Flaky butter pastry - house beautiful

1 tarts wort

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 cup Unbleached flour
1 teaspoon Sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Baking powder
3 tablespoons Cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch bits
¼ cup Sour cream
½ teaspoon White wine vinegar or cider vinegar mixed with
1½ teaspoon Ice water

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or two knives until it makes a very coarse meal. Place bowl in the freezer for about 5 minutes. This will firm up the butter and insure a flakier crust. Add the sour cream and vinegar and quickly blend it into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork. With your hands, squeeze the dough 7 or 8 times to incorporate the loose bits and gather the dough together into a rough hall. If the dough is very dry and does not hold together, add a little more ice water, one t at a time.

Flatten the dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1,6 hour.

Let the dough sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes before rolling. To roll the dough, sprinkle the work surface lightly and evenly with a little flour. Rub the rolling pin with flour as well.

Roll the dough gradually in each direction, flattening as you go, to form a large circle to desired size-do not roll thinner than ⅛-inch. If the dough cracks or puus apart, moisten torn edges with a little water (using your finger or a pastry brush) and press together to secure. Dust lightly with flour if the surface of the dough is sticky.

Proceed as directed in the following recipes for desired filling.

Makes 8 to 9 oz of dough, enough for one 9- to 10-inch tart.

Variations The Apple Tart Master Recipe gives the basic method for making free-forrn tarts. Following this method, you can make tarts with a variety of fruits and in other sizes by simply multiplying or dividing the pastry and filling. Proceed as directed in the following recipes using the proportions given below: For two 6- to 7-inch tarts, divide the recipe by two, rolling each 4-oz portion of dough into a circle about 8 to 9 inches in diameter.

Proceed as directed, using ½ of the filling for each tart. Leave a 2-inch border of dough uncovered to fold over the fruit. Bake each tart about 25 minutes.

For four 5-inch tarts, divide the recipe by four, rolling each 2-oz portion of dough into a circle about 7 inches in diameter. Proceed as directed, using ¼ of the filling for each tart. Leave a 1½-inch border of dough uncovered to fold over the fruit. Bake each tart about 20 minutes. For eight 3-inch tarts, divide the recipe by 8.

Roll each 1-oz portion of dough into a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Proceed as directed, using ⅛ of the filling for each tart. Leave a 1-inch border of dough uncovered to fold over the fruit. Bake tarts for about 15 minutes.

House Beautiful/August/1994 Scanned and fixed by Di and Gary

Related recipes