PERFECT PASTRY
The Australian Women's Weekly Food|Issue 60 2020
When the going gets tough, the tough get baking, so to get things rolling, here’s our essential guide.
PERFECT PASTRY

Pastry is one of those things in the culinary world that is well worth mastering – especially the ever-popular shortcrust pastry, be it sweet or savoury. Frozen sheets of various types of pastry, including sweet and savoury shortcrust, are readily available in supermarkets and no home freezer should be without them for those last-minute tops for pies, turnovers and pasties.

Goodies made using pastry are usually eaten in the cooler months, and ideally, pastry should always be made in a cool kitchen. Allow yourself time to make your own pastry; it’s well worth it.

As with any cooking method, but particularly baking, there are a few rules worth following. Use a good basic recipe like the one here and follow each step and the rules very carefully.

Perfect pastry has a ‘look’ and a ‘feel’ to it. It should be easy to handle and easy to roll without major cracks. Try to remember the way it looked and felt, then aim to come up with that same result every time. It’s a good idea to make notes to yourself on the recipe.

Cool fingertips and a light touch make good pastry; hot hands and heavy handling don’t. Food processors make good pastry too, provided that the ingredients are pulsed together using short bursts of power. Process only until the ingredients cling together.

Over-handling or over-processing will result in tough, hard-to-roll pastry: it will develop large cracks during the rolling process.

ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

All the ingredients, and even the mixing bowl, should be chilled.

FLOUR

Weigh or measure the flour, add a pinch of salt if you like and sift it into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor. Refrigerate it for about 30 minutes.

Esta historia es de la edición Issue 60 2020 de The Australian Women's Weekly Food.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición Issue 60 2020 de The Australian Women's Weekly Food.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY FOODVer todo
bake of the month
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

bake of the month

Crunchy coconut meringue and tangy rhubarb combine in a mouth-watering slice perfect for a crowd.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 93
ADVANCED - Cooking class
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

ADVANCED - Cooking class

This recipe is fairly technical, and requires time resting the pastry at each stage, so break it over two days if you like. But perservere, it's worth it!

time-read
3 minutos  |
Issue 93
slow cooker of the month
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

slow cooker of the month

Who knew you could make pizza in the slow cooker? We did! And we share our easier-than-ever spin using store-bought pizza dough and sauce.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 93
4 ways with MUESLI BARS
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

4 ways with MUESLI BARS

sensational snack

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 93
AIR FRYER budget-busters
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

AIR FRYER budget-busters

Hearty and satisfying recipes that will save you time and money

time-read
2 minutos  |
Issue 93
A table for one
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

A table for one

Cooking for one gives you complete freedom to please yourself.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 93
BEGINNER - Cooking class
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

BEGINNER - Cooking class

The secret ingredient, lemon curd, coupled with a simple lemor glaze drizzle, makes this cake perfect for citrus lovers.

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 93
Tea party for Mum
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

Tea party for Mum

It's Mum's special day this month, so we're bringing back the tea party! Our dainty finger sandwiches, delicate pastries, and a pretty celebration cake are sure to impress.

time-read
4 minutos  |
Issue 93
INTERMEDIATE - Cooking class
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

INTERMEDIATE - Cooking class

Have a crack at our classic meat pie - a buttery shortcrust pastry shell that gives way to a savoury filling of tender beef with a flaky, crispy puff pastry lid.

time-read
3 minutos  |
Issue 93
Feast around the world
The Australian Women's Weekly Food

Feast around the world

We've got protein covered as we head into the cooler months with international flavours to excite.

time-read
5 minutos  |
Issue 93