Lesson 1Balancing flavours and acidity: using citrus, vanilla, nuts, coffee, and alcohol with right measuresLearn to mix sweetness with sourness, bitterness, and scents using citrus, vanilla, nuts, coffee, and alcohol. Find out proper amounts, soaking methods, and how tastes change during baking and keeping.
Using citrus peel, juice, and preservesHandling vanilla pods and essencesRoasting and milling nuts for tasteCoffee soaks and thick reductionsAlcohol, cordials, and when to burn offLesson 2Ingredients: roles of different flours, butter (water amount), eggs, sugar, milk, cream, starches, and rising agentsLook closely at each main pastry ingredient: flours, fats, eggs, sugars, dairy, starches, and rising agents. See how their qualities affect build, softness, colour, and lasting time in French pastries.
Flour kinds, protein, and ash levelsButter standard, fat, and water amountsEggs for build, richness, and hueSugars for sweet and browningStarches and chemical risers in pastryLesson 3Dairy and egg cooking: safe heating, gentle mixing, stopping curdling, basics of custard and crème anglaiseLearn how dairy and eggs act under heat, how to heat safely, mix gently without lumps, stop curdling, and perfect smooth, firm custards and crème anglaise for classic French sweets.
Heating milk, cream, and egg mixes safelyMixing eggs without scramblingSpotting and stopping curdlingStarch-thick vs egg-only custardsCrème anglaise feel and coating checksLesson 4Food safety and allergen knowledge for pastry ingredients and fillingsGrasp main pastry safety risks, right storage for dairy, eggs, and fruits, and handling allergens like gluten, nuts, dairy, and eggs when planning, marking, and making pastries.
Time and heat danger areasSafe cooling and keeping fillingsStopping cross-mixingHandling key pastry allergensMarking, sharing info, and talking to guestsLesson 5Chocolate and ganache: basic heating, mixes for ganache (pouring, piping, covering), stopping bloomBuild confidence in handling chocolate and ganache. Learn simple heating steps, how to avoid white spots, and adjust ganache mixes for pouring, piping, covering, and whipped fillings.
Kinds of chocolate covers and cocoa amountsSeed way for heatingSpotting and stopping bloomGanache mixes for various usesMixing smooth and fixing broken ganacheLesson 6Texture knowledge: controlling gluten growth, water levels, firmness of creams and mousses, crisp vs flakyFind out how gluten, fats, and water shape pastry feels, from flaky to soft. Learn to firm creams and mousses, stop leaking, and keep crisp in tarts, puff pastry, and extras.
Gluten growth and controlWater levels in doughs and mixesFirming agents for creams and moussesStopping leaking and separationKeeping crisp and flakyLesson 7Overview of classic pastry types: layered, choux, custard, sweet/short doughs, puff pastry kindsLook over main French pastry groups, including layered doughs, choux, custard items, and sweet tart doughs. Understand their builds, methods, and how they base classic sweets.
Layered doughs and puff pastryChoux pastry and steam risingCustard tarts and flansSweet and short dough usesViennoiserie vs sweet pastriesLesson 8Sugar work and syrups: isomalt vs sugar, basic syrup, sugar cooking steps and uses in glazes and caramelStudy sugar and isomalt actions, from basic syrup to hard stage. Learn sugar cooking steps, crystal control, and applying syrups and caramel in glazes, spun sugar, and decor.
Basic syrup strengths and usesSugar cooking steps and checksStopping and fixing crystalsIsomalt vs sugar in decorCaramel, glazes, and poured sugar
