The Best Pastry Recipe Ever

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together water, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Stir into flour mixture and knead dough briefly, just until smooth. Allow to rest 15 minutes before rolling out. Pastry is easier to work with when chilled. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal. Pour in water slowly; knead dough into a firm ball.
• Pour in additional water as needed if dough is too dry or additional flour if too moist. Divide batter into equal halves. Roll out dough halves into rounds on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin to desired thickness.
• Press one round into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Use the other round as a top crust or for a separate bottom crust. Bake according to desired filling instructions.

Steps:

• Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl.
• Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add ice water a little at a time, tossing with a fork to make a pastry-like dough.
• Add a bit more water if it seems dry and won't hold together when squeezed lightly.
• Gather into a ball, press firmly now, then wrap with plastic wrap and chill while preparing the pasty ingredients (see Recipe # ).
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface (or on top of a piece of plastic wrap which can easily be folded over and then peeled off once the pasty ingredients are loaded).
• Edges of pasty should be brushed with a smidgen of water and then crimped VERY firmly with a fork (and I fold them and crimp again -- so none of the liquid seeps out).
• Brush tops of finished pasties with milk to enhance the crust (it will bake to a beautiful golden brown).
• NOTE: Like pastry dough, pasty dough should be handled as LITTLE as possible to ensure flakiness. So, *handle with care* !

Steps:

• Sift 225g plain flour into a large bowl, add 100g diced butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in a pinch of salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough.
• Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface.
• Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.

Steps:

• Keep 1 cup of the flour out to use this flour to roll out dough with.
• Combine lard,flour,baking powder,salt.
• In a cup with fork slightly beat egg, vinegar and cold water to make up 1 cup of ingredients
• Add egg, water and vinegar to flour mixture form a ball.
• Do not overwork dough.
• Please, refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour or 24 hrs {this freezes very well} before using for the best result.
• Bake at 400 Degrees in a preheated oven for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 until pastry is golden brown!

Steps:

• Weigh out the 1lb self raising flour and remove 3 tablespoons if you are making sweet pastry, 2 tablespoons if you are making savoury. Then add 2 tablespoons of cornflour and 1 tablespoon of icing sugar for sweet pastry and 2 tablespoons of cornflour and the salt for savoury. Place into the food mixer, I have a Kenwood K Mix but any will do the same job although food processors will do the job much quicker and it is easy to overwork the pastry with them, so be careful. You can do it by hand of course.
• Cut the butter and Trex into small cubes and put in the Kenwood with the K beater on to rub the fat into the flour, have on slow speed until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add the 1 egg and enough cold water whilst the machine is still running until it starts to come together. Stop the mixer and combine the dough into a ball, wrap it in clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least an hour. Never, ever over handle pastry or add too much water, this will make it tough - it should feel soft and come together with just a little encouragement.
• Roll out with a little flour make your desired recipe and cook at 220 degrees until golden brown. I always put pies on a flat baking sheet preheated with the oven. This pastry will be golden and short and melt in the mouth, almost like shortbread.