The perfect confection

[Photo by Lu Ping/China Daily]

A look at one of Shanghai's most iconic pastries that has remained a crowd favorite through the years

It's no secret that the weather can be a baker's worst enemy, and during rainy winter days, the inexperienced ones may struggle to achieve the optimal level of moisture in their dough.

But at this cramped two-storey workshop tucked within Shanghai's most traditional neighborhood, 59-year-old Lin Jianming and his apprentices know exactly how many extra seconds their golden butterfly-shaped puff pastries need to be in the oven.

The workshop has for decades been supplying over 70 types of pastries every day to Deda Restaurant, one of the most famous and historical Western dining establishments in town. Lin said that the workshop has been a little "out of control", but this has been admittedly a good problem to have.

Sales of the bakery's palm-sized butterfly pastry have doubled ever since Lin increased the dairy content to suit the local Shanghainese palate.

"It's all about the proportion of flour and butter. We didn't know that the people would be so addicted to the pastry after we made it a lot more buttery," said Lin.