It’s great to have a small batch pastry recipe that you can really trust and use again and again. This pastry recipe can be used for anything from a sweet or savoury galette, a pie top, a small batch of mince pies or sausage rolls. It is so easy to make and master.
Top tips:
1. It’s a simple formula, weigh your butter and however much butter you have, weigh out the same in flour. It’s great for using whatever amount of butter you happen to have in the house.
2. I always add a splash of vinegar to the pastry. I think it stops the gluten development and it doesn’t become too tough.
3. Don’t add too much water (too much water and you’re left with shrunken, tough pastry, too little and it stays dry and crumbly). When adding the water to the butter and flour, use very cold water and add it a tablespoon at a time. I like to make a big batch and freeze the rest for another galette. Cut it into quarters for easy use.
4. Chill the pastry between each step and use very cold butter!
5. If you’d like to make a bigger batch I recommend 250g butter, 250g flour, 135ml water, 15ml vinegar (1 tablespoon).
6. Use an egg wash if making a larger version, I just think it’s a waste to crack an egg open for a very small brush.
Serves 1 (or 2)
Ingredients
For the pastry
75g plain flour
A small pinch of fine salt
75g unsalted butter, very cold from the fridge then cut into 1cm cubes
1 tbsp of very cold water
1 tbsp of white wine, apple cider or rice wine vinegar
A pinch of icing sugar (for a sweet pastry)
For the filling
2 plums, ripe but firm (or 1 apple or pear, 2-3 apricots, a handful of strawberries or cherries)
20g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cornflour
2 tbsps ground almonds
A few tbsp of milk
2 tsps demerara sugar
Method
For the pastry
1. Sift the flour and fine sea salt into a large bowl. Add the cubed butter to the bowl and rub them in loosely until you still have some larger chunks of butter. I like to rub the butter between my fingers so they become large and thick flakes. The larger flakes will make the pastry puff up. It should be a very rough breadcrumb texture.
2. Make a well in the bowl and pour in the water and vinegar, mixing until you have a firm rough, shaggy dough. You may think it’s too dry but once it’s rested it won’t be. But do add more water if it’s not coming together at all.
3. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 20 mins in the fridge.
4. Turn the pastry out onto a lightly floured board, knead gently and form into a rectangle.
5. Roll the dough in one direction only, until it is three times the width. Don’t overwork the butter streaks; you should have a marbled effect with obvious butter chunks running through it. Fold the top third down to the centre, then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn (rotate it 90 degrees) and roll it out again to three times the size.
6. Fold as before, cover with cling film and chill for at least an hour (ideally overnight) before rolling for use.
For the filling and baking
1. As I have said, this can go in many directions using what you’ve got available to you. It’s such a versatile recipe. I’m using plums here as they are in season as I write this, but as we come into the winter months you can use apples, pears or even figs.
2. Remove the stones from the plums and cut them into 1/2cm-thick slices. Put these in a large bowl, mix in the sugar, ground ginger and cornflour, then set aside.
3. Heat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan. Once the pastry has rested, put it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into a circle of about 15-20cm in diameter, giving the pastry a quarter turn every couple of rolls, so it keeps the circular shape. Sprinkle a lined baking tray with demerara sugar then lay the pastry over the sugar. Sprinkle the ground almonds all over, leaving about 3cm around the edges.
4. I like to pile the plums onto the pastry but feel free to lay them neatly if you want, again, leaving a thick border around the edges. Fold the overhanging pastry over the plum filling further than you think as the pastry will spread out when baking. Chill for 20 minutes. Brush the edges with milk (or a beaten egg if you want), and generously sprinkle with more demerara sugar over the plum filling and pastry. Bake for 35-40 minutes, then remove and leave to cool for a few minutes before serving hot with ice cream, cream, creme fraiche or custard. It’s also great served cold! @kittycoles