Good Plain Pastry

Ingredients

• a pound of flour
• half a pound of butter
• a teaspoonful of salt
• enough ice-water

Method

1. 1

   Sift flour and mix with salt.

2. 2

   Chop in one-third of the butter.

3. 3

   Quickly mix with ice-water to form a dough.

4. 4

   Roll out to half an inch thick, place butter slices on it, dust with flour, fold, and roll again.

5. 5

   Repeat folding and rolling until the butter is well incorporated.

6. 6

   Use for pies.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Miss Corson's practical American cookery and household management (1885) by Juliet Corson, page 252. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

GOOD PLAIN PASTRY. The secret of success in making pastry is to work quickly in a cool room, and to keep the pastry as" cold as possible. Even in making plain pastry, only the best flour and butter should be used ; the flour should be freshly sifted, and the butter worked with the hands in plenty of ice-water until it assumes a waxy appearance and touch ; if it is worked quickly and lightly, it will not stick to the hands ; when the butter is of the proper consistency, it should be patted with the hands into a cake about an inch thick, wrapped in a floured towel, and put in a dish set on ice in summer, or out of doors in winter, so that it may become quite cold while the paste is being prepared ; allow half a pound of butter to a pound of flour. After the flour is sifted, mix with it a teaspoonful of salt, and with a sharp knife chop into it one- third of the butter ; then quickly mix with it enough ice- water

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.