Pate Brisee ( Sweet Shortcrust )

Do you have a shortcrust pastry which you always go back to. I used to. I always refer to the Basic bakings of Rachell Allen's. It is buttery and simple. It's different now. Sorry Rachel, no offense.

I will say though that I tried a new pate brisee (sweet shortcrust) recipe, and I won't be going back to the old one. Ever. The last one I used from Rachel Allen was good, almost perfect in taste and texture,  but this one, oh my god, this one turned out flaky, buttery, and almost like a dense puff pastry. My friends widened their eyes in just 1 bite, already awe-ing for 1 more.. It's that good!

Take that crust and fill it with fresh stone fruit and ground nuts, and you have a winner. This is my kind of dessert, lots of butter, not too sweet, and comes in a compact size.

Pate Brisee ( Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook )

400 grams (14 oz) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
100 grams (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
2/3 cup water, chilled
665 grams (1 lb 7 1/2 oz) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Remove butter from fridge 20 minutes before mixing.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, water, and vinegar, stir to aid the dissolving of the sugar. Set aside in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then, stir again to completely dissolve sugar.

In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt together a few times to combine. Add the butter, and pulse in one second bursts about 3-4 times until butter is cut in and evenly dispersed. You should have visible chunks of butter in your flour mixture, this is where the flakiness comes from.

Pour mixture into a large bowl and make a little well in the middle of the flour. Pour the vinegar water mixture into the well and gently mix liquids into the flour with a fork. When liquid is evenly dispersed, dump dough out onto a clean surface and knead gently a few times, just until dough comes together in one cohesive ball. It may be a bit shaggy or falling apart, but that's okay, while it is resting the moisture will bind everything together.



See - Visible chunks of butter

Cut ball of dough in 2 then in half and shape each half into a disc about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours, or overnight. Take dough out of fridge about 30 minutes before you roll it out. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to a 1/8 inch flat disc. Always start in the center of the disc and roll outward, turning the disc 30 degrees after each roll to get an even thickness throughout.  You are now ready to cut dough into circles for the galettes. Place thin discs on a flat platter or pan, and chill for two hours to let the gluten relax.

You may keep left over dough for up to 2 weeks in the freezer. Just remember to place it down to the refrigerator 24 hours before you decide to use it again.

Next!!

Peach Walnut Galette.

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