Baking 101: the 10 basics everyone should know

Puff pastry and pie dough

Puff pastry is a type of dough that’s made out of flour, water, salt and butter. The butter is layered into the dough, which is what gives it its characteristic flaky texture. It is used to make salty pastries, such as croissants, turnovers and quiches, or sweet desserts like pies and tarts. It’s quite complex to make at home due to the layering required, so don’t hesitate to buy readymade puff pastry.

Pie dough is a lot easier to make from scratch than puff pastry. It’s a simple dough recipe that’s made with flour, water, salt and butter (and sometimes eggs). It can be used to make tarts, pies and quiches, both salty and sweet. It’s easy and quick to make because it doesn’t require any resting time. That said, the longer you let the dough rest, the better it will taste!