Flaky pastry

Ingredients:

300g of plain flour, sieved.

1tsp of salt.

75g of lard chilled

75g of butter chilled.

165ml cold water.

Weigh the flour directly into a sieve, which should be resting over a large mixing bowl, add the salt and sieve into the bowl.

Weigh out the butter and lard, take half the butter and chop into small pieces, add to the flour mixture. Cut the lard into quarters and the remaining butter in half as shown below. Cover and place in the fridge.

 Rub the butter into the flour. With your palms facing upwards and using your thumbs, rub the fat in to the flour until the butter is well mixed in and there are no large lumps left. Add 145ml of water to the flour and mix well with a knife.

 Now using one hand to mix, add a tablespoon more water at a time until the dough is formed, you might not have to use all the water. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Mix the dough until it feels like it’s coming together to a medium soft texture, adding more water as necessary. Start bringing together to a ball. If there is any flour left in the bottom of the bowl, add another small dash of water to bind it together until all the flour is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.

 Need for 1 minute until smooth and shape into a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.




Flour your work surface and roll the pastry out to a long rectangle, just a little longer then your rolling pin and about 5 ½ inches wide. Be careful the dough does not become to thin, it should never get thinner than a £1 coin. Square of the ends to make a neat rectangle.

Now, with a knife, mark lightly into thirds.

Using a pallet knife, dot the top two thirds with half of the lard.

 Now, carefully fold the bottom third up over the middle. Using a pasty brush, brush of any excess flour then, fold the top third over the middle. Seal the edges, pushing down with a rolling pin.

Now, carefully fold the bottom third up over the middle. Using a pasty brush, brush of any excess flour then, fold the top third over the middle. Seal the edges, pushing down with a rolling pin.

Give the pastry a quarter turn clockwise and roll out to a long rectangle again. Repeat as before marking into thirds but adding the butter this time and folding in the same way. Fold and roll again but using up the rest of the lard, then give one more roll and fold without adding any fat. Remember to seal the edges after folding.

Chill for 20 minutes and use as required. The pastry will keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours and 2 months in the freezer.