Doughs

Understanding how doughs work, which type you should use for a particular recipe and how to handle that specific dough helps to remove any uncertainty that is often associated with working with pastry. These are some of the tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years – they will give you the confidence to cook at home with pastry.

Pairing your pie filling

The consistency of the pie filling determines the dough you should use. Generally, a wetter filling calls for a pastry with a bit more structure to it, say a shortcrust pastry, whereas a slightly drier filling is able to slip into a more delicate crust, like a puff pastry.

If you are making a sweet pie, look carefully at the ingredients. If it’s a fruit filling that has a high sugar content, consider whether you need a sweet pastry or if it would be more balanced with a savoury crust. This is why I prefer to make an apple tart with a savoury pie crust (see here). As you work through the recipes in this book, you will see how each filling has been paired with a type of pastry.

Time to rest

Allowing a dough time to rest is so vital in pastry work that, when ignored, it becomes the undoing of many a seasoned chef. Insufficient resting time can lead to cracked, leaking tart cases and undercooked pastry that comes away from the sides of a tin during cooking. When flour is mixed with water it forms strands of gluten, which give the pastry the structure it needs to hold together during baking. Immediately after mixing, the gluten strands in a dough need time to rest and relax, otherwise the pastry will shrink during cooking.

Always allow a dough to rest in the refrigerator before rolling out. Each recipe in this book gives a specific time, but anything less than 30 minutes in the refrigerator or 20 minutes in the freezer will not be long enough to prevent shrinkage.

Keeping it short

Some recipes call for pastry with a more ‘mealy’ crust. This means a tighter, crumblier crust, which suits a dish like a lemon tart, whereas the pastry top of a chicken pie needs to be light and flaky. The structure of a pastry is, at first, dictated by how well the fat is incorporated into the dough. The longer the fat and flour are mixed then the better the fat coats the flour – this gives the gluten less chance to form long strands and so the pastry will be crumblier. If the fat and flour are mixed for a shorter period of time, this produces a rougher mix – pockets of fat will be left in the dough that bubble up as steam is produced during baking, creating flakes. Puff pastry is an example where both principles are at play. The dough is made with strong flour, which is rich in gluten and forms a strong, structured pastry, but it is then interspersed with layers of fat that create large air pockets to produce the flakes.

The right temperature

Another important principle of pastry work is to keep your dough at the correct temperature. When a dough becomes too warm, the fat melts and splits from the mixture – this is especially disastrous in puff pastry. A warm dough will be too soft to roll out and won’t actually move during the rolling process. If it is a hot day and the dough is getting too warm, return the pastry to the refrigerator for a few minutes to chill. An invaluable tip we use in The Pie Room on really hot days is to chill a chopping board in the refrigerator or freezer before rolling out the pastry on it. The cold work surface keeps the pastry pliable … and helps us keep our cool.

Homemade vs shop-bought

Throughout this book you have the choice of following my recipes for homemade doughs or using shop-bought pastry. This is because I’m a realist. I know how little time people have to cook at home nowadays. You can buy pastry that is made to a great standard, so if you’re under pressure to prepare food for a family event it’s fine to take this shortcut. There are times when fitting in the half-day process of making a puff pastry simply isn’t realistic. Now here’s a big reveal … when cooking at home, sometimes I use shop-bought pastry for ease and to save time. I’m not ashamed to say that! Do whatever works for you, but when you do have a moment, take the time to practise the dough recipes here–here. Making pastry by hand is a great way to understand how pastry works and what each dough feels like, and become comfortable with the different types of crust, plus you have the added satisfaction of creating it all from scratch.

I find pastry work incredibly therapeutic; it’s my time to focus on the task in hand and remove myself from the outside world for a little while, but that is only possible when I can afford myself the time.

Recycling pastry dough

Trimmings from each pastry dough recipe in this book can be re-rolled and used once again, although there are a few things to bear in mind when doing so. In the section on rolling techniques (see here), you will notice that I recommend not using too much flour when dusting the dough and work surface. This is because any additional flour alters the consistency and structure of the dough, which can make it tough to roll out again and overly fragile during baking. When re-rolling any trimmings, you must allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator again before using. This is because you have put the gluten strands under stress during rolling and so, without a chance to relax, the pastry will shrink back dramatically. If freezing dough trimmings, dust off any excess flour before flattening them into a puck. Wrap the dough well in clingfilm before freezing for up to one month. Classic puff pastry can be re-rolled, but the resulting bake will not be as even and much more like a rough puff pastry.

