Best Butter Pastry Dough Gourmet Magazine Recipes

PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.
• Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and press into a 5-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

CHEF JOHN'S BUTTER PUFF BISCUIT DOUGH

Steps:

• Place self-rising flour and cold water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using dough hook attachment knead to form a soft, slightly elastic, but not too sticky dough, about 2 minutes. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Place chilled dough on a floured surface and roll out to a 1/2-inch thick rectangle using just enough flour to keep it from sticking. Grate about 4 tablespoons of frozen butter onto the surface of the dough to within about 1/2 inch of the edge. Lightly flour a sheet of plastic wrap. Spread the plastic wrap, floured side down, onto the butter and gently press the butter into the dough. Carefully remove the plastic wrap.
• Fold 1/3 of the dough over the middle third; then fold the other 1/3 over the middle into a tri-fold with 2 layers of butter. Roll dough again into a rectangle, brush off excess flour, and create another tri-fold. Roll again to about a 1-inch thickness. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
• Place chilled dough again on a floured surface, roll into a rectangle, and make another tri-fold. Roll back out again into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Grate about 3 tablespoons butter onto the surface of the dough. Cover with floured plastic wrap and press butter into dough. Remove plastic wrap. Give dough another tri-fold and press layers together. Roll out dough and fold in half. Roll out again, and fold in half. Roll out dough one more time. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
• Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C); see Cook's Note.

BUTTERCRUST PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Place blade insert into bowl of food processor. Add 1 cup flour. Sprinkle frozen butter cubes over flour. Add remaining 1 cup flour, sugar, and salt. Cover. Pulse in short bursts on and off until butter is broken into small pieces and looks crumbly, about 1 minute. Drizzle in ice water. Pulse with longer pulses, on and off, until mixture turns pale yellow and looks like crumbs, about 10 to 12 seconds. Scrape down sides with spatula. Pulse once or twice more.
• Transfer mixture onto a work surface. Bring pieces together to form a tight round ball of dough. Flatten slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight before rolling out.

ALL-BUTTER PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 9 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

BUTTER-AND-SHORTENING PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the shortening and butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, pour the water through the feed tube and process until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, adding no more water than necessary. Divide the dough into 2 balls, flatten them into thick disks and place them between waxed-paper sheets. Refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out.

THE BEST PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal. Pour in water slowly; knead dough into a firm ball.
• Pour in additional water as needed if dough is too dry or additional flour if too moist. Divide batter into equal halves. Roll out dough halves into rounds on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin to desired thickness.
• Press one round into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Use the other round as a top crust or for a separate bottom crust. Bake according to desired filling instructions.

BULLET EXPRESS BUTTER PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Place .meal mixer on base.
• insert.flat blade.
• add flours, sugar, and salt and lock on meal mixer cover & pulse 1-2 times to combined.
• add butter, pulsing until mixture is in coarse crumbs.
• then add ice water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between additions,until a dough forms.
• Finally remove dough and knead briefly until it holds together. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 mins before using. This dough will keep if refrigerated for up to 4 days. or wrap in foil and freeze up to 1 mth.

CLASSIC BUTTER PIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed., Shape dough into a disk for a single-crust pie; for a double-crust pie, divide dough in 2 with 1 piece slightly larger than the other. Shape into 2 disks. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. , For a single-crust pie: Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Fill or bake according to recipe directions., For a double-crust pie: Add filling to pie. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Bake according to recipe directions.