The Friday Baking Project

Pâte Brisée 1

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup (5.8 oz / 165 g) all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

7 ½ tbl (3.75 oz / 107 g) unsalted butter, cold (see notes)

¼ to â…“ cup ice water

Tools and equipment needed:

• Dry measuring cups, scale, small liquid measuring cup
• Medium mixing bowl.
• Pastry blender, plastic spatula
• Food processor (optional)

Pre-recipe preparations:

• Take butter from refrigerator and cut into pieces. Let sit at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes. The butter should still be cold, but not rock solid, approximately 55 °F to 57 °F¹

Directions:

1. Place flour and salt in food processor, process for 5 seconds.
2. Add butter pieces, and process, using the pulse switch, just until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl.
4. Using a plastic spatula to mix, add enough of the ice water until the dough comes together. Add dribbles of ice water to any dry parts remaining in the bowl.
5. Scrape the dough into a large piece of plastic wrap, press it together into a round, and wrap.
6. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or longer. May be stored in refrigerator for 3 days or freezer for 2 months.
7. Remove dough from refrigerator approximately 30 to minutes prior to rolling out.

Notes:

1. Most P¢te Bris©e recipes call for cold butter straight from the refrigerator. However, when using a food processor, the 38 °F to 40 °F butter will remain in cold distinct pieces, not form a homogenous dough, and require more water to form a dough. For this reason, I recommend the use of 55 °F to 57 °F butter.

Baking Tips:

• Pastry dough recipes are built on the percentage relationship between the primary ingredients; butter (or other fat) and flour. In my P¢te Bris©e recipe, butter is 65% of the weight of the flour. With this rule you can make as much, or as little P¢te Bris©e as you like. Start out with a set weight of flour and multiply by .65 to determine required weight of butter.