Recipes — Sugar by Sarah (2024)

For the Pastry

• 1 ¾ cups (250g) all purpose flour
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 ¼ cups (250g) unsalted butter (high fat)
• 3/4 cup very cold water

For the Pastries

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Pastry cream
• Optional: fresh fruit/berries
• 2-3 tablespoons melted butter

1. Grate the butter and freeze.
2. Meanwhile, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Toss in the grated butter, incorporating fully into the flour.
3. Make a well in the bowl and pour in about two-thirds of the cold water, mixing until you have a firm rough dough adding extra water if needed. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 20 mins in the fridge.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead gently and form into a smooth rectangle. Roll the dough in one direction only, until 3 times the width, about 8 x 20 inches. Keep edges straight and even. Don’t overwork the butter streaks; you should have a marbled effect.
5. Fold the top third down to the center, then the bottom third up and over that, like a letter. Give the dough a quarter turn (to the left or right) and roll out again to three times the length. Fold as before, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 mins before rolling to use.
6. Preheat oven to 400F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Cut pastry in half. Keep unused half in refrigerator.
8. Dust work surface with sugar. Roll out pastry into rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle more sugar on top. Roll right side to center. Roll left side to center. Press together, wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes.
9. Slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Sprinkle work surface and top of cookie and roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Place on lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between cookies. Bake for 10-15 minutes until sugar caramelizes (melts and browns somewhat).
10. Roll out second half of pastry on a lightly flour work surface to 1/4 thickness. Trim edges. Cut into squares. Shape as desired. Prick with a fork. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 or so minutes until well puffed and golden brown. Once cooled somewhat, fill with pastry cream, jam, or filling of your choice.

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for the pastry (adapted from "Pie & Pastry Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbuam)

• 1 cup water (236 g)
• ½ cup unsalted butter (113 g)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (140 g)
• 1 cup whole eggs (about 5 large eggs)

for the pastry cream

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ½ tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or Vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped)
• 6 large egg yolks (or 3 yolks + 1 whole egg for a lighter version)
• 5 oz bittersweet or dark chocolate (optional)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

for the chocolate ganache

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz chopped dark or semisweet chocolate

make the choux pastry

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicon mats.
2. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and add flour all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon vigorously until the mixture is smooth and balls up. Return to low heat and continue to stir, cooking for two minutes more.
3. Remove from heat. Transfer to a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment if desired. Let cool slightly. Then add eggs, one at a time, beating each egg in until completely incorporated before adding the next egg. Batter should be smooth and flow slowly off your spoon or beater.
4. For cream puffs: use two teaspoons to form rounded balls on the cookie sheet OR use a melon baller, OR use a piping bag fitted with a ½ inch piping tip or ½ in diameter opening cut in the bag. Use a wet finger to smooth out any points.
5. For eclairs: using a piping bag fitted with a ½ tip pipe 3-4-inch lengths, leaving 3 inches between each length.
6. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Check halfway through, if browning too fast, reduce temperature to 350F. After full 30 minutes of baking, remove tray and use a toothpick to poke a hole in each puff or éclair. Turn off oven. Return to oven and continue to dry the puffs for another 10-15 minutes.
7. Puffs should be light and hollow and crispy on the outside.

make the pastry cream

1. Combine milk & cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan. If using a vanilla bean, add vanilla bean, pod & seeds with milk. Heat over medium until just under a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, combine eggs, sugar, salt, and cornstarch and whisk until completely blended.
3. Melt chocolate in heat proof bowl, carefully in a microwave. Stir after every 30 seconds. Don't melt completely in microwave, the residual heat in the melted chocolate will melt remaining chunks as you stir. It is very easy to burn chocolate, so be careful. Once melted and smooth, set aside to cool.
4. Once milk is hot, slowly stream in about 2/3 of a cup of hot milk/cream into egg mixture while whisking continuously. This is called tempering and heats the eggs up slowly, so they do not curdle.
5. Pour egg mixture into saucepan with remaining milk/cream. Return to low/medium heat and whisk continuously until thicken to a pudding consistency. About 5 minutes.
6. Take off heat and whisk in vanilla extract and butter. Whisk in chocolate and butter under the butter is melted. Pour into a shallow dish and cover with plastic. Allow to cool completely before using.
7. If you have lumps, strain through a fine mesh sieve into your shallow dish.

make the chocolate ganache

1. Microwave Method: Combine chocolate and cream in heat proof bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute. Stir until smooth. If chocolate isn’t completely melted, return to microwave for 10 second intervals.
2. Stove top method: Heat cream in small saucepan until scalding hot (do not boil). Pour over chopped chocolate. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand for 10 minutes. Then stir gently until combined.

