Gorgeous home-made flaky pastry
This is my mum's recipe. When I moved out of home and bought pies, tarts and the like, I would be eating them wondering what the hell went wrong! So I got the recipe, tweaked it a little bit and it now has a very strict set of instructions, but if you follow them carefully you will never buy pastry again! Yes, it's that good! The secret of this recipe is not to overdo the work.
MAKES ABOUT 500G OF PASTRY
240g plain flour and extra for rolling
Pinch of salt
180g margarine at room temperature
Cold water to mix
30g lard at room temperature
Method
- Put the flour in a mixing bowl, then add the salt. Cut 120g of the margarine in small pieces into the bowl. Now get in with clean hands and lightly rub the margarine through the flour.
- Add the water gradually while mixing with a knife until it just about forms a dough. Empty the mixing bowl out onto a floured work surface, form the dough into a square and roll out into a rectangle: one roll of the rolling pin should suffice.
- Cut the remaining margarine and the lard into small pieces and spread some of it onto the rolled-out pastry in small clumps. Roll up the pastry like a swiss roll, then turn the pastry ninety degrees and roll it out again. Repeat this process until all the margarine and lard has all been used.
Note how the pastry is kneaded and handled as little as possible.
- Fold up the last time and wrap in cling film or foil and put in the fridge for at least an hour before using.
- The pastry can be frozen at this point.