Pastel de Nata: Homemade Portuguese Custard Tart Recipe

Directions

• Pastry Directions
• Using your fingers, quickly mix the flour, water and salt in a bowl, until it starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl. You can also use a mixer with a dough hook attached to it. This initial dough should be very similar to a sticky wet bread dough.
• Using a dough scraper or spatula, transfer the dough to a clean floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on top, then wrap it in cling film. Let it rest for 15 minutes on the counter.
• Add more flour to the surface, make sure you have plenty of workspace. Dust a rolling pin with some flour, then roll the dough into a 45 cm square. Brush any flour excess off the dough. Spread 1/3 of the butter on top of 2/3 of the dough surface. Leave a little border so when you laminate the butter won’t be squeezed out.
• Carefully fold the unbuttered third of dough over the middle third. Use a dough scrapper to loosen it if it sticks, again brush off any excessive flour from the dough. Fold the remaining third on top of the rest of the dough.
• Rotate the dough 90 degrees to the left so the last fold is facing you. Repeat the rolling process to an approximate 45cm square. Once again, spread another 1/3 of the butter on top of 2/3 of the dough even. Repeat the folding process as above.
• For the final layer, turn the dough 90 degrees to the left and this time roll out the dough to a 50x45cm rectangle. With the shorter side facing you, spread the remaining butter over the entire surface of the dough this time.
• Using our dough scrapper, lift the edge of the dough and while scraping and brushing the excessive flour, roll the dough very tightly. The result should be a tightly rolled pastry log. Trim the ends and wrap it in cling film and chill it for at least 3 hours or ideally, overnight.
• Custard Directions
• Whisk together in a large bowl the flour and 50ml of milk until smooth.
• In a small pan, combine the caster sugar, cinnamon stick and the water. Bring it to a boil and cook until it reaches 100C degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, dip a spoon into your syrup and lift it, a large drop is supposed to form and as if falls it should leave a short thin string behind. Do not stir the syrup, we don´t want any crystallization.
• Meanwhile, in another pan, bring the remaining milk to a boil. Once boiled, remove it from the heat, add the vanilla and lemon zests and cover it with a lid to infuse for a minute or two. Pour it into the flour and milk mixture.
• In a thin stream, pour the sugar syrup into our infused milk mixture. Remove the cinnamon stick and stir it until it cools slightly. Add in the egg yolks and whisk, strain the mixture into a jug, cover it and set it aside.
• Assembling the Pastéis
• Pre heat your oven to 290°C if you can, if not, set to the hottest temperature that your oven reaches.
• Take the pastry log from the fridge, and with a sharp knife cut it in half. Divide each half into 12 even slices.
• Place each slice cut side down in each well of a non-stick 12 muffin tin or individual tins. Let the dough pieces rest for 5 minutes. Here is where you’ll be able to see those buttery layers that we made previously.
• Place a small cup of water on the side to dip your thumbs in. With wet thumbs, start shaping the dough spirals. Press it against the bottom of the tin and then smooth the dough up to the sides, creating a raised lip above the pan. The bottom should not be too thin.
• Fill each cup ¾ full with the custard. Bake the pastéis until the edges are golden brown, around 10-15 minutes. If your oven has a grill mode, turn it on for the final minutes to achieve the distinctive burnt effect of the pasteis de nata.
• Remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before serving. Our favourite way of eating them is while they’re still warm and with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.