PEK Academy
Practical and technical guidance on doughs, bread, cakes, creams, pastries and baking processes, with emphasis on structure, temperature, moisture, time and reliable results.
All content
For many cakes, muffins and similar batters, 75–80 g neutral oil per 100 g butter is a useful starting range. In recipes based on creaming butter or solid-fat layering, start with a partial substitution.
For instant yeast, a useful general starting point is fresh yeast × 0.33. For active dry yeast, a professional guideline is about fresh yeast × 0.40.
The gluten network forms when wheat proteins hydrate and connect into a viscoelastic structure; mixing, stretching and time then reorganise and develop that structure.
Dough does not always need more flour when it is difficult to roll. Treat local sticking with a very light dusting and frequent lifting; chill shiny, soft fat-rich dough; let very cold shortcrust become…
For smooth mascarpone frosting, keep the mascarpone and cream cold, briefly loosen the mascarpone first, then add the cream gradually and stop whipping while the frosting still has a satin sheen and a stable…
Make puff pastry by enclosing pliable butter in a base dough, rolling and folding the packet repeatedly, and chilling between turns according to its condition.
Mini tart shells usually crack because the dough is too cold to bend, is stretched while lining the mould, becomes too thin at the base-to-wall corner, or is not fully stabilized before baking.
Start with 500 g wheat flour, 350 g water, 10 g salt, and 5 g instant yeast. Hold back some water with unfamiliar flour, build dough strength, end fermentation by visible progress, use steam early and a dry…
Shortcrust and strudel dough need opposite gluten strategies. Limit gluten in shortcrust; develop it in strudel dough through kneading, hydration and resting.
Chill the dough for 2–3 hours, portion equal balls, coat first in granulated sugar and then heavily in confectioners’ sugar, and bake only until the edges are set while the center remains soft.
For a dense filling, cold mascarpone, sifted powdered sugar, and flavoring are enough.
First identify what the egg is doing in that recipe: binding, emulsifying, foaming, adding moisture, setting with heat or helping the surface brown.
Manage moisture in two phases. Early in the bake, keep the surface humid enough that the crust does not set before oven spring is largely complete. Then vent the steam and finish in a drier oven.
Diagnose a soggy bottom in this order: shell → filling → heat transfer → dough formula. The blind-baked base should be dry and lightly golden, while wet ingredients should be cooked and drained before filling.