David de Jongh's Cookbook

Flaky Pastry

Note: The nominal weight of pastry refers to the amount of flour used - this recipe makes what is called 8oz - of course the finished weight is a little over a pound.  (In cookery, logic goes out with the potato peelings).

Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening. Cut the shortening into the flour with a knife, until it is in pieces about the size of macadamia nuts. Add the water all at once and continue mixing with the knife. The mixture should coalesce into a large unsightly lump, very sticky, with the fat very visible. This is exactly right. Sprinkle flour on the mixture and the knife, to free it from the bowl. You can also mix it in a stand mixer, but just for a few seconds. Don't mix it until it looks homogenous - it will cook like rubber.

There are all kinds of things the recipe books tell you at this stage, like leaving it in the fridge, rolling it out between sheets of muslin, not using flour when you're rolling it out etc. I choose to ignore all of this. The only rules I follow are: Don't touch it with your hands, except to put it into the pie dish, and Don't cut the fat up too small.

You will need a lot of flour on the rolling board - sprinkle a fresh handful on each side each time you turn it over. I generally turn each half of the mixture three times to make each layer of a covered pie.

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