Pastry Journal

How cocoa processing, acidity and leavening affect the natural colour, flavour and texture of Red Velvet cake.

A practical pastry comparison of vanilla beans, extracts, vanillin and flavour complexity.

How milk powder affects dairy flavour, browning, hydration and texture in baking.

Tempering depends on how chocolate will be used, not simply on the brand. Learn when couverture needs tempering for moulds, decorations, coatings, ganache and baking.

A pastry chef’s guide to fruit gels: how pectin, gelatin and agar differ, how acidity and fruit composition affect texture, and how to choose the right system.

Learn how citric acid is used in pastry to adjust acidity, sharpen fruit flavor and support certain gels, and why pH control matters in professional formulations.

Learn how potato starch behaves in cakes and pastry, how it differs from cereal starches, and when it can improve tenderness, structure or gluten-free formulations.

Learn what xanthan gum does in cakes and gluten-free baking, how it affects water holding and structure, and why more is not always better.

Learn how inulin affects baking formulas, including water interaction, texture, sweetness and structure—and why dosage and process matter.

Learn how pastry chefs use the term fruit confit, how sugar, acidity and pectin control texture, and how to choose a fruit layer for cakes, tarts and entremets.

Diagnose common croissant problems by symptom: flat shape, cracked surface, butter leakage, poor honeycomb, dense crumb and weak lift.

A professional guide to pâte à foncer: what the term means, why French pastry terminology varies, and how hydration, fat, resting and lining determine a clean, stable tart shell.

Understand the difference between crème anglaise and pastry cream: ingredients, thickening methods, texture, cooking and how pastry chefs use each one.

How psyllium husk affects water binding, viscosity, structure and handling in gluten-free baking, and why dosage must be tested within the full formula.

A pastry chef’s guide to choosing Valrhona chocolate by cocoa profile, sweetness, fluidity and application—from mousse and ganache to glazing and decoration.

A practical guide to panettone mixing problems: dough development, butter and sugar addition, mixer load, fermentation and temperature control.

Fondant cakes and modern pastry solve different design problems. Compare texture, sweetness, decoration, flavour structure and Tanya Novak’s no-fondant approach.

A practical guide to panna cotta texture: cream and milk balance, gelatin strength, temperature, setting and common mistakes.

Tanya Novak explains classic puff pastry as a system of dough strength, butter plasticity, layer geometry, resting and baking — and how to diagnose the failures that prevent clean lift.

Tanya Novak explains rough puff pastry as a deliberately irregular lamination system: how butter pieces, hydration, folds, resting and baking create crisp layers without classic puff pastry's enclosed butter block.

Tanya Novak explains flaky pastry as a hybrid dough: how rubbed-in fat, layered fat, hydration, folds and baking create a tender pastry with irregular, distinct flakes rather than classic puff pastry's regular lift.

A professional guide to mirror glaze: viscosity, cake temperature, bubble control, pouring technique and the most common causes of dull, thick or uneven finishes.

A professional guide to crème Chiboust: pastry cream structure, meringue integration, stabilisation, temperature compatibility and common causes of collapse or rubbery texture.

A professional guide to chocolate mousse: how chocolate, water, fat, temperature, crystallisation and aeration determine texture, stability and lightness.

My professional dark chocolate ganache recipe, with a reliable 1:1 formula by weight, progressive emulsification, texture control and troubleshooting.

A professional guide to pâte sablée: how butter, sugar, flour, eggs, mixing method, resting and baking determine friability, crispness and clean tart-shell structure.

My professional crème pâtissière recipe in grams, with the cooking method, starch science, troubleshooting, storage, and adaptations for tarts, choux and mille-feuille.

A professional guide to pâte brisée: how flour, butter, water, mixing, resting and baking create a tender shortcrust pastry for sweet and savoury tarts.

How mixing, aeration, heat and cooling determine cheesecake texture — and why a crack is usually a process symptom rather than the problem itself.

How caramelisation works, when to use wet or dry caramel and how to avoid crystallisation and burning.

A professional approach to smooth crème brûlée: custard temperature, gentle baking and the final caramel crust.

How fermentation and butter lamination work together in Danish pastry.

The essential relationship between dough strength, butter layers, proofing and baking in croissant production.

How yeast behaves in enriched and laminated pastry doughs and why temperature changes fermentation speed.

What gellan gum does in gels and fluid gels, and why its behaviour differs from gelatin and pectin.

How Pectin X58 is used in dairy-rich glazes and thermoreversible pastry preparations.

How pastry chefs use tonka bean's vanilla, almond and spice-like aroma without overwhelming a dessert.

Why gentle heat matters in baked custards and how to prevent curdling, bubbles and syneresis.

How fruit acidity, purée solids, gelatin and whipped components interact in a stable fruit mousse.

How panade drying, egg quantity and baking create hollow choux shells.