Cooking Lessons Baking and Pastry Fundamentals 4

Question 1

What distinguishes puff pastry from a standard pie dough?

Accepted Answer

Puff pastry is laminated with butter through repeated folds to create hundreds of layers

Answer

Lamination folds a butter block into dough repeatedly, producing many thin layers that puff with steam.

Question 2

Why do choux pastry shells like éclairs puff up hollow without any leavening agent?

Accepted Answer

High moisture in the dough turns to steam and inflates the shell

Answer

Choux dough is very wet, and the steam generated in a hot oven inflates the pastry before the structure sets.

Question 3

A batch of cookies spreads into flat puddles. Which fix is most effective?

Accepted Answer

Chill the dough before baking to firm the butter

Answer

Chilled dough holds its shape longer in the oven because the butter melts more slowly.

Question 4

What does 'proofing' mean in yeast baking?

Accepted Answer

Letting shaped dough rise a final time before baking

Answer

Proofing is the final fermentation of shaped dough that builds volume before it goes in the oven.

Question 5

Which sign indicates that a custard like crème anglaise is properly cooked?

Accepted Answer

It coats the back of a spoon and holds a line drawn through it

Answer

Crème anglaise is done at the nappe stage, around 170-180°F, when it evenly coats a spoon; boiling would curdle it.

Cooking Lessons Practice Test