Good Pastry

1. Take a large bowl and add flour and salt to it. Mix well and then add the cubes of butter.
2. Rub and work the butter into the flour with your fingertips to the point you get a mixture that looks like breadcrumbs, without any large lumps of butter remaining. Try to mold speedily so that it does not become oily.
3. By means of a knife, mix in just enough of the cold water to fasten the dough together.
4. Drape the dough in Clingfilm and let cool for 10-15 minutes before utilizing.
5. Alternatively, use a food processor. Place the flour, butter and salt in the food processor and let beat to get the fat fully rubbed into the flour. When the motor is running, slowly add water through the funnel till the dough binds together. Make sure to add the right quantity of water and stop when you should so that the dough is not gluey.
6. Bind the dough in Clingfilm as directed previously and let it chill for 10-15 minutes before you use it.

Trivia

It was not until the end of the Medieval period that the world saw early pastry formulas that resembled the short-crust and puff renditions we see today.

The Forme of Cury is the oldest known English dialect cookbook composed towards the late fourteenth century, and it contains references on how to make chastletes and coffins – early pies and tart cases.

In the seventeenth century, pastry making turned out to be increasingly attractive. British pastry specialists prided themselves on the recipes and adornments.