酥皮蛋撻 ( 二 ) Puff Pastry Egg Tarts ( 2 )

又雪又雨中的情人節天，倍添畫意詩情
It snowed and it rained on Valentine's Day, adding poetic drama to the romantic mood

自從我去年八月做了酥皮蛋撻之後，那食譜成為我 blog 內瀏覽頁數最多的一篇。陸續也有讀者電郵或留言問及用的麵粉可否轉換、烤爐溫度或接叠方法 ... 等等。

Ever since I made the 'Puff pastry egg tarts' in August last year, it has become the most-read post on my blog.  I've since received emails and messages from readers asking me questions concerning different types of flours, oven temperature, folding methods and so on.

要做到成功的酥皮蛋撻，酥皮的成功與否當然最為重要。

The key to making this puff pastry egg tart successfully of course relies on whether the pastry is baked successfully.

我上次食譜的做法是全用牛油作油芯；然後用水皮像包裹般把油芯包起。冷凍後取出用麵棍輾開後摺起，用 3 x 3 x 4 摺書法摺疊。這個方法我已經實習過好幾次，要做出滿意的酥皮是沒有問題的。

然而有些讀者說她們做的水皮在擀推的過程中很容易輾穿，有些牛油會被擠了出來。當有此情形發生的話，那份皮便算是不成功而不可再用下去；否則做好的後果會是又油又稔而不是又鬆又脆的撻了。

With my last recipe, the oil dough was made using butter and was wrapped inside the water dough like a parcel. I then roll it out together after chilling and fold it up again using the 3 x 3 x 4 book fold method. I've practiced that technique quite a few times so it was no problem for me to produce a good puff pastry for the egg tarts.

However some of my readers have said that their water dough was quite easily tore open during the rolling process and the butter from the oil dough escaped from inside and squeezed through. When this happens, the dough is considered a failed attempt, and should not be used any further; the finishing result would be some greasy soggy tarts instead of puffy and crunchy ones.

在作了很多試驗之後，我做出了另一個比較容易，和能夠耐得起需要的推擀而不會把牛油輾出的方法。我也繼續保持沒有加進豬板油或酥油而能令蛋撻皮鬆脆的原意。

After carrying out a lot of research and testing; I've developed another method of making puff pastry that is easier to do and is more tolerant of the rolling and stretching required to make good puff pastry. With this method I still avoid using lard and shortening to achieve the crusty and flaky texture in the pastry.

其實之前幾天我已做了一批作為我們的過年小點，好看也好吃。但老公說撻身太薄，盛不夠蛋；吃著不夠痛快。

I made some for us to have as part of our Chinese New Year celebration food the other day. They looked and tasted great, but I wanted them to look more like the shop bought ones to satisfied my husband's request.

於是我又再嘗試。今次用了容量較深做杯子蛋糕的烤盤，代替我一向以來用開可以脫底的小撻盤。結果烤好的蛋撻看去真的像極了外邊賣的模樣，皮酥脆，蛋香滑，他微笑著點頭了。不過有點要留意的就是，如果要蛋撻色澤金黃亮麗的話，一定要用質素好的走地雞蛋。看看我两批蛋撻的比較便知道了。

So I tried again, using a deep cup-cake tray to bake the egg tarts instead of the shallow, loose-bottomed tart tins I used with all my previous ones. The result was they really looked and tasted like those you bought from the bakery. He smiled, and gave me his nod of approval.This time around, I also learned that if you want to have golden-colour egg custard tarts, you have to use good quality free range eggs. They do make a great deal of difference.  You can see for yourselves from my photographs.

