Foolproof Pastry Recipes

FOOLPROOF SHORTCRUST PASTRY (FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD)

Steps:

• Cut the butter into small cubes and arrange on a small plate. Freeze for 20 minutes.
• Add the flour and salt to a food processor, then pulse to combine. Add the butter and process for 10 continuous seconds, until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg and process for 5 seconds. Add the ice water and process for 20 seconds. The dough should now start clumping together. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface. The mixture will easily hold together when pressed. Using your hands, gather the dough into a ball then flatten into a disk, kneading it as lightly as possible.
• If you're making shortcrust pastry right before you need to use it, gather it into a disk, set it on a lightly floured surface, and roll it out to the required size. Ease into a pie or tart pan, lay flat on a baking sheet, or cut out and fit into muffin pans if making tartlets. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. Use as instructed by the recipe.
• You can alternatively wrap the ball of shortcrust pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 3 days, or freeze for 1 month.
• Bring refrigerated shortcrust pastry back to room temperature at least 30 minutes before rolling. Thaw frozen shortcrust pastry overnight in the refrigerator, then bring back to room temperature at least 30 minutes before rolling.

BASIC SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift 225g plain flour into a large bowl, add 100g diced butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in a pinch of salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough.
• Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface.
• Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.

NEVER, NEVER FAIL PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together water, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Stir into flour mixture and knead dough briefly, just until smooth. Allow to rest 15 minutes before rolling out. Pastry is easier to work with when chilled. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

FOOLPROOF FLAKY BUTTER PASTRY

Steps:

• To make the dough in a food processor: In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder, and process to mix. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Put the work bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.
• Add the sour cream to the flour mixture and process until the dough comes together in the bowl. Gather the dough into a ball and knead it several times on a lightly floured surface. Form it into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap it in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
• To make the dough by hand: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or two knives until it resembles a very coarse meal. Alternatively, using a pinching motion, mix the butter into the flour with your fingers, then rub the butter and flour between the palms of both hands to blend it until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Add the sour cream and blend it in with the pastry cutter or a fork. Knead and squeeze the dough 7 or 8 times to incorporate any loose bits. Gather the dough together into a rough ball (it will be a coarse mass), flatten it into a 1-inch-thick disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling.
• You can roll and cut the dough into shapes up to one week ahead of baking, arrange on a baking sheet, wrap well, and freeze. There is no need to defrost them before baking.
• To roll out the dough: Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling. Sprinkle the work surface lightly and evenly with a little flour. Rub the rolling pin with flour as well. Place the dough in the middle of the work surface. Beginning at one edge, press the rolling pin down onto the dough to flatten it, moving across the dough in increments. Then, moving from the center of the dough outward, begin to roll the dough, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Roll the dough gradually in all directions, flattening as you go, to form a large circle about 14 inches in diameter; do not roll it thinner than 1/8 inch. If the dough cracks or pulls apart, moisten the torn edges with a little water (using your finger or a brush) and press together to seal. Dust lightly with flour if the surface of the dough is sticky.
• The dough is ready to use in a tart or to cut out. To transfer the dough to a 9-by-10-inch tart tin or baking sheet, place the rolling pin gently on one edge of the dough and roll the dough up over the pin - then you can move it wherever your want.
• Sweet Pastry Variation: This variation produces a pastry that is sweeter and crisp like a sugar cookie. Increase the sugar to 3 tablespoons and add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or grated lemon zest.

FOOLPROOF PASTRY

Steps:

• In a food processor bowl mix flour and salt.
• Add cubed shortening & butter.
• Pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.
• Transfer to another large bowl
• Mix egg, vinegar, and Ice water together.
• Quickly stir into flour mixture with a fork.
• Mix lightly(mixture may not come together very well).
• Put whole mixture in a plastic food storage bag.
• Gently through the plastic knead into a ball.
• This prevents the heat of your hands melting the shortening.
• Flatten into a disc shape.
• Keep in bag and chill 15 - 30 minutes.
• Cut in 1/2.
• Shape into a flattened circle.
• Always roll from the centre outwards.

QUICKEST PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Cut 8 ounces (2 sticks) butter into 1/2 to 1/4-inch dice, place on a plate and refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients.Measure water and add salt; stir to dissolve and set aside.
• Coarsely dice remaining 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter. Place flour in work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade; add 4 tablespoons butter and pulse until butter is absorbed -- about ten to twelve 1-second pulses.
• Add remaining butter and pulse once or twice to distribute. Add water and pulse 3 or 4 times, just until dough forms a rough ball. Do not over-process.
• Flour work surface and scrape dough from work bowl. Shape dough into a rough rectangle and place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Press dough with rolling pin to flatten, then roll back and forth several times with rolling pin to make a 12 by 18 inch rectangle of dough.
• Peel away plastic wrap and invert dough to floured work surface. Peel away second piece of wrap. Fold dough in thirds in the width, folding the top third down and the bottom third up, to make a 6 by 18-inch rectangle, then roll up the dough from one of the 6-inch ends, making sure to roll end under dough. Press the dough into a square, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour, or until firm.

PERFECT SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Weigh out the 1lb self raising flour and remove 3 tablespoons if you are making sweet pastry, 2 tablespoons if you are making savoury. Then add 2 tablespoons of cornflour and 1 tablespoon of icing sugar for sweet pastry and 2 tablespoons of cornflour and the salt for savoury. Place into the food mixer, I have a Kenwood K Mix but any will do the same job although food processors will do the job much quicker and it is easy to overwork the pastry with them, so be careful. You can do it by hand of course.
• Cut the butter and Trex into small cubes and put in the Kenwood with the K beater on to rub the fat into the flour, have on slow speed until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add the 1 egg and enough cold water whilst the machine is still running until it starts to come together. Stop the mixer and combine the dough into a ball, wrap it in clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least an hour. Never, ever over handle pastry or add too much water, this will make it tough - it should feel soft and come together with just a little encouragement.
• Roll out with a little flour make your desired recipe and cook at 220 degrees until golden brown. I always put pies on a flat baking sheet preheated with the oven. This pastry will be golden and short and melt in the mouth, almost like shortbread.

PERFECT PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• In a food processor or using the flat paddle on an electric mixer, mix 1/2 cup flour with the butter until very smooth. Shape into a flat square 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine salt with the remaining flour and add the cream. Mix dough well by hand or with an electric mixer; the dough will not be completely smooth, but it should not be sticky. Shape it into a flat square 1 1/2 inches thick, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator or 15 minutes in the freezer.
• Remove flour dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough into a rectangle twice as long as the butter dough. Place butter dough in the center, fold up ends to encase it completely, and seal edges by pinching together. Wrap well in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes so that dough achieves the same temperature throughout.
• Remove dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured board, roll it out into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Fold into thirds, aligning edges carefully and brushing off excess flour. The object is to ensure that the butter is evenly distributed so that the pastry will puff evenly when baked. Wrap dough and chill for at least 30 minutes. This completes 1 turn.
• Repeat this process 5 more times; classic puff pastry gets 6 turns, creating hundreds of layers of butter between layers of the flour dough (729, to be exact). Use as little flour as possible when rolling out the dough, and always brush off any excess. Remember to let the dough rest and chill between turns. This chilling makes the rolling out much easier and keeps the layers of butter of equal thickness.
• By the sixth and final turn, the dough should be very smooth, with no lumps of butter visible. Wrap the pastry in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 2 days), or freeze for future use. (It's convenient to divide the dough into 1-pound pieces and freeze it that way.)