Pastry

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

I try to add as little cold liquid as possible.
And work with a dry mix, that comes together with as little effort as possible.

That way I get a crumbly, light result when baked. Thinking it's what they call "short".

But is this how it is supposed to be?

[karadekoolaid Profile]

That´s what my mum used to do.
She´d make that wonderful crumbly pastry in about 10 seconds flat. Practise, I suppose.
She told me " just use your fingertips to mix it. as soon as it comes together, it´s ready"

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

I think it is meant to be light and crumbly Gill, but I am a bit odd in that I prefer my shortcrust pastry to be thin and a bit crunchy. It's possibly what I've been brought up with to a certain extent. If shortcrust pastry is too short, I lose patience with it when raw because I cannot roll it out without it cracking. I'm not all that fond of the pappy texture of some crumbly pastry, like you get on a cheap ready made mince pie! This is just my personal preference though!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

My mum used to make fairly light soft pastry, sometimes using using SR flour. I hated the way it collapsed in the mouth but other people said it was lovely

I have marginally increased the amount of liquid I put into pastry, as at one time I was using so little that pastry was difficult to handle and didn’t necessarily hold the filling well. My ideal is something a bit like a biscuit, crisp when you bite into it but crumbles once bitten

I use egg yolk in sweet pastry, good balance between handling and eating

My recipe is the same as Jacqui’s (Ian in France’s wife), but we both now use a food processor

http://www.souvigne.com/recipes/pud290.htm

http://www.souvigne.com/recipes/pud290.htm

[Joanbunting Profile]

I like my shortcrust crisp but not hard and well.... short!

I use half butter and half lard , or white shortening, as taught by my gran. The secret is to leave it to rest before rolling it out. Much easier to handle.

For sweet pastry - pate sable - I use all butter and a small amount of sugar and an egg yolk. I used to make it on a marble slab by hand but these days it goes into the food processor !

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I tend to use all butter simply because that’s what I always have in the house
If making a lot of shortcrust I buy white shortening, lard being pork is a bit tricky round here (vegetarians, Jews, Moslems ...)

[Badger's Mate Profile]

All butter here too. I don't make much or very often, so to mirror Joan, whereas I used to make it in a processor, it's now done by hand with a marble slab!

Otherwise I buy filo or all-butter puff. I've promised myself for decades to make hot water crust but have never got a round tuit. Choux too, but MIL was quite good at that, not sure I'd cut the mustard with Mrs B

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I don’t make a lot of choux as such, but I do make little canapé sized cheese gougeres. Dead easy, my top tips are to transfer the flour paste from the pan to a cold bowl rather than guessing when it’s cool enough to add the eggs And I beat the eggs first and add a bit at a time, seldom need it all

And I use a hand electric mixer, which apparently is considered Not Done by some

[Joanbunting Profile]

I make choux quite often. In fact it is a go -to solution when a proper deesert is called for. Quick choux ring and whack some whipped cream and fruit inside.

I like making both individual gougeres to have with drinks and a larger one with a savoury filling in a dish with cheese choux around the edge - lovely supper dish.

You can also deep fry small pieces of choux both savoury and sweet - ie sprinkled with sugar. But they are naughty.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Sue, that was my worry.
I do think i need to marginally increase the liquid.
Choux i make fairly often.
And hot water crust i follow Floyd,s tip, using half water half skimmed milk.

Will pick up later az we are on the iowight, overlooking the calm sea. Xxx

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Now I'm back.
Thank you for the excellent tips. I don't know why I haven't thought of doing the pastry in my compact food processor.
It's so obvious.

My go to recipe book is the Be-ro one.
Frustratingly, it's usually about 50g short of the amount I really need. So I have to measure the ingredients up a bit.
But I feel grannies of their day would have done it by eye anyway. So the recipe doesn't seem to be affected.

[Suffs Profile]

My basic shortcrust pastry is ... whatever amount of plain flour and half that weight in chilled fat (for meat pies/pasties I use half lard, half butter ... otherwise it's all unsalted butter) and a pinch of salt.

Flour and salt into processor, add fat cut into small chunks and blitz to breadcrumbs then trickle in icecold water until it binds into one lump. Remove from processor, form into ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 mins (or up to 24 hours or freeze).

With good luck and a following wind the result is lovely short and crisp pastry without it being overly crumbly.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

For those processor users, do you use the plastic dough cutter
Or stick with the metal one?

[Suffs Profile]

I use the metal one

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Metal blade and cold butter - one of the reasons I like using the processor is that it requires fat straight from the fridge, so can be made without any pre-planning

Pulse in very short bursts, and don’t go for “breadcrumbs” that are too fine

[Joanbunting Profile]

I use the metal one too and like Sue use the pulse button.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Great.
My friend is bringjng more apples for me. They are an old variety of bramleys, small and manageable.

[Suffs Profile]

Make some Suffolk apple jacks Gill ... like a pasty only with sliced/chopped apples and sugar (and cinnamon or a clove or two if liked) inside, glaze and sprinkle with sugar before baking.

Can't find any recipes online, but they were a regular way of using up pastry in the village where I used to live ... shortcrust or plain.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I’d call that an apple turnover Suffolk

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Thanks Suffs. Much appreciated.