Flour the marble slab, flatten out the ball of paste into a square about two inches thick, and spread the butter evenly over the surface. Never roll the dough and butter together with the palms of your hands ; if you cannot manage the wooden spoons use the tips of your fingers. Dip your fingers often in dry flour, and work the butter gradually into the dough. Leave a three-inch margin of paste beyond the 454 ON PASTRY MAKING butter. Now fold the four sides of the paste to the centre, enclosing the butter, and forming, of course, a smaller square piece. Flour the slab and the rolling-pin lightly ; if you use too much flour the paste will be heavy. In rolling Pastry press it a little, and then roll straight before you, with an even, light pressure. Always stop rolling before you come to the edge. Great care is necessary to prevent the butter from breaking through the dough as it is rolled out. Begin by rolling the paste out evenly nearly a yard long, then fold over one-third of the length towards the centre, and fold the other third over it. This folding in three is called “ giving the paste one turn.” Boll it out and fold it a second time, then let the paste rest for ten minutes. Reverse the rolling, and give the paste two turns more, and another rest for ten minutes. Then two turns more and a third rest. The reason for these rests is that if the paste is not cooled between the rollings the friction of the rolling-pin will melt the butter and make the dough greasy. In summer the rests should be managed by putting the paste on a dish over a shallow baking - tin filled with broken ice, with another baking-tin, also filled with ice, above it. The colder the paste is kept the lighter the Pastry will be when finished. Flour the rolling-pin with the dredger between each turn. Six turns are required for Puff Paste. When the paste is ready fold it in three once more, and again let it rest, covered with a cloth. Finally, lay it on the marble slab, roll it out the thickness required, and cut it as may be wished. For tarts the thickness is generally about a quarter of an inch. For cases of Puff- Paste, made for patties and vol-au-vents, the thickness is half an inch to three- quarters of an inch. Puff Paste rises as much as eight times the height it was before baking if the paste has been properly made and properly baked. For patties, cut the paste into rounds with a two and a half inch cutter, and cut the middle out of each round with a smaller cutter, leaving a half-inch border and going only half the depth of the round. Bake on a baking-tin for a quarter of an hour. Each case should be filled with raw rice laid on a piece of paper to preserve the shape. When they are baked take out the papers of rice and fill the cases with whatever mixture is wanted, using a small teaspoon or eggspoon. If lids are wanted for the patties cut them rather ON PASTRY MAKING 455 larger than the rounds and bake them separately, as they will not take nearly so long to bake. The lids are cut larger because they shrink a little in baking.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Flour the marble slab, flatten out the ball of paste into a square about two inches thick, and spread the butter evenly over the surface. Never roll the dough and butter together with the palms of your hands ; if you cannot manage the wooden spoons use the tips of your fingers. Dip your fingers often in dry flour, and work the butter gradually into the dough. Leave a three-inch margin of paste beyond the butter. Now fold the four sides of the paste to the centre, enclosing the butter, and forming, of course, a smaller square piece. Flour the slab and the rolling-pin lightly ; if you use too much flour the paste will be heavy. In rolling Pastry press it a little, and then roll straight before you, with an even, light pressure. Always stop rolling before you come to the edge. Great care is necessary to prevent the butter from breaking through the dough as it is rolled out. Begin by rolling the paste out evenly nearly a yard long, then fold over one-third of the length towards the centre, and fold the other third over it. This folding in three is called “ giving the paste one turn.” Roll it out and fold it a second time, then let the paste rest for ten minutes. Reverse the rolling, and give the paste two turns more, and another rest for ten minutes. Then two turns more and a third rest. The reason for these rests is that if the paste is not cooled between the rollings the friction of the rolling-pin will melt the butter and make the dough greasy. In summer the rests should be managed by putting the paste on a dish over a shallow baking - tin filled with broken ice, with another baking-tin, also filled with ice, above it. The colder the paste is kept the lighter the Pastry will be when finished. Flour the rolling-pin with the dredger between each turn. Six turns are required for Puff Paste. When the paste is ready fold it in three once more, and again let it rest, covered with a cloth. Finally, lay it on the marble slab, roll it out the thickness required, and cut it as may be wished. For tarts the thickness is generally about a quarter of an inch. For cases of Puff- Paste, made for patties and vol-au-vents, the thickness is half an inch to threequarters of an inch. Puff Paste rises as much as eight times the height it was before baking if the paste has been properly made and properly baked. For patties, cut the paste into rounds with a two and a half inch cutter, and cut the middle out of each round with a smaller cutter, leaving a half-inch border and going only half the depth of the round. Bake on a baking-tin for a quarter of an hour. Each case should be filled with raw rice laid on a piece of paper to preserve the shape. When they are baked take out the papers of rice and fill the cases with whatever mixture is wanted, using a small teaspoon or eggspoon. If lids are wanted for the patties cut them rather larger than the rounds and bake them separately, as they will not take nearly so long to bake. The lids are cut larger because they shrink a little in baking.

Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book