Egg Tart in Puff Pastry 酥皮蛋撻

Egg tart is one of my all time favorite pastries. It is best to have it right out of the oven (maybe after a few minutes to cool ^_^). The egg custard is sweet and soft while the crust is buttery and crisp. I prefer puff pastry crust to cookie crust. Those layers of crust are just superb and irresistible. The way to make the crust is the same as other puff pastries in which a slab of butter is sandwiched in between a dough and rolled out. But for this type of crust, the slab of butter is mixed with some flour before rolling out with the flour dough.

The traditional method uses lard exclusively to achieve the flakiness. As a home baker, I prefer to have butter. This is the advantage of the DIY method. I have total control of what to use in the kitchen for the benefit of my loved ones.

I have tried out different recipes and baking temperatures to perfect it. Hope you like this one !

Ingredients for making eight to ten 7cm or 2¾ inches tarts

"water" dough:
75g unbleached all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
30g water

"oil" dough:
100g unsalted butter
75g unbleached all-purpose

egg custard filling:
60g sugar
60g water
2 large eggs
40g milk
                 
1)  Make the water dough by mixing all the water dough ingredients and knead a few minutes until smooth. Wrap and let it relax for 20 minutes.
2)  Make the oil dough by mixing the butter and flour into a ball. Wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3)  Roll out the water dough into a rectangle. Roll out the oil dough into a square so that when it is put on the water dough, it can be sandwiched.
4)  Wrap the oil dough with the water dough so that the oil dough is completely enveloped by the water dough. Fold the dough together and roll out again into a rectangle. Put the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
5)  Take out the dough and repeat step 4 two more times with resting in between.
6)  Roll out the final dough to about 3-4mm thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out a size bigger than the mold. Carefully and firmly press the dough onto the mold with no air pockets. Put to the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
7)  To make the egg custard, melt sugar in the milk and water mixture. Beat the eggs slightly and pour in the sugar mixture and strain. Pour into the prepared mold to 70% full. Do not overfill.
8)  Put the tarts on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 400⁰F for 12-15 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350⁰F for another 10-12 minutes.

Notes:
1)  The resting time between rolling is to let the dough's gluten to relax, otherwise it will shrink back as you roll. For best result, let it rest longer than 15 minutes.
2)  Take time to carefully roll out the dough. If there are air pockets inside the dough, use a toothpick to pop them.
3)  Do not overfill the mold. It will expand in the oven and spill over if you do.
4)  Every oven is different. Watch the tarts while they are baking. Do not over-bake.
5)  Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar in the custard to your liking.

酥皮蛋撻

酥皮蛋撻是我的至愛甜品之一,新鮮出爐的蛋撻更是難以抗拒(要待凉幾分鐘^_^)。幼滑的蛋加上香脆多層的餅皮,實在是極品。比較起兩種餅皮:曲奇及酥皮,我喜歡酥皮多些,雖然比較難做,但是值得的。傳统的做法是用豬油,但為了家人健康着想,我改用牛油。這便是自己親身動手入厨的好處,自己可以完全選擇用料。

我試做過幾個不同食譜及爐温,以下這個食譜我覺得最好。希望你會喜歡!

此食譜可以做八至十個七厘米/二又四分三吋小撻

水皮:                                                               

75g  中筋麵粉                                                   

一隻 蛋黃                 

30g  水                                                                               

                                                                               

油皮:

100g 牛油

75g 中筋麵粉

蛋液:

二隻 大蛋

60g 糖

60g 水

40g 牛奶

1)  先做水皮: 將所有水皮材料拌勻,略搓成光滑麵糰,包上保鮮紙,靜待二十分鐘。

2)  做油皮:將牛油與麵粉搓勻,包上保鮮紙,放入雪柜二十分鐘。

3)  枱上撒些少麵粉,將水皮捍成長方形,放上已壓平的油皮,然後用水皮腹蓋油皮,一同壓平成長方形,兩邊向中間摺起,然後再壓平成長方形,再放雪柜十五分鐘。

4)  重復以上步驟二次。最後捍成三至四毫米厚,用模具壓出酥皮,撒上少許粉,壓緊於模上,放雪柜十五至二十分鐘。

5)  做蛋液:水加奶及糖加熱至糖溶,待凉,加入已打散之蛋液,隔篩備用。

6)  預熱焗爐至400⁰F,小心將蛋液加入模具至七成滿,焗大約十二至十五分鐘,然後轉至350⁰F再焗十至十二分鐘便成。

注意事項:

1)  麵糰每次放雪柜的時間是讓它鬆弛,不然它會回縮,不易捍。

2)  在捍麵糰時不要心急,要小心慢慢捍,如有氣泡要用牙簽戳破。

3)  蛋液千萬不能放太滿,因焗時會膨脹滿溢。

4)  每個焗爐都不同,焗時要留意,避免過熟。

5)  可以根據自己的口味隨意調整糖的份量。