Making pastry

buxtonrabbitgreen

Not without a gadget but if you have a food processor it makes brilliant pastry partly because you dont have your hot hands in it. Half fat to flour and whizz for a few seconds then gradually add a few drops of water till it clings together.

PasturesNew

No freezer, no food processor. I hate the feel of it and I used to find it all stuck to my fingers and was just ... horrid. I hate the thought of it all going under my nails too, even though I scrub them over-zealously before starting. Nails always look cleaner after pastry making ... which is nasty.

FunkyFairy

I use

225g Plain Flour
pinch of salt
75ml veg oil
60ml milk

Just mix it all together. Its the best i have ever made. Only thing is you cant roll it out. You have to use your fingers to push it into place.

Different_Corner

Just wanted to ask a similar question, I can do a basic shortcrust (cheat with puff pastry though at £1 for two sheets of the Jusrol frozen stuff in Morrisons recently) but I am totally pants at anything requiring a sweet shortcrust for apple or mince pies. Any tips ?

Pink.

Different_Corner wrote: »

Just wanted to ask a similar question, I can do a basic shortcrust (cheat with puff pastry though at £1 for two sheets of the Jusrol frozen stuff in Morrisons recently) but I am totally pants at anything requiring a sweet shortcrust for apple or mince pies. Any tips ?

Hi Different Corner,

A lot of people loved this recipe for sweet pastry:

The best mince pie pastry ever?

I'll add this thread to the main pastry thread as there are lots of recipes and tips for making pastry on there.

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milliemonster

I just cannot make pastry:mad:

Whatever I do it always ends up crumbly and won't roll out without breaking up, what am I doing wrong?

I use 8oz plain flour, 2oz marg, 2oz trex (both really cold), mix it in my processor, add some very cold water to bind it together then stick it in the fridge for half an hour, but it still just breaks up, am I not adding enough water?

Soubrette

milliemonster wrote: »

I just cannot make pastry:mad:

Whatever I do it always ends up crumbly and won't roll out without breaking up, what am I doing wrong?

I use 8oz plain flour, 2oz marg, 2oz trex (both really cold), mix it in my processor, add some very cold water to bind it together then stick it in the fridge for half an hour, but it still just breaks up, am I not adding enough water?

I may be about to type sacrilege here

I find my pastry works better with room temperature fat - I use whatever's to hand, usually the tesco olivio substitute at the mo.

I use the same fat to flour as you but cut up the fat into small pieces with a knife before rubbing in by hand.

I also use cold water from the fridge and then I work it by hand until it's smooth and elastic.

Then I use it straight away.

Sou

milliemonster

Soubrette, I have just tried this as you suggest, doing it by hand and rubbing the fat it, adding the water and using straight away and it was (almost) perfect!, the pastry dough felt really light and workable and it rolled out beautifully, thank you!, I think I will forget using the processor in future and do it the old fashioned way

Soubrette

I'm really glad it worked for you

My theory (and it very much that ) is that it's the working by hand at the end, which melts the fat a little bit further and kind of melds the pastry into a pliable ball.

I was taught at school to always use cold butter and used to get very frustrated at trying to rub that stuff in by hand :mad:

Sou

Pink.

Hi milliemonster,

I'm glad it worked out for you in the end. I've added your thread to the main one on making pastry as your question may help others.

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