Pastry

Pastry
For some cooks the mere thought of making their own pastry is enough to give them absolute conniptions but trust me, it’s not as hard as many people say. It’s harder. Which no doubt explains why so many people opt for the frozen variety. But nothing quite matches the taste, texture and sense of smug self satisfaction that comes from turning out your own perfect pastry. Temperature is the key. Everything must be cool before you begin: the ingredients, the equipment and even your own hands. If you’re running a temperature or feeling a bit flustered after watching the well-muscled builders working next door then don’t even bother starting.

After combining flour (unbleached), water (Evian) and butter (un-salted) in the chilled bowl of an organic food processor, tip the contents out onto your work surface; make sure it’s well floured to prevent the dough sticking. Just to be sure I often dust my entire kitchen, along with anyone who walks in. Start kneading the dough until it is firm but still pliable; you want it as soft and malleable as a bricklayer’s buttocks. Now roll it out into a trapezoid shape. Fold the top third down and the bottom third across so that it covers a quarter of the shorter edge, before folding the left edge in an upwards direction until the seam is running counter-clockwise and the corners are pointing north. Now turn over and repeat, but in reverse

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