Take a quarter or a sixth of the butter, rub it in with
the flour; then mix it into a paste with cold water, it
should be of the same consistence as the butter, in sum-
mer, a little weaker; lightly dust the board or marble
slab with flour, and roll out the paste, or work it with
vour hands, as for tart paste, until it is smooth and
evenly mixed, then roll it into a sheet about an inch
thick. Take the remainder of the butter, and cover
the sheet of paste with small pieces, either by cut-
ting it in thin slices with a knife, or by breaking it into
small pieces with your fingers. Then give the sheet
two or three folds, and roll it out thin; this is called
one turn; the half turn is merely folding it in two, or
doubling the sheet again; let it lay in a cool place,
covered with a damp cloth for half an hour; or
place some ice in a deep dish, with another on this,
on which put the paste, over this put a third, covered
with ice pounded small and let it lay as before, then
roll it out again. Do this three or four separate times,
and your paste is fit for use. The number of turns
which you give the paste, will depend on the thickness
it is rolled out, it may require five or six turns.
In winter, those precautions of letting the paste lay,
before rolling out a third or fourth time, may be dis-
pensed with, if it is required in a hurry, as the butter
being firm aud the weather cold, it will admit of its
being done so.
BAKING OF PASTRY.
In the baking of pastry, the heat of the oven should be
regulated according to the article intended to be baked,
or those things should be made first which will suit
the heat of the oven. Light paste requires a moderately
quick oven: for if the oven is too hot, the paste will
be coloured before it is properly baked; and if it is then
taken out of the oven, it will fall, and become flat: also,
a cool oven will not cause it to rise sufficiently; and
puff paste baked in an oven, with any thing that causes
8
CONFECTIONARY
much steam, will not be so light as otherwise. Tarta
or puffs that are iced, should be baked in a cooler oven
than those that are not iced; or if the oven is too hot,
the door should be left open, else the iceing will become
brown before they are baked. Small articles of pastry,
require to be baked in a hotter oven than large ones.
All pastry requires to be baked in clean tins or patty
pans, without being buttered.
Pastry, when baked sufficiently, may be easily slid
about on the tin, or pan, while hot: and puffs, patties,
or small pies, may be lifted from the tin, without
breaking, by putting your fingers round the edges, and
carefully lifting them; which cannot be done unless
they are baked enough to be taken from the oven.
COVENTRY PUFF.
Page 2
Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Take a quarter or a sixth of the butter, rub it in with the flour; then mix it into a paste with cold water, it should be of the same consistence as the butter, in summer, a little weaker; lightly dust the board or marble slab with flour, and roll out the paste, or work it with your hands, as for tart paste, until it is smooth and evenly mixed, then roll it into a sheet about an inch thick. Take the remainder of the butter, and cover the sheet of paste with small pieces, either by cutting it in thin slices with a knife, or by breaking it into small pieces with your fingers. Then give the sheet two or three folds, and roll it out thin; this is called one turn; the half turn is merely folding it in two, or doubling the sheet again; let it lay in a cool place, covered with a damp cloth for half an hour; or place some ice in a deep dish, with another on this, on which put the paste, over this put a third, covered with ice pounded small and let it lay as before, then roll it out again. Do this three or four separate times, and your paste is fit for use. The number of turns which you give the paste, will depend on the thickness it is rolled out, it may require five or six turns.
In winter, those precautions of letting the paste lay, before rolling out a third or fourth time, may be dispensed with, if it is required in a hurry, as the butter being firm and the weather cold, it will admit of its being done so.
BAKING OF PASTRY.
In the baking of pastry, the heat of the oven should be regulated according to the article intended to be baked, or those things should be made first which will suit the heat of the oven. Light paste requires a moderately quick oven: for if the oven is too hot, the paste will be coloured before it is properly baked; and if it is then taken out of the oven, it will fall, and become flat: also, a cool oven will not cause it to rise sufficiently; and puff paste baked in an oven, with any thing that causes
much steam, will not be so light as otherwise. Tarts or puffs that are iced, should be baked in a cooler oven than those that are not iced; or if the oven is too hot, the door should be left open, else the icing will become brown before they are baked. Small articles of pastry, require to be baked in a hotter oven than large ones.
All pastry requires to be baked in clean tins or patty pans, without being buttered.
Pastry, when baked sufficiently, may be easily slid about on the tin, or pan, while hot: and puffs, patties, or small pies, may be lifted from the tin, without breaking, by putting your fingers round the edges, and carefully lifting them; which cannot be done unless they are baked enough to be taken from the oven.
COVENTRY PUFF.