Flours

Strong flours have a higher protein content than softer flours and can absorb more water. They also develop gluten strands much more easily, making a tougher pastry. Softer and plain flours always work better for flakier crusts.

Due to the boom in real breadmaking within homes over the last ten years, we are lucky to have a huge variety of flours available in supermarkets and food shops. At The Pie Room we use organic flours that are full of nutrients and flavour, which are a joy to work with. For certain doughs we use unbleached, heritage flours milled from grains that were more commonly farmed centuries ago. Wherever you can, like all ingredients in the recipes, I recommend using the best flour that you can afford. Remember that unbleached flours result in a much darker crust, as you will see with the pork pie (see here), as well as the most incredible flavour – and that wins for me every time.

The most important thing to remember when using any flour is to sift. Wherever a pack of flour has been stored, be it in the cupboard at home or on a supermarket shelf, it could have absorbed moisture and formed lumps inside. It takes just a minute to sift flour through a sieve to remove any lumps. If you don’t sift and then find a lump of raw flour in a crust at the end of cooking, there’s little you can do about it. Always sift.

Fats

The most commonly used fat throughout this book is butter. It dominates the dough chapter and features heavily in many of the savoury recipes. In the ingredients list for each recipe, you may notice that I never state which type of butter to use in the pastry recipes. That is because I use salted butter as standard for everything that I bake. Because it’s so tasty, salted butter is the butter that I keep in my refrigerator at home for all my cooking. The slight savoury note salted butter adds to everything will only be a bonus; even sweet dishes will benefit from the balance gifted by a little salt. As with flour, use the best butter you can afford for these recipes. Anything that is left over will be amazing spread on hot toast in the morning.

Both suet and lard are widely available in supermarkets. If not, suet can be easily ordered online. In The Pie Room, the type of lard we use is called leaf lard, which is fat taken from around the pig’s kidneys. Leaf lard is very pure and not overly strong-flavoured – it makes a beautifully clean-tasting pastry. I’m lucky to get mine from a friend who makes charcuterie, but you could ask your local butcher if they can source it for you or look online if you are keen to try it for yourself.

Shortcrust Pastry

The first recorded recipe for shortcrust pastry goes back to the eighteenth century so it’s been with us for a long time, keeping pies happily wrapped up and rightly so. It’s a cracking dough. It is superb for savoury pies and tart cases that need more robust structural integrity than puff pastry provides. If the flour and butter are blended completely in a food processor until they resemble a crumble mix before the wet ingredients are added, the pastry will have a more mealy texture, which is often better for tart cases. Making the pastry by hand results in a flakier pastry with a fine crumb. The level of flakiness can be managed by how thoroughly the flour is mixed with the butter. If the butter is left in slightly larger, more visible nuggets within the pastry dough, you will get a flakier result because the butter melts in pockets during cooking, allowing flakes to form as the water in the dough creates steam and puffs the pockets. Be very careful not to overwork this dough, as mentioned in the recipe, as otherwise you will create gluten strands that are too long, and it will become tough and chewy.

This is probably my favourite dough, and it’s the most versatile I can think of with applications from the flakiest apple pie lid to the fine detail of a pastry braid, and with proper seasoning as in the recipe below, it is absolutely delicious to eat.

MAKES ABOUT 900G (OR ENOUGH TO LINE TWO 25CM ROUND TART TINS)

2 eggs, beaten

60ml ice-cold water

500g plain flour

10g fine table salt

250g butter, chilled and diced into 2cm cubes

Combine the beaten egg with the ice-cold water and keep it in the refrigerator until needed. It is important to keep this egg mixture chilled as it will shock the butter back to coldness and stop it from splitting.

If making the pastry by hand, sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter cubes and, using a round-bladed knife, cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are as small as possible. Working quickly, pass a handful of flour and butter across your fingertips, gently rubbing them together as you allow it to fall back into the bowl, until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

If making the pastry using a mixer, sift the flour into the bowl and add the salt and butter. Using a paddle attachment, work at a medium speed to incorporate the butter into the flour.

Whether working by hand or using a mixer, continue working the butter into the flour until the butter is almost incorporated but small nuggets are still visible (for a flaky pastry) or fully incorporated to a fine granular mix (for a mealy, more even pastry).

Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the chilled egg mixture. Continue to work by hand with the round-bladed knife or with the mixer on a medium speed until the dough just starts to come together. The dough should still be fairly rough – it is important not to overwork the dough at this point otherwise gluten in the flour will form strong bonds and the pastry will develop an undesirable elasticity.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it a few times to finish. Be careful not to overwork or handle it too much. Flatten the dough into a rectangle, wrap it tightly in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but preferably 1 hour, before using.

This shortcrust pastry dough can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator or up to one month in the freezer. If freezing, weigh out the dough into the quantities needed for individual recipes – it will take less time to thaw and you won’t be potentially wasting any dough. To use the dough from the freezer, allow it to come back to refrigerator temperature overnight.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

While some doughs for dessert tarts and pies do not require any sweetness, others do. This is all down to the sugar content of the filling itself. If the filling is tart, it may benefit from a little additional sweetness. The recipes in this book specify whether to use a sweet or savoury shortcrust pastry. Over the years I have collected so many sweet pastry recipes. The instructions below combine various elements from these different recipes, blending what I feel worked well in each of them to make the ultimate sweet pastry. The structure of this pastry is strong and so lends itself well to blind baking and slices cleanly when serving. It also has just the right balance of savoury and sweet notes. It is important to not overwork the dough and allow it plenty of resting time in order to stop it shrinking during the baking process.

MAKES ABOUT 1KG (OR ENOUGH TO LINE TWO 25CM ROUND TART TINS)

250g butter, chilled and diced into 2cm cubes

180g caster sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

500g plain flour

a large pinch of fine table salt

2 eggs, beaten

If making the pastry by hand, place the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl. Using a wooden spoon, cream together the ingredients until the mixture is light, fluffy and pale in colour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

If making the pastry using a mixer, place the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl. Using a paddle attachment, work at a medium speed to cream together the ingredients. After mixing for 1 minute, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Continue working at a medium speed for about 4–5 minutes or until the mixture is light, fluffy and pale in colour. Take the bowl off the stand. Scrape any mixture from the paddle into the bowl.

Sift the flour and salt into the bowl with the butter mixture and, using a large metal spoon, gently fold into the mixture until the flour is incorporated. If using a mixer, replace the bowl on the stand and continue to mix at a medium speed until a crumbly consistency.

While beating, gradually add one-quarter of the beaten egg and mix until fully incorporated. Gradually add the remaining egg, one-quarter at a time, until all the beaten egg is fully combined and the dough is smooth.

Flatten the dough into a rectangle, wrap it tightly in clingfilm and rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but preferably 1 hour, before using.

This sweet shortcrust pastry dough can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator or up to one month in the freezer. If freezing, weigh out the dough into the quantities needed for individual recipes – it will take less time to thaw and you won’t be potentially wasting any dough. To use the dough from the freezer, allow it to come back to refrigerator temperature overnight.

Hot Water Crust Pastry

Traditionally used to encase cold pork pies, hot water crust pastry is one of the oldest British pie dough recipes. With early origins showing ingredients as just flour and hot water, it was likely in the Medieval times that it developed into what we now more closely know: flour, hot water and lard. It would have been used to make huge pies for banquets, encasing goose, venison and whole swans. Over time this pastry technique has changed little; it is still worked with while hot as it firms up as it cools. In The Pie Room, however, we have worked hard at adapting the traditional recipe to form a slightly lighter, crispier crust, that is fresh with the flavour of herbs and that can be worked with at a cooler room temperature and even used again after refrigeration.

MAKES 1KG

200ml water

160g lard

2 rosemary sprigs

10g salt

500g plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

Combine the water, lard, rosemary and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and wait for the lard to melt fully, then turn off the heat and allow to infuse.

Sift the flour into a bowl. Using either a round-bladed knife or the paddle attachment of a mixer, start to work on a medium speed. Add the egg and mix until thoroughly dispersed through the flour – this will take 2–3 minutes.

Remove the rosemary from the pan with a fork and then bring the water and fat mix to a boil. Slowly pour onto the flour and egg mix, scraping the bowl and paddle halfway through to prevent any lumps from forming. Mix for 2–3 minutes until well combined.

Allow the dough to cool on a tray between parchment paper until the heat has dissipated and then chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator before using.

