Pastry for Pies and Tarts
A traditional laminated pastry made with flour, semolina (soojee), and beef suet, creating flaky layers perfect for pies and tarts. This historical technique produces a rich, tender crust.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups All-purpose flour (Approximately 6 ounces or 170g)
- 0.5 cup Semolina flour (soojee) (Approximately 2 ounces or 57g)
- 4 ounces Beef suet, cleaned and finely chopped (Can substitute with butter or shortening for modern preference; about 113g)
- 0.25 teaspoon Salt
- 0.25 cup Cold water (Approximately, as needed to form dough)
Instructions
- 1Pick through and clean the beef suet, removing any membranes or impurities. Pound the suet in a mortar and pestle (or finely chop with a knife) until it forms a smooth, pliable mass. Shape it into a flat circular cake about 6 inches in diameter.
- 2In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, semolina, and salt. Add cold water gradually, mixing until a firm dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- 3Divide the kneaded dough into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a flat circular cake, approximately 6 inches in diameter, matching the size of the suet cake.
- 4Place one flour dough circle on your work surface. Place the suet cake on top of it, then cover with the second flour dough circle, creating a sandwich with the suet in the middle.
- 5Roll out the layered pastry into a rectangle about 12 inches long. