Pasteis de Nata - Great British Bake Off recipe

On the Great British Bake Off this week the bakers were set the challenge of creating the Portuguese delicacy Pasteis de Nata or as we would call it an Egg Custard Tart! But did they know not to blind bake the pastry and just how hot the oven needs to be?

Our Head Chef John Mijatovic from the Royal Duchy Hotel poured over the cookery books and brought together many recipes for this version. If you've been inspired by the show, why not give it a go?!

Watch Chef John Mijatovic create this create this treat or scroll down for our step by step guide >>>

Ingredients

Pastry

· 220g plain flour

· 1g sea salt

· 200ml cold water

· 225g unsalted butter

Custard

· 25g plain flour

· 300ml milk

· 265g granulated sugar

· 1 cinnamon stick

· 150ml water

· 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

· 6 large egg yolks

Presentation

· Icing sugar

· Cinnamon

How to make it

Dough:

Combine the flour and salt in a mixer and pour in the water and mix for around 20-30 seconds.

Empty the mix on to a floured surface and cover with cling film and leave for 15 minutes at room temperature

Roll out the pastry in to a 45cm by 45cm square

Soften the butter until it can be spread and cover the pastry with about a third of the butter but leave about a 2-3cm edge around the pastry unbuttered.

Fold pastry in half and then in half again and try to brush out any trapped air. Push down the sides to prevent the butter from leaking out when rolling again.

Repeat the previous steps of rolling to size, buttering and folding

Roll out again and this time spread the remaining butter over the whole pastry

Then lift the pastry closest to you and roll it over on itself to create a long sausage shape. Trim off both ends and chop through the middle where you should be able to see the layers of pastry. Chill overnight in the fridge if possible but for at least 2 hours

Custard:
In a medium sized bowl whisk the flour and 65ml of the milk

In a saucepan bring the sugar, cinnamon, and water to the boil and if you have a thermometer keep it on the heat until reaching 100°C

Pour the remaining milk into a saucepan and heat quickly or scald and then mix in the flour and milk previously made.

Pour the sugar syrup into the milk while holding back the cinnamon stick and whisk adding the vanilla. Then whisk in the egg yolks and leave to cool.

Cook:

Pre-heat your oven to the highest it can go and preferably to 290°C

Slice the pastry sausage into sections about a cm thick and place in a cup cake or muffin tray, one slice per cup. Wet your fingers and push the pastry around the cup casing to create the tart shape. The pastry should be quite thin.

Pour the thin custard mix into the tart cases to about three quarters full and cook in the oven for 6-8 minutes depending on how high your oven can go and how brown the top appears after about 5-6

Carefully lift the Pasteis out of the tray and cool on a wire rack. Then sprinkle with an icing sugar and cinnamon mix to serve.