This hot water crust pastry dough can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer. If freezing, weigh out the dough into the quantities needed for individual recipes – it will take less time to thaw and you won’t be potentially wasting any dough. To use the dough from the freezer, allow it to come back to refrigerator temperature overnight.

Classic Puff Pastry

I always assumed puff pastry was invented in France. It is so dominant throughout French food culture, evident in the windows of every pâtisserie, that this is an easy assumption to make. However, Spanish recipes for puff pastry precede the French with the first documented appearance right at the beginning of the seventeenth century, while the first French recipe appears mid-century.

A classic butter puff pastry is a laminated dough that rises due to the power of steam. When making the dough, many thin, alternating layers of fat and dough are created so that, when cooked at a high enough heat, the fat melts to leave a pocket of air in the dough. The moisture in the dough and fat then boils to create steam, which causes these pockets to expand. Before you cook puff pastry, it is important to make sure the oven is at the correct temperature so that this transformative process occurs quickly, allowing the structure to form and be locked in.

This recipe creates a puff pastry that rises evenly and is neater than rough puff, so it is better suited to dishes like vol au vents where a little refinement is needed. Honestly, it is a myth that puff pastry is difficult to make. All that is required for success is planning, patience, and following the instructions closely. This recipe creates a large batch of dough – if you’re going to spend an afternoon making puff pastry, you may as well make plenty – so divide it into smaller amounts based on the recipes you plan to make before wrapping and freezing for later use.

MAKES 1.5KG

For the dough

350g strong flour

200g plain flour

15g table salt

115g butter, softened and diced

250ml ice-cold water

For the lock-in butter

500g chilled butter, diced

50g strong flour

First prepare the dough. If making the pastry by hand, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt, butter and water. Using your fingers, gently mix to an even dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 5 minutes or until smooth.

If making the pastry using a mixer, sift the flour into the mixer bowl and add the salt, butter and water. Using a dough hook, work at a medium speed for a few minutes to incorporate the butter into the flour until it forms a smooth dough.

Flatten the dough into a neat rectangle, wrap it tightly in clingfilm and rest in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the lock-in butter. Thoroughly clean and dry the bowl and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the butter and flour in the bowl and either work the flour into the butter using a wooden spoon for 5–10 minutes, or use the mixer working at a low speed for 2 minutes or until everything is well incorporated. Scrape the butter mixture onto the lined tray and, using floured hands, shape it into a square about 1cm thick. Place the butter mixture in the refrigerator until just chilled but not completely hard. (It is important that the chilled dough and lock-in butter are similarly firm, otherwise they will not roll together evenly and this may cause rips and holes in the dough.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large square that is twice the size of the lock-in butter. Place the butter in the centre of the dough but at an angle so that the corners point towards the edges of the dough. Making sure you do not trap any air, fold the corners of the dough over the butter, bringing them into the middle like an envelope. Lightly pinch together all the joins to seal and completely encase the butter.

Roll out the dough and butter into a rectangle roughly three times as long as it is wide, using the sides of your hands to make sure the edges are neat and square. Dust any excess flour from the surface of the dough. With the shortest side closest to you, visually divide the dough horizontally into thirds and very lightly dampen the centre third with a little water, then fold the bottom one third of the dough over the centre third. Repeat by folding the remaining top third over the double layer of dough, then tightly wrap the dough in clingfilm. Lightly press your finger into the bottom right-hand corner of the dough to make an indentation which signifies the first turn and how the dough was positioned on the board before you put it into the refrigerator.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. (Chilling the pastry between each roll out and fold allow the butter to harden so that clean, even layers of dough and butter are built up.)

Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface with the indent in the same position as before at the bottom right-hand corner. Next, turn the dough 90 degrees clockwise. Roll out the dough into an 18cm by 25cm rectangle and repeat the folding process. Make sure all corners and sides are straight. Wrap the dough in clingfilm again and this time make two indents on the dough in the bottom right corner. Chill in the refrigerator for a further 30 minutes.

Repeat the turning and folding processes two more times, each time chilling the dough for 30 minutes and marking with indents in the bottom right-hand corner to make sure the dough is turned in the correct direction. After the final turn, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 45 minutes and then it is ready to use.

This classic puff pastry dough can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer. If freezing, weigh out the dough into the quantities needed for individual recipes – it will take less time to thaw and you won’t be potentially wasting any dough. To use the dough from the freezer, allow it to come back to refrigerator temperature overnight.

