Ingredients

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Levadura.

What is understood by pastry products?

According to the technical-sanitary regulations (RTS) "Pastry products are deemed to be food preparations made basically with fermented, cooked or fried edible flour dough to which other foods, bakery complements and/or authorised additives may or may not be added".

Pastry types and varieties

Ordinary pastry

Ordinary pastry products are items in various shapes and sizes with no filling or garnish.

Filled or garnished pastry

Items of various shapes, sizes, composition and finish, filled or garnished before or after cooking or frying. They may include different types of fruit and sweet or savoury preparations: creams, fillings of all types, patisserie products, chocolates, pickles, charcuterie or culinary preparations.

Ingredients used to make pastry products

Flour

The main ingredient, the support on which the other ingredients act. Thanks to the gluten, it gives structure to the bread.

Water

Water hydrates, dissolves, activates and mixes the other ingredients, hydrating the starch which, along with the gluten, results in the smoothness and elasticity of the dough. Together with the temperature, it activates and disperses the yeast, dissolving salts and added sugars, combining the flour proteins (gliadin and glutenin) responsible for creating volume. Water provides the dough’s plasticity and extendibility properties.

Yeast

Yeast provides flavour, colour, aroma, sponginess and volume to the dough, thanks to the process of transforming the sugars into CO2, alcohol, lactic acid…

Salt

The salt orders and regulates even fermentation, reducing the activity of the yeast and influencing the durability of the end product. It enhances flavour and colour and strengthens the gluten, allowing the dough to retain water and gas during fermentation; it enhances crust colouring and gives it a more attractive appearance.

Sugar

The yeast’s nutrient. By caramelising, it gives colour to the end product and is the ingredient which gives pastry its characteristic sweet flavour.

Others

Fats, milk, cereals... These are used with increasing frequency in bakery. Fat is used as a natural preservative, slowing hardening and enhancing the characteristics of the dough. Over-use of fat causes loss of volume and a fatty texture and taste.

Milk, usually employed in powdered form, gives the bread a rich golden colour during baking, improving its appearance. It also helps to form a fine crust because it captures and retains humidity, improving the pastry’s conservation, flavour and aroma.