Week 3: Popovers, Pate A Croissant, Pate A Brioche

I'm very sorry it's been a while since I have blogged! Yes, classes still have been going on, but Ive been more busy than I ever have been.

So week three of my baking/ pastry class consisted of Popovers, Croissants and Brioche.

The popovers were incredibly easy... I've made them at home before also. It's a family favorite for us at least.

We were able to use a popover pan which is displayed in the picture. It's almost perfectly cylinderical. Popovers, as is almost all pastry, leavened by stream. So they get really big in the over, but deflate a bit after taking them out.

I MADE CROISSANTS!


It was so neat! I never realized 1) how much WORK was involved in those little things.... and 2) how much butter! People who are self conscience about butter, I'm warning you, forever stay away from the croissants!
The process fascinated me. You had to fold butter into it multiple times before you could actually roll it out a certain way and then cut it. The tool to cut the croissants was pretty cool.

Brioche (Pate A Brioche) is something I like to describe as a cross between a popover and a croissant. The consistency and texture resembles a little of both... especially when warm!
The process and making of the brioche was also neat. There is a certain way you had to form it into a ball to make it perfectly round. It was by making an 'o' with your hand and putting it pinky down on the table with dough inside and making a circular motion. Then you needed to form it a certain way in order to get the classic Brioche shape.


Then we made typical blueberry muffins as in a "quick bread". I've made lots of "quick breads" then. Stuff like that is a regular almost in my home.
They turned out great!


Week 3 was a complete success!