酥皮蛋撻 ( 二 )
( 約做 20 個 )

材料：

水皮：

• 麵粉 200g
• 牛油 75g
• 砂糖 25g
• 清水 100g

油芯：

• 麵粉 200g
• 牛油 300g

餡料：

• 沸水 200 ml
• 砂糖 100g
• 雞蛋 200 ml 
• 淡奶  evaporated milk 100 ml
• 雲呢拿香精 3/4 茶匙

Puff Pastry Egg Tart ( 2 )

Ingredients:

Water dough：

• 200g plain flour
• 75g butter
• 25g granulated sugar
• 100ml water

Oil dough：

• 200g plain flour
• 300g butter

Filling：

• 200 ml boiling water
• 100g granulated sugar
• 200ml eggs
• 100ml evaporated milk
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract 

做法：

1. 先做油芯。把油芯材料搓勻擠揑成小長方團，放在已鋪牛油紙的烤盤上，再放另一油紙在上面。滾壓成 2cm 厚的長方塊。用保鮮包好，連盤一起置冰箱內雪硬備用。

Method：

1. Make the oil dough first.  In a large bowl; incorporate all the ingredients together，then shape and form it into a small rectangular dough, and put it onto the baking tray which has already lined with parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Press and push until the dough is about 2 cm thick. Cover the whole tray with cling film and put it in the fridge to chill.     

2.  然後做水皮。水皮材料拌勻，放進攪拌器內攪至起筋，取起按揑成與油芯大小相約，鋪在

     油芯上面，用保鮮紙包好，放回冰箱內待 6-7 小時。

2. Combine ingredients from the water dough, put them in a blender to mix until it form bridges and strands, 

    then pick them up and gather together to form a dough same size as the oil dough. Place it on top of the oil   

    dough, wrap them up with cling film, and leave it in the fridge for  6-7 hours.      

3.  a ) 桌上灑粉，擀麵棍塗粉。取出粉團，預備做 3 x 3 x 4 的書轉摺叠 ( 共三轉 )。讓粉皮在室

         温靜置軟化 5-10 分鐘，在上面灑粉。首先小心用手輕推細按粉團，然後輾開成為大小約

         56 x 28 cm 的粉皮。 摺成三叠，這是第一轉 (右上)。

      b) 用捍麵棍把摺好的粉皮再推開至大約 43 x 29 cm ，再接起三叠，這是第二轉 (下圖左 

          上)。

      c) 灑些粉在麵皮上，擀麵棍塗粉，再小心輕推細按粉團，輾開成為大小約 45 x 25 cm，今

          次要把粉皮在中間對摺再對摺(下圖右下 )。這是第三轉。用保鮮紙包好，置冰箱內放一

          晚 ( 7-8 小時 )。

3. a ) Lightly flour table and rolling pin. Take the dough out, get ready to do the 3 x 3 x 4 book fold method 

        ( total of 3 turns ). Let dough soften slightly in room temperature for 5-10 minutes, flour on top slightly.

        Gently press and push the dough with your fingers, then roll the pastry out to about 56 x 28 cm. Fold

        up 1/3 then fold it up again, this is the 1st turn ( above top right ).

     b) Roll the folded pastry out to about 43 x 29 cm, then fold it up again, this is the 2nd turn. ( below top 

         left ).

     c) Lightly flour the pastry and the rolling pin, gently roll the pastry out to about 45 x 25 cm, this time fold 

         the pastry up both side 1/4 into the center, then fold it up again ( below bottom right ). This is the 3rd

         turn. Wrap the pastry up with cling film, put in the fridge and leave it overnight ( 7-8 hours ).

4.   桌上和擀棍灑粉，取出麵皮。小心推輾全塊粉皮至厚薄一致的 3 mm ( 非常重要 )！

      用比烤蛋糕盤直徑較大的圓模鈒出粉皮 -- 要用不黏底烤盤，我的是双重不黏底，可以不用

      塗油。 把鈒出粉皮底面掃去麵粉，放在鋪了牛油紙烤盤上，包保鮮紙，置冰箱內一小時。

      趁此時做餡料：用熱水把糖溶化。雞蛋打散與淡奶及雲呢拿香情發勻；待糖水完全涼去

                                   後加進蛋料中拌勻成餡料備用。

      

4.  Lightly flour table and rolling pin, take out the pastry. Carefully press, push and roll the pastry out evenly 

     until it's 3 mm all through ( very important ) ！

     Use a tart tin or mould a bit bigger then the deep hole cup-cake baking tray -- mine was double non-stick 

     baking tray, no need to butter the tin. Brush off all the flour from the cut-out  pastry, place them on a lined 

     baking tray, wrap in cling film, leave in fridge for an hour.

