Perfect Pastry Dough

posted by Beth on November 15, 2011 0 comments »

Perfect Pastry Dough – Just in time for the holidays.

Baking is really very simple.
1. Find a great recipe.
2. Follow directions
3. Enjoy

That’s really the only secret to it. If you can follow directions you can make almost anything you try very successfully. This is THE perfect pastry dough recipe. I promise, if you follow the directions you will be praised for your efforts.

Ingredients:
2 sticks cold unsalted butter cut in 1/2 inch pats
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2-4 tablespoons ice water

Directions:
• Pulse flour, salt and sugar in your food processor.

• Drop in cold butter and pulse until a coarse meal.

• Slowly drizzle in the water until a soft ball forms. You may not need all of the water, so pay close attention to this step. Also, do not over work the mixture, or the pastry dough will be tough.

• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured smooth surface and divide into 2 portions. It should be soft and plyable, not crumbly or sticky.

• Kneed gently to distribute the butter evenly.

• Flatten into 2, six inch disks for a double crust pie.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes before rolling out.
Roll out and bake according to pie recipe.

Also wonderful to use for baked brie.

See Perfectly Simple Apple Pie

Freezes well.

Enjoy! So yummy.

Perfect Pastry Dough

Ingredients:

2 sticks cold unsalted butter cut in 1/2 inch pats
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2-4 tablespoons ice water

Directions:

• Pulse flour, salt and sugar in your food processor.
• Drop in cold butter and pulse until a coarse meal.
• Slowly drizzle in the water until a soft ball forms. You may not need all of the water, so pay close attention to this step. Also, do not over work the mixture, or the pastry dough will be tough.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured smooth surface and divide into 2 portions. It should be soft and pliable, not crumbly or sticky.
• Kneed gently to distribute the butter evenly.
• Flatten into 2, six inch disks for a double crust pie.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
• Let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes before rolling out.
• Roll out and bake according to pie recipe.

Also wonderful to use for baked brie.

Freezes well.

posted by Beth on November 15, 2011

0 comments »

Elizabeth Montgomery James

After living in California for several years, Beth and her husband, Rod, relocated to Florida, to live, work, and play. They have two adorable daughters, and Beth is very involved with her children’s schools as a parent volunteer, Daisy troupe, and other community organizations such as the Junior League. Beth enjoys crafts, yoga and fitness, as well as a nice glass of Chardonnay. Beth is a graphic designer who has worked on national and international ad campaigns for top consumer brands, and now brings her talents to a variety of projects in and around Central Florida. In addition for bringing classic elegance to everything she touches, Beth has a natural talent for making everything pretty, from kids’ birthday parties to her garden.