PEK Academy
Techniques for core dough types, including gluten development, resting, stretching, fat handling and texture.
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Core guide
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 slightly more…
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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.
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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…
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Shortcrust and strudel dough need opposite gluten strategies. Limit gluten in shortcrust; develop it in strudel dough through kneading, hydration and resting.
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.
Butter, oil, and lard are not direct substitutes in baking. Butter is a plastic emulsion that can cream and laminate; oil stays liquid and often keeps crumb softer; lard is nearly pure plastic fat that can…