makes
12
prep
30 minutes
difficulty
Mid
makes
12
serves
preparation
30
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 135 g (4¾ oz) unsalted butter, cut into 1.5 cm (⁵⁄₈ inch) dice
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) unsalted butter, extra, chilled
- 675 g (1 lb 8 oz/4½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp strained fresh lemon juice
- 300 ml (10½ fl oz) iced water
Chilling time 30 minutes or overnight
Instructions
Put the 135 g (4¾ oz) butter in a food processor with the flour and salt. Allow to sit for a few minutes, so the butter softens slightly, but it is still cold.
Pulse until the mixture crumbs and resembles sand. Combine the lemon juice and iced water and drizzle over the crumbs, then pulse a few times until the mixture comes together into a smooth dough. Gather together and pat into a disc about 15 cm (6 inches) wide and 2 cm (¾ inch) thick. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes, or leave overnight.
The next step will be to fold (laminate) your pastry with the 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) extra butter, but first you will need to remove the butter from the fridge and leave it until it becomes pliable – but it should still be cold.
Place the butter between two sheets of baking paper, then use a rolling pin to gently pound the butter into a 20 cm (8 inch) square, about 1 cm (½ inch) thick.
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Using even strokes, roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a 20 cm x 40 cm (8 x 16 inch) rectangle, with the short sides left and right.
Recipe and image from Milkbar Memories by Jane Lawson (Murdoch Books, $39.99, pbk).
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
