Category: Cake

This was originally posted in June 2017 – I updated it in September 2019. 

There are two classic pastries, kruche and półkruche in Poland & the most difficult part is trying to get a good translation of the names.

Ciasto kruche

Ciasto is pastry and the word kruche means brittle, fragile or crumbly and ciasto kruche is often translated as shortcrust pastry – however it is quite different to British shortcrust pastry – in someways it is nearer to shortbread.

Having done a lot more research, I now think it is what is called in French – pâte sucrée.

This pastry is used to make a Polish cake called Mazurek of which there are many versions.

Ciasto półkruche

The pół part of the word półkruche means half or semi – but semi-shortcrust pastry does not really explain much!

This pastry is often used to make a Polish cake called placek  – a flat cake.

Served here on tea plates – Colclough – Enchantment 1950s – 1960s.

Both of these pastries are much richer than shortcrust pastry.

Ciasto kruche

The 4 ingredients are

• plain flour
• butter
• icing sugar and
• egg yolks (and a pinch or two of salt)

Notes

• Use a flour which is low in gluten  – a cake flour not  a bread flour.
• Butter give the best results but block  margarine can be used .
• The pastry is fragile due to its high fat content.
• Use just egg yolks (raw or hard boiled ), because the protein in the whites makes pastry tougher.
• Using cooked egg yolks gives a more  in crumbly pastry.

Ratios for kruche

• 3 flour:  2 Butter:  1 Icing sugar
• or
• 2 flour: 1 butter:  ½ – 1 Icing sugar
• Usually – 1 yolk per 100g flour
• A pinch or two of salt.

Ciasto półkruche

Here flour, butter, icing sugar and egg yolks (and a pinch or two of salt) are also used but there can be other additions such as:

• baking powder
• egg whites
• soured cream or milk,
• granulated sugar  or vanilla sugar
  .

The proportions of the main ingredients are different in that półkruche has a lower fat content than kruche.

Ratios półkruche

• 2 flour: 1 butter
• or
• 3 flour: 1 Butter

Both kruche  and  półkruche are  baked in an oven heated  at GM5 – 190°C or GM6 – 200° C,  for 20 to 25 minutes.

Ciasto kruche 1 – using raw egg yolks

Ingredients

• 340g plain flour
• 170g butter – chilled
• 100g icing sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• pinch of salt.

Method

• Add a pinch of salt to the flour.
• Use a knife to cut the chilled butter into small pieces into the flour and then use your fingers to make the mixture like breadcrumbs.
• Add the icing sugar and mix this together.
• Add the yolks and gently mix this in then and bring it all together into a dough – try and handle the pastry as little as possible.
• Wrap the dough in greaseproof paper and avoid touching the dough with warm hands, as it increases its temperature and this leads to increased use of flour.
• Once the dough has been kneaded, cool (at least 30 minutes in the centre of the refrigerator and up to 2 hours) and then roll out to the desired shape and size.

 

• Roll out the dough and shape it as required.

Note

As this dough is very crumbly – I often find I have to piece and press the dough into the cake tin.

 Ciasto kruche 2 – with cooked egg yolks

I have seen recipes using hard boiled yolks and always thought “Strange! – having tried this out – I found that this is the best pastry ever!  Delicious & crisp.

Ingredients

• 300g plain flour
• 200g butter – chilled
• 100g icing sugar
• 3 cooked egg yolks
• pinch or two of salt.

There are 2 ways of cooking the egg yolks:

1 – Hard boil the eggs for 10 minutes, allow to cool and separated the cooked yolks from the whites (this give you cooked egg whites to add to salads or similar). Use a fork to break up the yolks into very small pieces.

2 – Separate the raw yolks from the whites, then place these in a colander and cook over hot water (this gives you raw egg whites to use in other recipes).

Method

• Add a pinch of salt to the flour.
• Use a knife to cut the chilled butter into small pieces into the flour and then use your fingers to make the mixture like breadcrumbs.
• Add the icing sugar and mix this together.
• Add the broken up yolks and gently mix this in then and bring it all together into a dough – try and handle the pastry as little as possible.
• Wrap the dough in greaseproof paper and chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Ciasto półkruche -1

Ingredients

• 300g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 150g butter
• 100g icing sugar
• 1 egg & 2 yolks
• 1 – 2  tablespoons of soured cream
• pinch of salt

Method

• Add a pinch of salt and the baking powder to the flour.
• Use a knife to cut the chilled butter into small pieces into the flour and then use your fingers to make the mixture like breadcrumbs.
• Add the icing sugar and mix this together.
• Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, yolks and the soured cream and gently mix this in then and bring it all together into a soft dough
• Try and handle the pastry as little as possible.

• Because of the use of baking powder this dough is used straight away.
• I tend to flatten and shape this dough by hand rather than using a rolling pin.

Ciasto półkruche -2

• 500g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 200g butter
• 150g icing sugar
• 2 eggs & 1 yolk
• 4 -5 tablespoons of soured cream

Method

• Add a pinch of salt and the baking powder to the flour.
• Use a knife to cut the chilled butter into small pieces into the flour and then use your fingers to make the mixture like breadcrumbs.
• Add the icing sugar and mix this together.
• Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, yolk and the soured cream and gently mix this in then and bring it all together into a soft dough
• Try and handle the pastry as little as possible.

• Because of the use of baking powder this dough is used straight away.
• I tend to flatten and shape this dough by hand rather than using a rolling pin.