Lesson 1Hydration, Gluten Formation and Ingredient Effects on TextureDiscover how water, milk, and other liquids combine with flour proteins and starches. Grasp gluten building, mixing approaches, and how fats, sugars, and acids alter chewiness, flakiness, and crumb in various pastry types.
Hydration and Dough ConsistencyGluten Building and ControlAutolyse, Resting, Dough RelaxationFat, Sugar, Egg Effects on GlutenMixing: Stirring, Creaming, FoldingLesson 2Ingredient Storage, Shelf Life, and Spoilage SignsLearn to store flours, fats, nuts, dairy, and raising agents securely. Understand shelf duration, rancidity, and potency loss, and spot basic spoilage indicators to ensure your pastries remain uniform, tasty, and safe to eat.
Dry Storage: Flour, Sugar, LeavenersFridge and Freezer PracticesProtecting Fats and Nuts from RancidSpotting Off Smells, Colors, TexturesLabeling, Dating, Rotation SystemsLesson 3Sugar Chemistry: Confectioners, Granulated, Invert Sugars and RolesInvestigate how various sugars act in pastry. Learn sweetness degrees, crystallization, moisture absorption, and how confectioners, granulated, brown, and invert sugars influence tenderness, color, spread, and shelf life in baked items.
Granulated, Brown, Confectioners Sugar ComparisonInvert Sugar, Glucose, Corn Syrup RolesSugar in Tenderness, Spread, MoistureCaramelization, Maillard, ColorSugar Crystallization in CandiesLesson 4Salt, Acids, Flavorings: Balancing Taste and Dough BehaviorExplore how salt, acids, and flavorings shape pastry. Learn to balance sweetness, manage gluten and browning, and build aromas with extracts, zests, spices, and infusions without overwhelming structure or texture.
Salt in Flavor and Gluten ControlAcids: Buttermilk, Yogurt, CitrusVinegar, Cream of Tartar in DoughsExtracts, Zests, Whole SpicesBalancing Sweetness, Richness, AcidityLesson 5Reading and Adapting Recipes: Yield Calculation, Unit Conversion, Ratio AdjustmentsGain assurance in reading and modifying pastry recipes. Practice understanding baker notes, calculating yields, converting units, and adjusting ratios for pan size, altitude, and texture while preserving balance.
Recipe Structure and CuesVolume to Weight ConversionYield and Pan Size AdjustmentsSugar, Fat, Liquid Ratio TweaksAltitude and Oven AdaptationsLesson 6Fat Types and Working Temperatures: Butter vs Margarine vs ShorteningCompare butter, margarine, and shortening in pastry. Learn fat content, plasticity, melting range, and flavor, and how temperature and handling impact flakiness, aeration, spread, and mouthfeel in doughs and creams.
Butter Composition, Grades, WaterMargarine, Shortening Pros ConsPlasticity, Melting, FlakinessFat Temperatures for MixingAvoiding Greasy, Dense TexturesLesson 7Dairy and Alternatives: Milk vs Cream, Stabilizers, Fat ImpactExamine dairy products and non-dairy options in pastry. Learn fat percentages, proteins, and stabilizers, and how they affect whipping, thickening, browning, and mouthfeel in creams, custards, and bakes.
Milk Types, Fat, Pastry UsesCream Types, WhippingEvaporated, Condensed, Powdered MilkNon-Dairy Milks, Vegan CreamsStabilizers, Emulsifiers, LabelsLesson 8Principles of Baker’s Percentages and Scaling RecipesMaster baker’s percentages for accurate pastry formulation. Learn to relate ingredients to flour, scale recipes, compare formulas, and fix texture by adjusting hydration, fat, and sugar.
Baker’s Percent by Flour WeightRecipe to PercentagesScaling for Batch SizeHydration, Fat, Sugar AdjustmentsComparing Dough StylesLesson 9Properties and Functions of Common Ingredients: Flours, Fats, Sugars, Eggs, Dairy, LeavenersReview main pastry ingredients and their roles. Understand how flours, fats, sugars, eggs, dairy, and leaveners provide structure, tenderness, moisture, and flavor for intentional choices and substitutions.
Flour Types, Protein, UsesFats for Tenderness, Flakiness, FlavorSugars for Sweetness, Color, MoistureEggs for Structure, Richness, GlossDairy, Leaveners in CrumbLesson 10Egg Science: Whole Eggs, Yolks, Whites — Emulsification, Structure, FoamingUnderstand whole eggs, yolks, and whites in pastry. Learn coagulation, emulsification, foaming, and how mixing, temperature, sugar affect structure in cakes, custards, meringues, enriched doughs.
Egg Composition: Whites, Yolks, WholeCoagulation Temps, Curdling PreventionEggs as Emulsifiers in Batters, CustardsWhipping Whites: Stages, StabilityEggs for Richness, Color, Shine
