A little sugar anyway
I'm coming back to something I've already told you about, but which focused on brioche dough, so I'll try to generalize about these doughs, which are generally sweet, but can also be used in savory recipes.
4,088 5/5 (15 reviews)
Keywords for this post:SugarDoughColoringBakingGoldenLast modified on: November 14th 2020
A little sugar anyway
If you're making a tart or a tartelette, you're almost certainly going to use shortcrust pastry. For a dessert, it's very classic (and delicious), but what about for something savory: a quiche or a tourte, for example?
In that case, you'd be better off using a much less sweet shortcrust pastry to line your mold(s).
Less sweet (20 g vs. 110 g for 500 g flour), but still sweet, wouldn't it be worth doing away with sugar altogether?
The small amount of sugar won't affect the taste (so your quiche won't be sweet, phew), but it will affect the coloring of the pastry, bringing about a beautiful browning at the end of cooking. This browning is due to the caramelization of the sugar during cooking, the famous Maillard reaction.
Put another way, if you don't put that little bit of sugar in, your tart/quiche/tart, or rather its pastry, will remain a little whitish, dull, and therefore sadly unappetizing.
This small amount of sugar (5% of the weight of flour), which you can't taste, but which affects the coloring, is found in almost all doughs that you want to be golden-brown: shortcrust, deep-drawn, pizza, nacho, etc., and you shouldn't eliminate it thinking it's useless.
To sum up: you always need a little sugar in a flour-based dough intended for a savoury recipe, for the sake of beautiful colouring when cooked.
In that case, you'd be better off using a much less sweet shortcrust pastry to line your mold(s).
Less sweet (20 g vs. 110 g for 500 g flour), but still sweet, wouldn't it be worth doing away with sugar altogether?
The small amount of sugar won't affect the taste (so your quiche won't be sweet, phew), but it will affect the coloring of the pastry, bringing about a beautiful browning at the end of cooking. This browning is due to the caramelization of the sugar during cooking, the famous Maillard reaction.
Put another way, if you don't put that little bit of sugar in, your tart/quiche/tart, or rather its pastry, will remain a little whitish, dull, and therefore sadly unappetizing.
This small amount of sugar (5% of the weight of flour), which you can't taste, but which affects the coloring, is found in almost all doughs that you want to be golden-brown: shortcrust, deep-drawn, pizza, nacho, etc., and you shouldn't eliminate it thinking it's useless.
To sum up: you always need a little sugar in a flour-based dough intended for a savoury recipe, for the sake of beautiful colouring when cooked.
Lasts posts
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 20251,912
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20242,2215
The little trap of thick cream
When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...December 13th 20242,9755
Sauce and salad: When and how to mix them?
When dressing a salad, there's a kind of golden rule: add the dressing very shortly before serving, especially if your salad contains crunchy elements such as croutons or fresh vegetables, which will retain their crunchiness or crispiness. But, as is often the case in the kitchen, there are...November 29th 20243,1605
No need to boil gelatin
Gelatin is a magical ingredient for making light, creamy, structured desserts, yet it's often misused in the kitchen. A common mistake in some recipes is the idea that it needs to be boiled for it to work properly, but this is a mistake indeed: gelatin melts at a much lower temperature, around...November 21th 20242,9645
Other pages you may also like
Raising (or leavening) agents
When we want to make a dough or batter rise when baking, either in patisserie or bread-making, we need to use a raising agent or leavening agent, one of which is called leaven. In the context of baking, a raising agent is simply what "makes something rise". It is a substance which, when added to...June 16th 202153 K4.8
Perpetual stock
It's something you have probably have done yourself: cooked or pre-cooked vegetables before adding them to a recipe. This is almost always done the same way: peel the chosen vegetables (carrots, for example), cut them up, boil them in salted water (using a tablespoon or so of coarse salt per litre),...November 22th 201626 K5
Fats for cooking
If you need to fry or sear anything a frying pan or saucepan, the temperature is likely to be high. In particular, I have cooking red meat in mind. In this case, what should fat should we use? And at what temperature?January 23th 201818 K5
For well opened (puffed) cakes
It's always nice to have a well puffed up cake after baking, not only will it taste good but it looks great too. Let's see how to get this beautiful shape almost every time.January 23th 201929 K4.2
Chive flowers
Did you know that? Chive flowers are not only a beautiful purple color, but they are also edible and delicious.May 29th 201944 K4.4
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.