Making pastry

Never_too_old_to_learn

Like someone said earlier - if you have a food processor it is virtually impossible to not make the best pastry ever. Follow the usual recipe: 8oz SR Flour 4oz of butter - blitz in the FP until it resembles breadcrumbs then add the water a little at a time until it forms a ball, then stop the machine and you have the perfect short crust pastry.

[Deleted User]

Hi
Am interested in making pastry, but a couple of questions
1. What is block margarine- the only margarine I have seen here (NZ) is the stuff thats used as a spread, would that be suitable?
Also what is Trex?
OH has been diagnosed with high cholestrol, so am trying to make pastry with margarine instead of butter, but am worried that I may not have the right ingredients.
Thanks so much for your help

emweaver

does anyone have a recipe for sweet pastry?

redwoodmazza

Block margarine is cooking margarine - not the sort to be used as a spread on bread. It holds its own shape and is sold in rectangular blocks wrapped in foil - NOT in plastic tubs.
TREX is a commercial name for a product made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. It is a solid white vegetable fat sold in rectangular cardboard containers. It is a 'nicer' type fat to use in pastry as opposed to lard. Traditionally lard would be used [half margarine and half lard] but solid vegetable fat gives a much better result.

This is the link to the manufacturer.
http://www.princes.co.uk/brands/


Hope this helps?

dND

I haven't tried this myself yet but a friend of mine who's a chef and makes fantastic pastry gave us a demonstration of how she does it.

Because of different flours requiring differing amounts of water she doesn't use a set amount of water. She makes a well in the centre of her rubbed in mixture and adds a small amount of water. She gradually works that into the mixture and as soon as she has a quantity that has reached the right soft consistency she puts it to one side. She then adds a bit more water and repeats the process until all the mix has been used.

Then it's just a case of quickly and lightly combining all the 'lumps' she's produced together and rolling out.

Her reasons for using this method are that you don't overwork the pastry and you don' risk over wetting all the pastry and having to try and un-sticky it by adding more flour.

I do hope this helps.

Grumpysally

redwoodmazza wrote: »

Block margarine is cooking margarine - not the sort to be used as a spread on bread. It holds its own shape and is sold in rectangular blocks wrapped in foil - NOT in plastic tubs.
TREX is a commercial name for a product made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. It is a solid white vegetable fat sold in rectangular cardboard containers. It is a 'nicer' type fat to use in pastry as opposed to lard. Traditionally lard would be used [half margarine and half lard] but solid vegetable fat gives a much better result.

This is the link to the manufacturer.
http://www.princes.co.uk/brands/


Hope this helps?

Whether hydrogenated fat is 'nicer' than lard is debatable. I'd definately steer clear of hydrogenated fat, see;
http://www.netmums.com/h/n/FOOD/food_nasties/ALL/355.

I use white Flora as that doesn't use hydrogenated fats. Though I've made my best pastry using a mixture of lard and butter, yum. However my daughter is vegetarian so I can't make it that often. Mind you my pastry making is very hit and miss so I don't make it that often anyway.

jomknight

This makes a very light pastry, which you would not expect.
2oz oat flour or fine oatmeal and 4 oz SR (yes) flour 3 oz hard white fat e.g.cookeen Water to mix -start with 80ml all at once and add more if crumbs are left over. This is more than with ordinary flour. No need to rest pastry Roll out as usual.
Bear in mind with ols recipe books that the old fashioned tablespoon of water was 30 ml not like the modern 15 ml

supersavermummy

I usually use
4oz cheapest supermarket butter (sometimes 2oz lard & 2oz butter)
8oz plain flour
Either use pulse on processor or by hand (need cold hands and don't over process)
never measure (cold) water just gradually add until it starts to bind use a fork
then knead lightly together in bowl.
lightly flour worktop and rolling pin
I was always taught to roll pastry in one direction and not turn it over.

Usually turns out ok!
wouldn't dream of throwing it away, my lot would just have to eat it!!!:eek:

dave.trevena

The problem with old recipes that ask for teaspoons or dessert spoons of water is they differ in size. Good pastry demands accuracy, and metric is more exact than imperial. I use 1000gm med flour. 500 gm marge, 170 ml water and 2 med eggs. I cheat and use a processor but blend the fat, liquid and a little flour to a creamy paste, then fold the flour in by hand, you can work this quite well, it won't toughen as the water is trapped by the fat, so no elasticity! Pinch of salt to taste, sugar 30 gms, and 30 gms baking powder in with the flour will make a superb apple pie paste or mince pie paste. BUT no good for Cornish Pasties, it's too short, and the raw potato will poke through the pastry. Pasty paste calls for less fat, ideally lard, and 375 gms as opposed to 500 gms per 1000 gms of flour. Put plenty of butter inside the pasty and a good meat, we call it 'skirt' down here, butchers also call it flank. And cook it slowly, 45 - 60 minutes to get all the flavours out!

geordie_joe

dave.trevena wrote: »

The problem with old recipes that ask for teaspoons or dessert spoons of water is they differ in size.

And any good cook will soon learn if their spoons are bigger or smaller than the recipe is referring to. Please don't mention chefs, they are just cooks with over inflated egos. Just like a binman who insists on being called a refuse collector.

dave.trevena wrote: »

Good pastry demands accuracy, and metric is more exact than imperial.

Jeez where did you hear that? The imperial system is just as accurate as any other system, have you not heard of fractions?

I use 1000gm med flour. 500 gm marge, 170 ml water and 2 med eggs. [/quote]

Alternatively you can do what tens of millions of women do through out the world and just throw in what they know to be the right amount and produce pastry that is way better than any chef could produce.

As for "Good pastry demands accuracy", do you not know that hens don't lay accurate eggs? Take any two medium eggs, even the two you use in your carefully measured ingredients, and they won't be the same size, volume or weight.

Humans have managed to send a man to the moon, and bring him back safely, transplanted hearts, lungs and all manner of organs, but to date we have not managed to persuade hens to lay their eggs all the same size. No matter what we say, the little b*ggers just won't do it!

So I guess you should say "Good pastry demands accuracy, except for the eggs. Anything between just too big to be small and just too small to be large will do"