The blog of cooking-ez.com
Drawing a pattern in pastry
Often in the kitchen, in pastry-making, or in baking, we need to trace a pattern on a pastry.
It's just a question of aesthetics but it has its effect after baking on a galette, pithiviers, pâté en croute (terrine in a pie crust), etc.
It's just a question of aesthetics but it has its effect after baking on a galette, pithiviers, pâté en croute (terrine in a pie crust), etc.
26K 4.1/5 based on 26 reviews
Last modified on: May 23th 2019
Keywords for this post:PastryPatternsDrawingAestheticTracingGildingKnifeDrawing a pattern in pastry
It is not very complicated in principle, in general the dough is gilded with a brush and dorure, and then with the tip of a knife you trace the chosen pattern, before either putting it in the oven directly (puff pastry, shortcrust pastry or sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée)), or putting it in a warm place (milk rolls or croissants, ...).
It's simple in principle, but it deserves some precisions and 1 or 2 tricks, because it's easy to get it wrong.
How to do it?
First of all, we agree, you have to "gild", that is to say to pass some gilding with a brush in a fine and regular layer on the top of the dough. This is important for the colouring when baking of course, but also because by doing this you will create a colour contrast between the dough, golden, and the incisions you will make afterwards, which will show the light, non golden dough. It is this contrast that will give a beautiful pattern when baking.
Then you have to draw the pattern, usually you use a small sharp knife, and that's the trick: you mustn't use the blade of the knife normally (as if you were cutting something), but upside down, that is to say you must use the back of the blade, the one that is thicker and does not cut. And that's because you don't want to split the dough, and in the process risk going through it, but just groove it with the thick side of the knife blade.
And if possible, don't hold the knife by the handle (as on this picture), because you have too much strength and you risk to crush the dough when you should be "airy", but rather hold it by the blade, between thumb and forefinger, handle up, almost like a pen.
Once you have learned this gesture, give free rein to your creativity in terms of decoration and draw the pattern of your choice: grid, spiral, flowers, grid,...
To sum up: To trace a pattern on a pastry before baking, the best way is to use the thick side of the blade of a small knife, holding it upside down, by the blade, pinched between the thumb and the index finger.
It's simple in principle, but it deserves some precisions and 1 or 2 tricks, because it's easy to get it wrong.
How to do it?
First of all, we agree, you have to "gild", that is to say to pass some gilding with a brush in a fine and regular layer on the top of the dough. This is important for the colouring when baking of course, but also because by doing this you will create a colour contrast between the dough, golden, and the incisions you will make afterwards, which will show the light, non golden dough. It is this contrast that will give a beautiful pattern when baking.
Then you have to draw the pattern, usually you use a small sharp knife, and that's the trick: you mustn't use the blade of the knife normally (as if you were cutting something), but upside down, that is to say you must use the back of the blade, the one that is thicker and does not cut. And that's because you don't want to split the dough, and in the process risk going through it, but just groove it with the thick side of the knife blade.
And if possible, don't hold the knife by the handle (as on this picture), because you have too much strength and you risk to crush the dough when you should be "airy", but rather hold it by the blade, between thumb and forefinger, handle up, almost like a pen.
Once you have learned this gesture, give free rein to your creativity in terms of decoration and draw the pattern of your choice: grid, spiral, flowers, grid,...
To sum up: To trace a pattern on a pastry before baking, the best way is to use the thick side of the blade of a small knife, holding it upside down, by the blade, pinched between the thumb and the index finger.
Lasts posts
The different cooking modes
In cooking, cooking means bringing food into contact with a source of heat, to transform it: improving its taste, and sometimes its texture. This contact with the heat source can be achieved in a number of ways: these are the cooking methods, and let's take a look at the main ones.6025 July 24th 2024
Clean your mixer easily
If you use a "bowl" or "blender" mixer, as opposed to a plunger, you've probably noticed that it's a bit of a hassle to clean it after use. And yet, with a simple trick, it can be done very quickly. See how here.1,9395 June 26th 2024
Preserving egg yolks
If you're using only the egg whites in a recipe (such as meringues ), you'll need to store the yolks until you're ready to use them again. There's nothing very complicated about this in principle - all you have to do is chill them, but there are a few pitfalls to be avoided in practice.2,3955 June 18th 2024
Preservative oil, an asset for taste
When you prepare a dish using an ingredient that has been preserved in fat, for example a springtime mixed salad with tuna in oil or sun-dried tomatoes, you're probably going to make a french dressing (vinaigrette) next. In that case, why not use the preserved oil from the tuna or tomatoes?2,5385 June 5th 2024
Don't throw away disposable piping bags
Nowadays, it's fairly easy to find what professionals use as piping bags, i.e. disposable or "single-use" plastic ones. They're practical, functional and inexpensive, but disposable? That's debatable...3,9495 May 28th 2024
Other pages you may also like
What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?
This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .121K 14.1 February 7th 2017
Steam for baking bread
What does steam have to do with bread-making? This is not only a bakers' secret, it is something you might not think of at all: if you make bread and bake it like a cake, you will end up with bread, but pale and with a thick, hard crust – a long way from the golden-brown crusty loaf you had in...137K4.5 June 16th 2021
The window-pane test in bread-making
The home bread-makers often ask themselves “Have I kneaded my dough long enough?” . A good question, as dough that is insufficiently kneaded will not rise properly or will fall flat when the top is slashed, which is very frustrating. To know when the dough is ready, one can rely on the length...87K 23.9 June 16th 2021
A few tips for effective kneading at home
When you have to knead dough for bread or some other recipe, you may well use a food processor or the type of machine known as a stand mixer. The best-known brands are Kenwood and KitchenAid. They are useful tools, but here are a few tips to help you get the best out of them.268K 23.7 June 23th 2021
The right weight of pastry for a pie
Let's try to solve a thorny problem: How much dough will I need when I make my next pie? You're planning to make a pie, you're going to use your favourite mould or circle, but how much pastry will you need to fill it completely with a well spread pastry, without being too thin, or on the contrary...59K4.3 March 20th 2020
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.