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Preparing dough is a question of
feeling. Basic ingredients are flour, water and salt. Eggs or butter can also be
used. Recipes give certain amounts. You should start with these amounts, but,
depending on a variety of circumstances such as the freshness of the flour used,
the size of the eggs, et cetera, your dough can end up either too moist or too
dry. Add little amounts of flour (when too moist) or water (when too dry) and
keep kneading until you like what you feel and see.
Even though the food processor is a fantastic appliance, you should knead your
dough with your hands. That way you'll know the consistency of the dough, and,
to be honest, kneading dough is one of the most satisfactory things you can do
with your hands (yeah, I know there are other things too ...).
After kneading, you should let the dough rest for a while.
Below you find four recipes for dough for savory cakes and pasties: puff
pastry with eggs, simple puff pastry, simple
shortcrust and firm shortcrust. Also, there
are three recipes for dough for empenadas and
empenadillas, one of which is gluten free.
Furthermore, there is a special dough with ground almonds in this
recipe.
Some recipes for various kinds of bread: Roman bread,
medieval bread, Christmas
bread.
PUFF
PASTRY WITH EGGS
Ingredients:
500 gram (4 1/4 cup) flour
2 tsp. salt
125 gram (1/2 cup) butter from the refrigerator
2 eggs
11/2 decilitre (2/3 cup) cold water
1 Tbsp. vinegar
Preparation:
Mix salt and flour. Cut the butter to pieces the size of a pea into the flour
with two knives. Stir the eggs with water and vinegar, add to the flour and
butter. Mix shortly with a fork. Pour the contents of the bowl on the worktop,
and shape the mass into a ball with floured hands, without kneading. The pieces
of butter must remain visible.
Wrap the dough in plastic foil and let it rest for at elast one hour in the
refrigerator.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator half an hour before continuing, because
otherwise the dough may be too firm to roll out.
Roll the dough out on a worktop sprinkled with flour. Fold the sheet in three,
roll out again, fold it again. Now roll out the dough to a sheet of ½
centimetre thick, and make the pasty.
SIMPLE
PUFF PASTRY
Ingredients:
500 gram (4 1/4 cup) flour
2 tsp. salt
250 gram (1 cup) butter from the refrigerator
2 1/2
deciliter (1 cup) cold water
Preparation:
Mix salt and flour. Cut the butter to pieces the size of a pea into the flour
with two knives. Stir the eggs with water and vinegar, add to the flour and
butter. Mix shortly with a fork. Pour the contents of the bowl on the worktop,
and shape the mass into a ball with floured hands, without kneading. The pieces
of butter must remain visible.
Wrap the dough in plastic foil and let it rest for at elast one hour in the
refrigerator.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator half an hour before continuing, because
otherwise the dough may be too firm to roll out.
Roll the dough out on a worktop sprinkled with flour. Fold the sheet in three,
roll out again, fold it again. Now roll out the dough to a sheet of ½
centimetre thick, and make the pasty.
SIMPLE
SHORTCRUST
Ingredients:
500 gram (4 1/4 cup) flour
2 tsp. salt
150 gram (2/3 cup) melted butter
1 1/2
deciliter (2/3 cup) water
Preparation:
Mix salt and flour. Melt the butter on low heat or in the microwave. The butter
most not turn brown. Stir the water in the liquid butter. Make a hole in the
flour, pour the liquid into it. knead until you have an elastic ball of dough.
Let it rest for half an hour (not necessarily in the refrigerator).
Roll out the dough to a sheet of the desired thickness and drape into a mould or
tin, or form a pasty by hand.
FIRM
SHORTCRUST
Ingredients:
500 gram (4 1/4 cup) flour
2 tsp. salt
90 gram (3 ounces) lard
1 3/4 decilitre (3/4 cup) boiling water
Preparation:
Mix salt and flour. melt the lard in the boiling water. Make a hole in the
flour, pour the liquid into it. knead until you have an elastic ball of dough
(use a wooden spoon at first if the dough is too hot to handle). With this dough
you can make raised pasties, it is very firm. You can also use it in e.g. a
springform, but if you wrap the dough around a large tin or other cylindric
form, you can decorate the sides of the pasty.
VARIATIONS
If you add 50 to 75 gram (1/4 to 1/3 cup) sugar to the flour, the
dough can be used for slightly sweeter cakes and pasties.
You can add spices to the dough, but the taste should not be overpowering, and
certainly not clash with the stuffing. I can imagine a gratin of potatoes in a
crust which has been spiced with cumin.
A
recipe for a pasty with lamb chops.
A recipe for cake with quinces.
DOUGH
FOR EMPENADAS
Empenadas are Spanish savoury pastry. A small pastry is an
empenadilla. The stuffing can be almost anything, like cheese, tuna,
chicken, olives, spinach. The pastries are baked in an oven (175dgr C/345
dgF), large ones need
40 minutes, the smaller ones are done in 20 to 30 minutes.
For the empenadas I use a piedish. For empenadillas I use the serrated little
dough"pinchers" I also use to make chinese won-ton with.
These recipes for dough for empenadas can also be used for other savory pies and
pastry.
The gluten free "dough" is difficult to roll out, what is often the
best way to use it is to "clay" the dough into the baking form or around
the stuffing. (Don't forget to dust your hands and any working surface with corn
flour). The crust also will remain softer, it is not easy to cut into
slices.
List of ingredients:
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Dough 1
with beer and milk
300 gram (2 1/4 cups) flour
1 decilitre (3 fl.oz) olive oil
4 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. beer
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
salt
Mix all the ingredients together, knead
until you have a slightly elastic ball. Cover with kitchen foil and let it
rest until you need it (at least 45 minutes).
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Dough
2 with lard:
275 gram (2 cups) flour
1 decilitre (3 fl.oz) olive oil
55 gram (1/4 cup) melted lard
1 decilitre (3 fl.oz) water
salt
Mix all the ingredients together, knead
until you have a slightly elastic ball. Cover with kitchen foil and let it
rest until you need it (at least 45 minutes).
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Dough
3, gluten free:
400 gram (3 cups diced) mushy potatoes
100 gram (2/3 cup) corn flour
120 gram (1/2 cup) butter or lard at room temperature
4 egg yolks
4 Tbsp. cream or milk
salt, pepper
nutmeg to tasteBoil the unpeeled
potatoes. Peel them when they are done, puree them. Get rid of any excess
moisture by heating the puree carefully in a pan with a thick bottom. The
puree must be sticky (not burned!).
Add the cornflour, mix well.
Temper the egg yolks with cream and spices. Work it into the puree with
butter or lard until the puree is smooth and firm.
This dough is not easy to roll out, but you CAN bake with it! |
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