     Make the filling ：Dissolve the sugar with hot water. Beat eggs then add the evaporated milk and

                                     vanilla extract; add the sugared water into the egg mixture when is completely 

                                     cooled, and stir well to become the filling.

5.  一小時後，在這階段我首先只會一次烘一個撻皮，把時間和温度完全掌握到滿意了，才一

     次過把餘下撻皮放進去烘。你可從上圖的左下照片中見到我也嘗試了好幾次才找到滿意的

     效果，期間我把每次的試驗記錄下來。這時我便把餘下的撻皮輕輕按進烤盤內的洞去，然

     後置回冰箱冷放半小時才烘。

6.  預熱烤爐至 200 C/ 400 F / Gas 6  10 分鐘。把入了模的撻皮從冰箱取出，加進 70 % 蛋餡，

     不 能超過否則烘起漲時會漏到皮去。在烤爐中層烘 15 分鐘，然後降温至 180 C / 350 F /

     Gas4 烘 5 分鐘或至皮起微焦或金黃；蛋餡上漲便把烤爐門微開，繼續烘 10 分鐘左右。至

     你看見蛋餡表面已差不多熟了，取出剌進牙籤，抽出來時看到有90% 熟，便可熄火，讓蛋

     撻留在烤爐內 1 分鐘才取出。待涼一會後才分享或享用。蛋撻靜置回糖後蛋面自會呈明亮

     潤滑。所以要蛋撻好看的話，不要減少餡料中的糖份。

5.  After an hour, at this stage, I only take one tart pastry out at a time from the fridge,  to find out which

     temperature and how long does it take to bake the egg tart to the desired result that I liked - one at a

     time - so you don't need to waste the whole tray of tarts if anything goes wrong. As you can see from the 

     above bottom left photo, it took me a few attempts before I was finally happy with the time and

     temperature I used at last, and I recorded each setting I tried. Put the cut out pastries in the hole of the

     baking tray,  press them down gently, and put them back to the fridge for 1/2 hour before baking.

     

6. Preheat oven to 200 C/ 400 F / Gas6 for 10 minute. Take the tart pastries out, fill up to 70% with the egg

    filling ( don't over fill it or it will rise and spill over ). Bake in middle of oven for 15 minutes, then turn down

    to 180 C /  350F / Gas 4, bake for 5 minutes or until the side of pastries getting slightly brown and the

    egg filling are rising up; then open the oven door slightly, bake for another 10 minutes or until you can see

    the egg are getting quite cooked on top, insert a cocktail stick to the tart, when pull out if you can see the

   egg custard are 90 % cooked, turn off the oven, leave the tarts in the closed oven for 1 minute, then take

   them out and  leave them to cool down a bit before serving. The egg tarts will look nice and shiny after the

   sugar returned back to the surface, so don't reduce the sugar quantity in the ingredients of the filling.

   

蛋撻一向是中式餅食中最受歡迎的，大家都愛買回來吃。如果你跟著我的步驟去做和加以實習，不用多久，你便可以端出一盤接一盤，酥脆金黄足以令你自豪的蛋撻來了。

Egg tarts are one of our all-time favourite in Chinese bakery. We never tired of buying and eating them. If you follow my instructions step by step and practice, before long, you can bring out tray after tray of crunchy and light, golden-yellow puff pastry egg tarts. You will feel so proud.