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This recipe is for a single method for making both short and puff pastry, using approximately equal weights of flour and butter. If you prefer to use less butter for short pastry, it can be reduced to as little as half the weight of the flour with good results; to be transformed into puff pastry, best results can be had only with the maximum measure of butter.
- 1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Cold Butter (Diced)
- 4 To 6 Tablespoons Cold Water
- Sift flour and kosher salt into large-size bowl. Add butter and, with pastry blender or two table knives (blades crossed and touching) cut through flour and butter, pulling knives apart rapidly and repeatedly until flour is slightly mealy and cubes of butter are slightly and irregularly reduced in size. Add only enough water, stirring and pressing with a fork, to pull contents of the bowl into a coherent mass that can be gathered together into a compact ball in your hands. Wrap and chill 20 to 30 minutes in freezer, or for an hour in refrigerator.
- For short pastry dust work surface lightly with flour, place ball of dough on it and flatten slightly with palm of your hand. Dust dough surface lightly with flour and give it a few light hits with rolling pin, then roll out partially. Fold twice and reform it to a flat, round shape with your ands, and dust dough and work surface again with flour if necessary. Roll out to a circle somewhat larger than the mold, roll it loosely around the rolling pin, brushing off any free flour; and unroll it over the mold. Press into place.
- Trim edges, leaving a slight overhand. Any short edges can be patched with fragments of trimming, their edges first moistened before being pressed into place. Roll outer edge under, press it to the border of the mold all the way round, and crimp it with the side of your thumb, dipped repeatedly in flour. Prick bottom and sides of pastry case with fork. Chill in refrigerator or freezer before continuing.
- To blind bake, press a sheet of greaseproof paper into place in the pastry lined mold and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or rice. Place mold in preheated 400 degree oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 15 minutes. Remove mold from oven, take out paper and pie weights and return pastry shell to oven for another 5 minutes.
- For puff pastry flatten dough and beat it lightly as for short pastry. Roll it out into an elongated band, fold the two ends in to meet each other and fold again in the middle to make four layers. Give the folded pastry a quarter of a turn so that the folded edges face you, then roll it out again to a band and fold as before. Wrap and chill in the freezer until hard but not frozen. Return to the work surface, beat lightly to make the dough more supple, then roll out and fold twice, as before, with a quarter of a turn each time between rolling out and folding. Repeat this once again after a rest in the freezer, or, if you like, roll it out and fold it only once the following time, then roll it out for using.
- "Work With What You Got!"
- © Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved
