Sweet Pastry Food

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT SHORTCRUST BY HAND OR MACHINE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients
• Place the flour, salt, and butter in a large, clean bowl.
• Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough from becoming warm.
• Add the water to the mixture. Using a cold knife, stir until the dough binds together. Add more cold water a teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too dry. Form the dough into a ball.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
• Use the shortcrust dough in your favorite pie, tart, or quiche recipe.
• Place the flour, salt, and butter into the bowl of the processor.
• Using only the pulse setting, pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Avoid overmixing if you can. (Too much handling can result in hard, dry pastry.)
• Through the funnel on the top of the processor, slowly add the water a little at a time until the mixture comes together in a ball.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 15 minutes and up to half an hour.
• Use in your desired pie, tart, and quiche recipe. Enjoy.

SWEET PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt and sugar.
• Cut in butter until crumbly.
• Mix beaten egg yolks,ice water and vanilla together.
• Mix into flour mixture until pastry just holds together.
• Knead in plastic wrap until smooth.
• Flatten; chill 1 hour.
• To partially blind bake: Set oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Bake 15 to20 minutes, weighing pastry down with a layer of foil and dried beans.

BASIC SWEET PASTRY

Steps:

• Crumb together by hand the butter in to the flour
• Add the sugar
• Mix in the egg and enough milk to form a soft dough - add flavour (opt)

FLAKY SWEET PASTRY (PATE SUCREE)

Steps:

• Place 1 cup of the flour, the butter, sugar and salt, into a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process 10 seconds, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the ice water and pulse 10 to 15 times, just until the mixture begins to come together (do not let it form a ball). Empty the dough out of the machine onto a floured work surface and gather together by pressing lightly. If the dough seems too sticky, gently incorporate more flour. Shape into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before proceeding with recipe.

SWEET PASTRY

Steps:

• Measure out all ingredients
• Put flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl
• Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
• Add a few teaspoons of water at a time, and mix until pastry makes a ball. (Pastry ball should not be sticky, if this happens add a little more flour)
• Use as required.

EASY SWEET PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt (if using) into a bowl.
• Toss butter into flour mixture to coat pieces. Using fingertips, rub butter into flour, working it until you have created a coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces.
• In a small bowl, combine egg and vanilla. Whisk together, then add gradually to flour mixture, stirring with a fork. Mix with hands until dough forms a ball.
• Knead the dough to make it smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Roll out dough and shape to pie pan or cut out rounds for tarts.

SWEET PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Blend together flour and butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork and stir into flour with fork until combined well.
• Gently knead with floured hands in bowl until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead 4 or 5 times.
• Form dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

SWEET TART PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl.
• Toss butter through flour mixture to coat pieces. Using fingertips, rub fat into flour, working it until you have created a coarse meal with a few pea-size particles of fat.
• Empty crumbs onto a cool surface. Form mixture into a mound. Make a 4 to 5 inch well in center of the mound. Combine egg and vanilla and pour mixture into the well. Using a fork, draw crumbs into egg mixture, about 1 - 2 tablespoons at a time. When all crumbs are added, toss mixture a few times with a pastry blender to form large clumps, then scrape into a mound.
• Using the heel of your hand, push 2 - 3 tablespoons of the dough at a time, outward in 6 to 8 inch sweeps. This will blend fat and flour and give crust a delicate texture. If your hand becomes sticky, flour it as needed. Repeat process until all dough has been worked. Gather dough into a mound again. Repeat procedure 2 more times.
• After third time, flour your hands. Gently knead the dough 5 or 6 times to make it smooth. Shape into a 5 inch disk. Dust disk lightly with flour, score with side of your hand, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 20 minutes before shaping. DO NOT LET DOUGH BECOME TOO HARD or it will be difficult to roll. If this happens, let pastry soften at room temperature.
• Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. After dough has been rolled, position rolling pin 4 inches from top of the pastry. Lift dough over top of rolling pin and gently roll dough toward you. Lift pastry up. Make sure you keep a finger pressed against barrel of rolling pin to keep it from slipping. Position pastry, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of dough hanging over edge of pan on side closest to you. Then unroll pastry over an ungreased tart pan, moving pin away from you. Immediately lift overhang into pan to prevent sharp edge of the pan from cutting dough.
• Working a small portion of the dough at a time, mold it into crease of the pan. Trim excess pastry from top edge of pan. Chill pastry in refrigerator or freezer for up to 30 minutes. Tear an 18 inch square of tin foil. Make a buttered circle in center of foil 2 inches larger than size of pan. Place foil buttered side down, centering it into the baking pan. Using your hand, press foil flush against the sides.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Position shelf in lower third of oven. Fill pan with enough dried beans or baking nuggets to just cover surface of pan. DO NOT OVERFILL. Bake pastry shell on a shallow pan with sides. Bake crust 15 to 18 minutes or until sides begin to brown. Remove pan from the oven. Let stand about 30 seconds. Gently remove foil and beans. Reduce oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Continue to bake crust for 3 to 5 minutes or until it is golden. If bottom of pastry shell puffs up, tap it gently with bottom of a fork to expel the air. Do this carefully so the pastry crust doesn't break. When crust is done, cool completely before filling.