What is the difference between puff, shortcrust and filo pastry?
These three pastry types are all delicious, and all very different. Puff pastry is a light and flaky pastry that is perfect for pies, pastries and tarts. Shortcrust pastry is a thicker pastry with a crumblier texture that makes a great base for pies, quiches, and tarts with wet fillings. Filo pastry is a very thin pastry made up of lots of layers that is crunchy when cooked and ideal for light fillings, like spinach or goat's cheese.
Puff Pastry Tarts: Showstopping Mains
Four Seasons Pizza Puff Pastry Tart
Quick, easy and a whole lot of fun, this pizza tart recipe can be tweaked to include everyone’s favourite toppings – what better way to guarantee smiles at the dinner table?
Difficulty: Easy
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 x 320g Jus-Rol Puff Pastry Sheet
4 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp olive oil
2tsp dried oregano
Your favourite pizza toppings, such as parma ham, olives, chilli, rocket, basil, etc.
100g grated mozzarella
Basil, to serve
Equipment:
Sharp knife
Big baking tray
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) Gas Mark 6.
- Unroll the pastry on top of a baking sheet, and slice a 1cm ribbon of pastry from one end, and one side. Score a 1cm border around the new pastry edges, then prick all over the middle with a fork. Mash together the tomato purée, olive oil, dried oregano and 1 tbsp water with some pepper, then spread over the inside of the border. Use the two strips of pastry you cut off to make a cross that sits across the middle of the pastry. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Scatter each quarter with different pizza toppings – or get your family to each make their own quarter using their favourite flavours.
- Sprinkle mozzarella all over the top, then bake for a further 15 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Serve straightaway, scattering some basil leaves over the Parma ham, if using.
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How do I stop puff pastry from going soggy?
For a flaky tart without a soggy bottom, brush a layer of egg white on the pastry before adding your filling. This creates a barrier to stop liquid soaking into your pastry.
Does puff pastry need to be egg washed?
You don’t have to coat your pastry with an egg wash before baking, but it does give your tart a nice, glossy finish. An egg wash can also be great for sealing up sausage rolls or individual pasties. Out of eggs? Oil, butter or honey can be swapped in.
Puff Pastry Tarts: Delicious Desserts
Manchester Tart
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Banana & Salted Caramel Tarte Tatin
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Is puff pastry gluten free?
While puff pastry isn’t normally gluten free, there are alternatives made with different types of flour. Our gluten free puff pastry makes it easy to bake tarts, pies and pastries without the gluten.
Why didn’t my puff pastry rise?
When puff pastry doesn’t rise, oven temperature is normally to blame. For puff pastry, you want your oven preheated to at least 220°C (200°C for fan assisted ovens) /Gas Mark 7, unless your recipe says otherwise.
More Jaw-Dropping Desserts
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Pear & Ginger Marmalade Puff Tart
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How do I store puff pastry?
Uncooked puff pastry can last up to three days in the fridge, as long as you seal it up in a container or cling film. If you’ve chosen Jus-Rol pastry, you’ll see a best before date on your chilled pastry packaging. Puff pastry is also suitable for freezing. Defrost in the fridge overnight or for about two hours at room temperature. You can also freeze your pies or pastries before baking, perfect if you want to prep ahead of time.
Do I need to blind bake puff pastry for a tart?
Blind baking is one way to avoid pies with a soggy bottom and is recommended for shortcrust pastry. For puff pastry, you can normally skip the blind baking part by using an egg wash as a barrier between your pastry and filing or using a fork to prick the areas of pastry that you don’t want to rise.