1/2 Inch Round Piping Tip

Fine Mesh Sieve Set

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For the Flaky Pastry

• 4 cups (560 g) all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)
• 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 1 1/2 cups (340 g) unsalted butter, very cold
• 3/4-1 cup cold water
• 1 tsp cider vinegar (optional)

For the filling

• 24 oz blackberries or blueberries
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup sugar

Make the pastry

1. Grate your frozen butter on the large side of a box grater and hold in the refrigerator or freezer.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt until well mixed.
3. Add cold butter and toss with flour. Using your hands, break down pieces of butter by rubbing them into the flour until your mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
4. Add 1⁄2 cup cold water and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hand until a rough dough is formed. Add additional water as need, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have few to no dry bits of dough.
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead briefly just until a cohesive dough is formed. Flatten into a rectangle and fold. Repeat fold 2 more times.
6. Divide into two equal pieces, flatten to about 1 1⁄2 inch thickness, wrap with plastic and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 400F. Cover a baking stone or sheet pan in foil and place in oven, with rack set to bottom third position.
8. After dough as chilled, dust work surface with flour and roll one disk of dough to about 1/8-1/4 inch thickness, taking care to lift the dough and redust underneath to prevent sticking. Always roll from the middle out to the edge, stopping right before the edge.
9. Easy crust into pie pan, making sure not to stretch the dough. Trim excess. Hold in the refrigerator or freezer.

Make the filling & assemble pie

1. Wash and dry berries.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and sugar. Toss mixture with berries and lemon juice.
3. Roll out second disk of dough in the same manner as the top disk.
4. Pour berries into pie tin. Use a wet finger to moisten the edge of the bottom crust. Cover with top crust. Trim top crust. Pinch top and bottom crusts together.
5. Cut vents on top of pie. Brush all visible surfaces of with egg wash. Bake for 50-70 minutes, until berries are bubbling. A glass pan will take longer. About 40 minutes into baking, cover pie with a sheet of foil or cover edges with pie crust protector to keep edges from burning.
6. Let pie cool for at least 3 hours before cutting.

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Sweet Pastry

• 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (30g) almond flour
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup (100g) powdered sugar
• 1 egg

Filling

• 1 cup heavy cream, cold
• 1 cup pastry cream
• 1 lbs fresh berries or pitted stone fruit
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 1-2 tbsp water

Make the shell

1. In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour and almond flour.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or the bowl of a food processor, or a large bowl and a wooden spoon, beat the butter together with the powdered sugar until creamy.
3. Add the egg and beat until smooth.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix at low speed until the mixture forms a dough ball. Don't over-mix.
5. Pat the dough into a round disk, no more than 2 inches thick, wrap tightly with plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350F.
7. Remove the bottom of the tart pan and place in the middle of a large piece of parchment paper. Dust with flour. Place dough on the tart pan bottom and cover with another piece of parchment. Roll dough out into a circle about 1/8 of an inch thick between two pieces of parchment paper. Dough should extend beyond the tart pan bottom by about 1 1/2 inches.
8. Carefully remove top piece of parchment. Loosen dough from bottom parchment and carefully lift up crust while still on the tart pan bottom. Lower into tart ring. Ease edges down and press dough into the corners. Trim the top, prick all over with a fork.
9. Cover tart with large piece of parchment and fill with dried beans or pie weights (careful not so spill into the actual pastry). Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool completely.

Assemble

1. Prep fruit by slicing or peeling as necessary.
2. Whip 1 cup of heavy cream JUST until stiff peaks. Do not over whip.
3. Fold 1 cup of pastry cream into whipped cream.
4. Spoon into crust. Should reach just below the top of the tart crust. You may not use all the cream.
5. Arrange fruit on top of tart, covering cream completely.
6. Mix apricot jam with one tablespoon of water to make a thick syrup. Brush over the berries (this will preserve the berries).
7. Serve immediately.

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• 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
• 3 oz shredded gruyere (or similar firm cheese)
• ¼ cup minced chives
• Optional 4 oz crumbled bacon or chopped prosciutto
• 1 cup heavy cream, cold

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Position rack to middle and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. Cut cold butter into small cubes, toss into flour. Rub butter into flour until no large lumps remain and mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
4. Toss in cheese, chives and bacon or prosciutto, if using.
5. Add cold cream, stir with a wooden spoon hand until a rough dough is formed. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead briefly until you have a cohesive mass.
6. For triangular scones, press/roll into a rectangle, about 12 inches by 3 inches, which is about 1 1⁄4 inches thick. Cut in quarters (you should end up with 4 3x3 squares, then cut each square in half, diagonally.
7. For round scones, roll out until 1 1⁄4 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or rim of a glass to cut. Press scraps together and reroll and cut until all dough is used up.
8. Place on a lined baking pan or cookie sheet. Brush tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
9. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely before moving from tray.

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• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 tbsp sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ½ tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or Vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped)
• 6 large egg yolks (or 3 yolks + 1 whole egg for a lighter version)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1. Combine milk & cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan. If using a vanilla bean, add vanilla bean, pod & seeds with milk. Heat over medium until just under a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, combine eggs, sugar, salt, and cornstarch and whisk until completely blended.
3. Once milk is hot, slowly stream in about 2/3 of a cup of hot milk/cream into egg mixture while whisking continuously. This is called tempering and heats the eggs up slowly, so they do not curdle.
4. Pour egg mixture into saucepan with remaining milk/cream. Return to low/medium heat and whisk continuously until thicken to a pudding consistency. About 5 minutes.
5. Take off heat and whisk in vanilla extract and butter. Whisk until butter is melted. Pour into a shallow dish and cover with plastic. Allow to cool completely before using.
6. If you have lumps, strain through a fine mesh sieve into your shallow dish.

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Tag @sugarbysarah on instagram and hashtag it #bakewithsarahla