On Fri 20 Jan 2006 06:38:56a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Bob (this
one)?

> Dave Bell wrote:
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu 19 Jan 2006 08:33:41p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
>>> Dave Bell?
>>>
>>>> Vox Humana wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> The instructions at the link say that you can use refrigerated
>>>>> puff pastry dough from the supermarket. The instructions for
>>>>> the dough at the link wouldn't even make a decent pie pastry
>>>>> let alone something that resemples puff pastry. There is
>>>>> nothing wrong with that except it seems very strange that these
>>>>> two very different produts would be equated. Julia Child has
>>>>> instructions for "blitz" puff pastry. It is made with large
>>>>> chunks of butter and the dough gets a few turns, but is not
>>>>> refrigerated. I have made this for the top of pot pies and for
>>>>> a quick base for a rustic tart. I think it would be a good
>>>>> alternative to the recipe at the link.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> This one isn't attributed to Julia, but sounds like what you were
>>>> describing:
>>>>
>>>> Blitz Puff Pastry
>>>>
>>>> * 1 pound bread flour * 1 pound butter, cut in cubes * 1 1/4
>>>> tsp. salt * 8 oz. cold water
>>>>
>>>> Mix all ingredients together and pat out somewhat flat. Turn in
>>>> left and right side. Roll the pastry out to make somewhat smooth.
>>>> Fold opposite sides in and roll again. Cut to desired pastry shape.
>>>> Fill and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.
>>>
>>> Mix how, Dave? Cut butter into flour/salt first, then add water?
>>> Bread flour for pastry? Very curious...
>>
>> Good questions, Wayne! But you see the entire text of the recipe, as
>> I found it...
>
> I posted some notes in rec.food.cooking about a way to make a pie crust
> this way with further comment about making a rough puff paste. Here it
> is, edited...
>
> Pie crust (double-crust 9-inch pie) - 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks)
> butter/shortening, 8 ounces (2 cups) flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon
> sugar, 2 ounces (1/4 cup) water.
>
> Rough puff paste - a pound of butter (4 sticks), 15 ounces of flour (4
> 1/4+/- cups and 1/2 cup more for rolling it out), a teaspoon salt and a
> cup of water.
>
> The usual direction for making pie crust is to cut the shortening into
> the flour. That results in small flakes or mealiness (still acceptable)
> depending on the fat used and the method of dispersal.
>
> Rather than cutting the fat into the flour (and salt, sugar or whatever
> else you put into it), I've been cutting the (very cold) fat into small
> cubes (1/4 to 3/8 inch), tossing it with the (very cold) flour to coat
> and keep separated, adding a little ice water, and then dumping the
> whole thing on the counter to roll rather than to mix as usual.
>
> The point in making a crust is to get little bits of fat scattered
> throughout the flour matrix for the distinctive texture of pie crust.
> Traditional approaches have included using a pastry blender, two knives,
> or fingers to break the fat into smaller pieces. Here's a new way...
>
> Toss the fat cubes in the combined dry ingredients to coat and stir
> through. Add water. Then dump the whole thing out onto a counter where
> you can roll it out. Roll over the pile of stuff heavily. It'll still be
> powdery. Roll a few times, then slide a pastry scraper under the edges
> and fold it into a small pile. Roll again and scrape up again. The cubes
> of fat are being flattened and spread through the flour. Scraping and
> folding keeps the fat in sheets. Each rolling will make it all become
> more cohesive. After several rollings, scrapings and foldings, you'll
> have a crust with the fat dispersed in larger sheets than usual. The
> finished crust will be flaky in a different way than usual. The flakes
> are larger. And the crust, IME, is somewhat more waterproof.
>
> It handles easily after the few rollings. I chill it before lining pans
> with it. Gather it into a flat disk, wrap with plastic and chill for 1/2
> hour. Then finish as usual. I usually roll it thicker than traditional
> crusts - like 1/4 inch or so. It eats very nicely, absorbs juices
> without getting soggy.
>
> Puff paste (both classic and rough) uses butter which has
> 20% water in it. When it bakes, the water flashes over to steam and
> causes the puffing by forcing layers apart.
>
> Puff pastry contains at least as much as (or, more often, more butter)
> than flour. When making a rough puff paste, you add more water than for
> this sort of pie crust. And when you roll it, you do turns like with
> classic puff paste. With this pie crust, you spread it (it will stick to
> the surface) and scrape it back up onto itself and reroll. There's no
> effort to make layers as in puff paste. No turns, as such.
>
> Pie crust (double-crust 9-inch pie) - 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks)
> butter/shortening, 8 ounces (2 cups) flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon
> sugar, 2 ounces (1/4 cup) water.
>
> Rough puff paste - a pound of butter (4 sticks), 15 ounces of flour (4
> 1/4+/- cups and 1/2 cup more for rolling it out), a teaspoon salt and a
> cup of water.
>
> Pastorio
>

Thanks for posting this again, Bob. I didn't see it the first time.


--
Wayne Boatwright տլ
__________________________________________________

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.