Another Short Pastry
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, mix the flour, lard, baking powder, and salt.
Make the dough
Add cold water gradually until the dough comes together.
Bake
Roll out the pastry and place it in the oven immediately.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 400°F (200°C) to puff it up.
Lower the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C) and continue baking until done.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the pastry together once baked.
- Lard
- Coats flour particles to keep the pastry short and tender, and adds richness.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven, helping the pastry rise and puff.
- Cold water
- Moistens the flour so the fat and flour bind into a workable dough.
The step that matters
Placing the rolled pastry in the oven immediately. Cold fat in the dough melts in the heat and creates flaky, separated layers. If the rolled dough sits and warms, the lard softens into the flour, and the pastry can turn dense and greasy instead of puffing.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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