Rough Puff Pastry

This is a quicker, simpler dough to make than the classic puff pastry. However, it does result in a more rustic and uneven rise, but that is not always such a terrible thing. I actually prefer rough puff pastry for certain pies specifically because it lends that homely look. Rough puff will rise only to about 70 percent of the height of a classic puff, so misses some of the drama, but it is a good entry-level dough to make first in the lead-up to building a properly laminated classic puff pastry. This recipe creates a large batch of pastry, so divide it into smaller amounts based on the recipes you plan to make before wrapping and freezing for later use.

MAKES 1.25KG

500g plain flour

1 teaspoon fine table salt

500g butter, chilled and diced

250ml ice-cold water

If making the pastry by hand, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt and butter. Using your fingers, gently mix to a rough dough.

If making the pastry using a mixer, sift the flour into the bowl and add the salt and butter. Using a paddle attachment, work at a medium speed for 2–3 minutes until the butter has formed small nuggets and the mixture becomes grainy.

Add the ice-cold water all at once to the flour and butter and continue at a medium speed just to bring the dough together. The dough should not be well mixed; you want the dough to be straggly and rough, with the fats still visible, so don’t work it for too long.

Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and carefully knead the dough until all the flour is incorporated. Flatten the dough slightly, wrap it tightly in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle measuring 50cm by 30cm, using the sides of your hands to make sure the edges are neat and square. Dust any excess flour from the surface of the dough. With the shortest side closest to you, visually divide the dough horizontally into thirds and very lightly dampen the centre third with a little water, then fold the bottom one third of the dough over the centre third. Repeat by folding the remaining top third over the double layer of dough.

Turn the dough 90 degrees clockwise and repeat the rolling and folding process. This makes up the first two turns. Tightly wrap the dough in clingfilm. Lightly press your finger into the bottom right-hand corner of the dough to make an indentation which signifies how the dough was positioned on the board before you put it into the refrigerator. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Unwrap the dough and place it on your work surface with the indent in the same position as before at the bottom right-hand corner. Next, turn the dough 90 degrees clockwise and repeat the rolling and folding processes two more times for the final two turns. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 40 minutes before it is ready to use.

This rough puff pastry dough can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer. If freezing, weigh out the dough into the quantities needed for individual recipes – it will take less time to thaw and you won’t be potentially wasting any dough. To use the dough from the freezer, allow it to come back to refrigerator temperature overnight.

Suet Pastry

Another ancient British pastry recipe, this dough includes an interesting ingredient not commonly used much nowadays. Suet is the very hard fat from around the main organs of generally either beef or lamb. As it cannot be rubbed into flour in the conventional way, instead suet is shredded and just incorporated into the dough to melt later during the cooking process. Of course, this is a good thing for flaky pie tops as those melting fats leave air pockets for flakes to form in a bake, and when the pastry is steamed (as in a steamed steak and kidney pudding), it keeps the pastry moist during the cooking process. While best used straight away due to the self-raising content of the flour, which adds lightness to the finished pastry, suet pastry can be refrigerated or frozen to be baked at a later date, but it will not rise quite as much. My old boss Marcus Verberne first taught me how to make this at Roast restaurant. I remember watching him grate frozen butter on a cheese grater for the first time and thinking ‘What is this guy doing?!’ Now I know why – it is a great recipe that we’ve changed very little since.

MAKES 1KG

150g butter, frozen

550g self-raising flour

210g shredded suet, very cold

10g table salt

half a bunch of thyme, leaves picked

250ml ice-cold water

Grate the frozen butter into a metal bowl and then pop it straight back into the freezer until needed.

Sift the flour into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using a paddle attachment, working at a slow speed, and the grated butter, suet, salt and thyme. Mix for 2 minutes. Slowly add the ice-cold water until the dough just comes together. Remove the dough from the mixer and finish by hand until the flour is incorporated but the fats are still visible.

Flatten the dough slightly and then wrap it tightly in clingfilm. Put the dough in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes before using.

This suet pastry dough can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer. However it is likely to rise a bit less due to the activation of the self-raising flour in the early stages. To defrost, remove from the freezer and transfer to the fridge the day before you want to use it.

