Lesson 1Balancing flavours and acidity: using citrus, vanilla, nuts, coffee, and alcohol with right amountsLearn to balance sweetness with acidity, bitterness, and aroma using citrus, vanilla, nuts, coffee, and alcohol. Find out proper amounts, infusion ways, and how flavours change during baking and storage to make tasty pastries.
Using citrus zest, juice, and confitWorking with vanilla beans and extractsToasting and grinding nuts for flavorCoffee infusions and reductionsAlcohol, liqueurs, and burn-off timingLesson 2Ingredients: role of different flour types, butter (water content), eggs, sugar, milk, cream, starches, and raising agentsLook at the job of each main pastry ingredient: flours, fats, eggs, sugars, dairy, starches, and raising agents. Learn how their qualities affect structure, softness, colour, and shelf life in French pastries for better results.
Flour types, protein, and ash contentButter quality, fat, and water contentEggs for structure, richness, and colorSugars for sweetness and browningStarches and chemical leaveners in pastryLesson 3Cooking with dairy and eggs: pasteurising, tempering, stopping curdling, basics of custard and crème anglaiseLearn how dairy and eggs act under heat, how to pasteurise safely, temper without scrambling, stop curdling, and make smooth, stable custards and crème anglaise for classic French sweets that impress.
Pasteurizing milk, cream, and egg basesTempering eggs without scramblingRecognizing and preventing curdlingStarch-thickened vs egg-only custardsCrème anglaise texture and nappe testsLesson 4Food safety and awareness of allergens in pastry ingredients and fillingsUnderstand main food safety risks in pastry, right storage for dairy, eggs, and fruit, and how to handle allergens like gluten, nuts, dairy, and eggs when planning, labelling, and making pastries safely.
Time and temperature danger zonesSafe cooling and storage of fillingsPreventing cross-contaminationManaging major pastry allergensLabeling, disclosure, and guest communicationLesson 5Chocolate and ganache: basic tempering, ratios for ganache (pouring, piping, coating), stopping bloomGet confident with handling chocolate and ganache. Learn basic tempering steps, how to avoid bloom, and adjust ganache ratios for pouring, piping, covering, and whipped fillings to perfect your work.
Types of couverture and cocoa contentSeeding method for temperingRecognizing and preventing bloomGanache ratios for different usesEmulsifying and rescuing split ganacheLesson 6Science of textures: controlling gluten growth, hydration, stability of creams and mousses, crisp vs flakyFind out how gluten, fats, and hydration shape pastry textures, from flaky to soft. Learn to stabilise creams and mousses, control weeping, and keep crispness in tarts, puff pastry, and decorations nicely.
Gluten development and inhibitionHydration levels in doughs and battersStabilizers for creams and moussesPreventing weeping and syneresisMaintaining crispness and flakinessLesson 7Overview of classic pastry types: laminated, choux, custard, pâte sucrée/pâte sablée, puff pastry kindsLook over the main French pastry groups, including laminated doughs, choux, custard items, and sweet tart doughs. Understand their builds, methods, and how they form bases for classic sweets you enjoy.
Laminated doughs and puff pastryChoux pastry and steam leaveningCustard-based tarts and flansPâte sucrée and pâte sablée usesViennoiserie vs dessert pastriesLesson 8Sugar work and syrups: isomalt vs sugar, simple syrup, stages of sugar cooking and use in glazes and caramelStudy how sugar and isomalt behave, from simple syrup to hard crack. Learn sugar cooking stages, control of crystals, and apply syrups and caramel in glazes, spun sugar, and decorations beautifully.
Simple syrup strengths and usesSugar cooking stages and testsPreventing and fixing crystallizationIsomalt vs sucrose in decorationsCaramel, glazes, and poured sugar
