When making egg yolk pastry at home, you’re bound to encounter many challenges: how to make the pastry, how to create layers, how to prepare the salted egg yolk, and why does the pastry break during baking? By focusing on four key steps, you can elevate your egg yolk pastry making skills.
What is egg yolk pastry?
Egg yolk pastry is a classic representative of Chinese mooncakes. Egg yolk pastry can be divided into three main components: the pastry, the red bean paste filling, and the salted egg yolk. Its most distinctive feature is the layered pastry.
The pastry is made from a mixture of two doughs: pastry and oil pastry. The layers are created by overlapping and blending the two doughs. The ratio of pastry to oil pastry and the baking technique also affect the apparent layering. A 5:3 ratio produces a good texture, while experienced crafters can use a 1:1 ratio for a better taste.
What is the pastry?
Oil dough is made by kneading all-purpose flour, anhydrous butter, sugar, and water. The water added during the oil dough allows the proteins in the flour to develop gluten and extensibility through the kneading process.
Puff pastry, on the other hand, is made from all-purpose flour and anhydrous butter. Since the oil dough contains no water, it lacks gluten and is primarily used to create crispness.
Anhydrous butter provides the fat in the dough, creating the crispness of the crust. Anhydrous butter or lard, two oils with a high fat content, are suitable for making puff pastry.
Anhydrous butter is animal butter that has been completely dehydrated, while lard, in addition to its high fat content, offers a rich aroma after baking. If anhydrous butter or lard is unavailable, salted butter can be used as a substitute, but the difference in fat content will result in a different crispness.
How can I create a layered crust for egg yolk pastry?
To make oil pastry, knead the oil dough and the puff pastry dough separately and allow the dough to rest until they relax before combining them.
Next, wrap the pastry dough in the dough and roll it out. Avoid excessive rolling back and forth to ensure the dough blends well while maintaining the texture. Rolling the dough, turning it straight, and then rolling and folding it are also key techniques.
Four Steps to Making Egg Yolk Pastry:
- Make the Salted Egg Yolks:
Prepare the duck egg yolks in advance and salt them. Sprinkle a little rice wine on the salted egg yolks and bake them in the oven at around 150°C for about 5-10 minutes, avoiding any oily filling.
- Make the Filling: You can purchase ready-made red bean paste or make your own filling with red beans, sugar, and oil.
- Make the Dough and Pastry
Use all-purpose flour, anhydrous butter, sugar, and water to make the dough. Knead the pastry dough using all-purpose flour and anhydrous butter. Wrap the dough in the pastry dough and roll it out.
Roll the pastry dough, turn it straight, and then press it back with a rod. Fold the dough back and forth, pressing down with your thumb.
- Wrap the filling and bake:
Wrap the baked salted egg yolk in the warmed red bean filling.
Wrap the filling in the pastry dough, place it on a lightly greased baking sheet, brush with egg yolk wash, sprinkle with black sesame seeds, and bake in a preheated oven. Alternatively, bake the mooncakes first, remove them, brush with egg yolk wash, and continue baking.
You may have encountered these problems while making egg yolk pastries. Learn the causes and try to improve them:
Why does the egg yolk pastry crust crack?
The baking temperature affects the expansion of the crust and filling. If the temperature is too high, the filling and salted egg yolk may burst and press against the crust, causing it to crack. Observe the mooncakes carefully during baking and adjust the temperature accordingly.
If you wait too long after applying the egg yolk mixture before baking, the yolk will dry out and easily cause the mooncake crust to crack during baking.
How can I apply the egg yolk mixture more smoothly?
To prevent the egg yolk mixture from being too thick and difficult to spread, add room-temperature water to the mixture and mix thoroughly. This will help the mixture spread more easily. Applying a single layer of egg yolk with a brush may be too thin. It’s recommended to apply two layers of egg yolk mixture, allowing the first layer to absorb slightly before adding the second layer, leaving a few minutes between each layer.
How can I tell if the mooncakes are done?
Cut the egg yolk pastry open and inspect it. If the center of the pastry has a half-cooked color and lacks crispy texture, it’s likely underbaked. To adjust the process, monitor the temperature and condition of the pastry during baking. After baking, let the residual heat in the oven help the mooncakes cook through.
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