Choux Pastry

Choux is more than just profiteroles and éclairs. In fairness, I have a weak spot for both of those delicacies, but choux pastry is incredible when used in savoury dishes, too. Its origins can be traced back as far as the sixteenth century with the term ‘choux’ appearing in the eighteenth century, when French pastry chef Avice used it to create his famous buns which resembled cabbages or ‘choux’ in French. As is often claimed in modern French recipes, Antonin Carême had a hand in adapting choux pastry into the version that we know today, using it to create huge centrepieces at Royal banquets.

It is important to use strong flour for choux pastry as its higher protein content means it can absorb more liquid; the greater amount of egg means the pastry has a lighter finish at the end. The protein in strong flour also means it develops more gluten strands, giving the pastry the elasticity needed for expansion during cooking but without bursting.

MAKES 500G

120ml whole milk

110ml water

60g butter, diced

a large pinch of fine table salt

65g strong flour, sifted

2 eggs, beaten

Pour the milk and water into a medium, non-stick saucepan and add the butter and salt. Bring to the boil over a high heat and then as soon as all the butter has melted, reduce the heat to medium. Add the sifted flour to the pan all at once, then cook for 3 minutes or until smooth, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon; reduce the heat if you feel the choux paste is catching on the base of the pan.

Transfer the choux paste to a mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on a medium speed for 30 seconds to take some of the heat out of the paste. While beating at a medium speed, gradually add one-quarter of the beaten egg and mix until the egg is fully incorporated. Continue adding the egg gradually, one-quarter at a time, until all the beaten egg is fully combined. Continue to beat the choux paste until it is perfectly smooth and has a sheen to it. When pinched lightly, the paste should retain its shape.

This choux pastry dough can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer. If freezing, I pipe the dough onto a tray in the required shapes first and then freeze them, before transferring to a storage container. Pre-piped choux pastry can be cooked straight from frozen and achieves very similar results to when cooked from fresh. However, you will need to increase the cooking time to account for defrosting the dough.

Brioche Dough

With a structure that sits somewhere between bread and cake, brioche dough is heavily enriched with butter and works equally well for both sweet and savoury dishes. Largely believed to be French in origin, brioche recipes have swung from a lighter version to a richer one and back again many times throughout its history for economic reasons: the cost of the butter added. This is an overnight recipe, so you can make it in the evening to use for brunch or lunch the following day. The long fermentation process allows a beautiful structure to form so that you end up with a tufty, bread-like feel to the dough.

MAKES ABOUT 1KG

450g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting

8g instant dried yeast

15g caster sugar

10g table salt

3 eggs, beaten

90ml whole milk

275g butter, diced

Sift the flour into a bowl, then add the dried yeast, sugar and salt. Using either a round-bladed knife or the dough hook attachment of a mixer, start to combine the ingredients on a slow speed so that the dough doesn’t get too warm.

Add the eggs and milk and continue to mix on a slow speed for 5 minutes until the dough is elastic and glossy. Gradually add the butter one-quarter at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time, until it is fully incorporated into the dough.

Continue to mix on a slow speed until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl. It’s important not to overwork the dough or to work it too fast as any addition of heat will cause the butter to split from the mixture. The dough will be very soft at this point.

If kneading by hand, take a lump of the dough and pull it up vertically, then push it back down and away from you. Continue until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, and forms a ball. To add the butter by hand, turn the dough on to a work surface, bury the butter a tablespoon at a time in the centre of the dough then knead until it becomes a smooth, silky mass. Continue adding butter this way until it has all been added.

Take a bowl larger than the dough and lightly dust it with flour, shake out any excess and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with clingfilm or a dish towel and put it in the refrigerator. Leave the dough to prove for at least 7 hours or overnight. The dough will firm up and be easier to shape.

This brioche dough can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator or two weeks in the freezer. To defrost, remove from the freezer and transfer to the fridge the day before you want to use it.

Filo Pastry

Filo pastry can be made by hand at home, but should it be?… I’ve made filo pastry and it takes a lot of time and patience to create a batch large enough for any recipe. The reality here is that, genuinely, I think you should always use shop-bought filo. Unlike other pastries that I have given recipes for, I don’t see a big enough difference in handmade and shop-bought filo that justifies the time needed to make it. I even use pre-made filo pastry at the Holborn Dining Room, whenever we need it – there, I’ve said it. This book is all about making pastry accessible to the home cook, so I want common sense to prevail. For goodness sake, unless you have all the time in the world, buy pre-made filo pastry from a supermarket.