Flaky Pastry

7 Reviews 4.3 out of 5 stars
This is somewhere between a rich traditional pie dough and puff pastry, and the traditional pastry for Eccles cake or Ecclefechan tart. It's somewhat easier to make than puff pastry, but it does require the requisite "turns" that a true puff pastry is made with. Once this dough is made, however, it will keep, well wrapped, for several days in the refrigerator, and for several months in the freezer. You can use the dough for puff pastry shells, turnovers, cheese straws, or a quick, improvised pie crust.
Prep
45 mins
Total
2 hrs 15 mins
Yield
2 pounds pastry dough.
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Flaky Pastry

Instructions

  1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, blend the flour and salt together. Take one quarter (3 tablespoons) of each type of fat and rub it into the flour/salt mixture with your fingertips until it resembles cornmeal.
  2. Mix the lemon juice with the water, and stir into the flour/fat mixture until you have a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it's smooth.
  3. With a well-floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it's about 7" wide and 21" long. If the dough sticks at any point, slide a bench knife or spatula under it and throw a little flour underneath.
  4. Take 3 tablespoons more of each type of fat and dot them over the top two-thirds of the dough. Fold the bottom third up over the middle third and the top third down over that. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
  5. After the dough has chilled, take it out of the fridge, unwrap it and roll it out for the second time, until it's about 7" by 21". Repeat with the next 3 tablespoons of each of the fats and fold as you did before. Chill the dough for 15 minutes.
  6. Repeat the process of adding the fats a third and final time. This time, before you chill the dough, roll and fold it for a fourth time, this time without adding any fat. Wrap and chill the finished dough for at least 45 minutes before using it.

Tips from our Bakers

  • It's easier if you make the dough the day before you plan on using it. You can also freeze this dough for up to 3 months, thaw it overnight in the fridge, and then prepare your pastry with it.
  • While you can use this dough for samosas, turnovers and pastries, but you may want to try the traditional Eccles Cakes from the border country between Scotland and England.

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