cubes onto the bottom of the oven just before putting the bread in. The steam created will lightly crisp up the outer crust during baking. If you want an even deeper golden crust, try increasing the oven temperature by 25 degrees or moving the oven rack up one position.

Variations and Serving Suggestions

• Serve it with softened butter, honey, or strawberry jam for a classic combination.
• Make French bread pizza, stuffed French bread, or garlic bread for a tasty treat.
• Use it to make classic bruschetta or bruschetta caprese for an appetiser.
• Pair it with a bowl of warm soup, such as lasagna soup or corn chowder, for a comforting meal.
• Try making French toast, bread pudding, or croutons with day-old French bread.

French pastries

Macarons

Considered the jewel of French pastries, macarons are sweet, delicate, and light. They are meringue-based confections made from ground almonds, egg whites, and sugar, often sandwiched with a ganache filling. Macarons can be painted with edible shimmering dust for a festive touch. They are best served at room temperature to enjoy the full range of flavours and textures.

Pain au Chocolat

Also known as a chocolate croissant, this pastry ensures chocolate in every bite. It is a flaky viennoiserie sweet roll, a type of baked good that also includes croissants.

Éclairs

Éclairs are cream-filled pastries, typically made with an eggy pâte à choux dough. They can be filled with a variety of creams, such as vanilla custard or chocolate cream, and topped with chocolate frosting.

Mille-feuille

The mille-feuille, also known as a Napoleon, is a French pastry consisting of three layers of puff pastry alternating with two layers of crème pâtissière (pastry cream). It is a classic dessert that requires careful assembly to create its signature layered appearance.

Madeleines

Madeleines are small sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape, baked in a special madeleine pan. They are traditionally orange-flavoured, incorporating orange zest in the batter, but can also be infused with other flavours such as jasmine tea.

Croissants

A classic French pastry, croissants are flaky, crescent-shaped pastries made with a yeasted dough that is enriched with butter and eggs, and sometimes milk. The dough is layered and folded multiple times to create a light and airy texture.

Kouign-Amann

Kouign-amann is a sweet and flaky pastry from Brittany, in northwestern France. It is similar to a croissant, but with the addition of sugar, which creates crisp, golden caramelized bits. The dough is folded with butter, which melts and browns during baking, producing a dreamy aroma.

Gougères

Gougères are savoury pastries made from pâte à choux dough mixed with shredded cheese and baked into crisp, airy pockets. They can be served as an appetiser or a side dish and are a delicious way to incorporate cheese into a pastry.

Tarte Tatin

An upside-down fruit tart, the Tarte Tatin is a classic French dessert. The fruit, typically apples, are caramelised in butter and sugar before the tart is baked, creating a sticky and delicious treat.

Crème Brûlée

A custard dessert with a hard caramel top, crème brûlée is a French classic. The custard base is typically flavoured with vanilla and baked in a water bath to ensure a smooth and creamy texture. The caramelised sugar topping adds a contrast of texture and flavour.

These are just a few examples of the diverse and delectable world of French pastries. Each pastry has its unique characteristics, flavours, and techniques, contributing to the rich and indulgent experience of French pâtisserie.

French-inspired dishes

Master the Mirepoix: The holy trinity of French cooking is the mirepoix, a flavour base made by heating butter or olive oil and adding diced onions, carrots, and celery. This simple combination packs a punch and serves as the foundation for countless French dishes. The ratio is typically 2 parts onion to 1 part each of carrot and celery, but feel free to experiment! Adding herbs like parsley, thyme, bay leaves, or Herbs de Provence enhances the aroma and flavour.

Understand Apparatus: In French baking, "appareil" refers to the batter. It is essential to understand the different types of batters and how they contribute to the final product. From fluffy génoise sponges to dense financiers, each batter has its unique characteristics and usage.

Explore French Pastry: French pastries, such as croissants, brioche, and madeleines, are renowned worldwide for their flakiness, buttery flavour, and delicate texture. To create these delights, one must master the art of laminated dough, as in croissants, or the proper technique for mixing and baking, as in madeleines.

Use French Baking Techniques: French baking has specific techniques like "blanchir", which means to whisk eggs or yolks with sugar until pale and creamy, preventing the yolks from cooking and ensuring a smooth pastry cream. Another technique is "fonçage", which involves lining a tart pan with dough, creating a delicate base for your fillings.

Discover French Flavours: French cuisine boasts a plethora of unique flavours, such as cassis (black currant), crème fraîche, and levain (sourdough starter). Incorporating these ingredients adds a distinct French touch to your dishes. Crème fraîche, for example, brings acidity and richness to cakes and muffins, while cassis lends a European flavour to baked goods.

Frequently asked questions