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Making Plain Pastry for Pies
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Traditional Procedure in
Making Plain Pastry
The first step in the making
of plain pastry consists in sifting the flour with the salt into the mixing
bowl. After this has been done, the fat should be worked into the flour,
an operation that may be accomplished in three ways.
1. The method very commonly
adopted is to work in the fat with the fingers; but this plan has its disadvantages
in that it is not a very agreeable way and the fat becomes so warmed by
the higher temperature of the fingers that it is liable to impair the finished
product.
2. Some people mix
the fat with the flour by fork, using this utensil to crush the lumps of
fat against the sides of the bowl. This method is much better than using fingers, but it takes longer and it is harder.
3. By far the most satisfactory
method and the one that produces the best results is to put the required
amount of fat into the bowl containing the flour and the salt, and then,
with pastry blender cut the fat into the flour until the particles of fat
are about the size of a small pea. As can readily be seen, this method,
which is perhaps as speedy as any method that may be adopted, has the advantage
of being entirely sanitary.
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| The second step in the making
of plain pastry consists of
adding the liquid to the mixture of flour and fat. Heap the particles up
in the center of the bowl, make a depression in the mixture, and pour the
water into this in a thin stream, stirring the mixture all the time with
a knife or a spatula. Be careful to add just enough water to make the mass
of fat and flour barely cling together. As soon as the water has been added,
gather the mixture into a mass preparatory to rolling it out on the board. |
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| At this point, flour the
molding board or other surface slightly, shape enough of the dough mixture
to cover a pie pan into a rounded mass, and place it on the floured space.
Then roll it out with the rolling pin until it is about 1/8 inch in thickness,
using a light, careful motion and keeping the piece of dough as nearly
round as possible, so that it will fit the pan it is intended to cover. |
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| When the rolling has been
completed, roll the edge of the pastry over the rolling pin, hold it carefully
over the pie pan, and unroll it gradually so that it will fall in the right
place and cover the pan properly. With the paste in the pan, press it lightly
with the fingers in order to make it cling closely to the bottom and the
sides. Then trim the paste evenly by running a knife around the edge of
the pan. When this is done, the pan is properly covered with paste for
a one-crust pie or with the bottom crust for a pie that is to have two
crusts. |
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