Every wondered why some pastries melt in your mouth while others turn into tough, chewy disasters? The secret lies in one magical ingredient: butter. Here are the butter basics you need to understand in order to make your pastries perfection!

The butters soul

When it comes to pastry, not all butters are created equally. You want butter with at least 82% fat content. Why? Because more fat means more flavour and a richer, flakier texture. It’s like the soul of your pastry- more fat, more fabulous!

Keep it cool

Butter temperature is key. For those delicate layers in your puff pastry or in your croissant, your butter needs to be cool but pliable. If your making short crust pastry, keep that butter cold straight from the fridge. This keeps the pastry crumbly and tender.

Less is more

Less water in your butter means a better pastry. High water content can make the dough too wet, leading to gluten development and tough pastries. Choosing a butter with a lower water content to keep things light and flaky.

The stretch factor

Plasticity is vital in butter used on an industrial line, good bakery butter should be flexible enough to hold its shape. This plasticity ensures even layers in laminated doughs and a perfect bite in every pastry

Until next time, keep it buttery, and bake on!