1 1/4 c Allpurpose bleached flour
1/4 ts Salt
1/8 ts Baking powder
8 tb Cold unsalted butter — (1
Stick)
2 tb Cold water — (2 to 3)
Dough:
2 1/2 c Allpurpose bleached flour —
(about 11 ounces)
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Baking powder
16 tb Cold unsalted butter — (2
Sticks)
4 tb Cold water — (4 to 6)
To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, salt and baking powder in a
mediumsized mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut butter into
1tablespoon pieces and add to dry ingredients. Toss once or twice to
coat pieces of butter. Then using your hands or a pastry blender,
break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the
dry ingredients. Keep the mixture uniform by occasionally reaching
down to the bottom of the bowl and mixing all the ingredients evenly
together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until
the mixture resembles a coarseground cornmeal and no large pieces of
butter remain visible. Sprinkle the minimum amount of water over the
butter and flour mixture and stir gently with a fork the dough should
begin holding together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly,
add the remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time for the smaller
quantity of dough, a tablespoon at a time for the larger quantity,
until the dough holds together easily.To mix the dough in the food
processor, combine flour, salt and baking powder in work bowl fitted
with metal blade. Pulse 3 times at 1second intervals to mix. Cut
butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and add to work bowl. Process,
pulsing repeatedly at 1second intervals, until the mixture is fine
and powdery, resembles a coarseground cornmeal and no large pieces of
butter remain visible about 15 pulses in all. Scatter the minimum
amount of water on the butter and flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6
times the dough should begin holding together. If the mixture still
appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a
time for the smaller quantity of dough,one tablespoon at a time for
the larger quantity, until the dough holds together easily. Turn the
dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a disk (two
equal disks for the larger amount of dough). Sandwich the disk(s) of
dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 6inch
circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are ready to
use it, at least 1 hour.
Yields
1 Servings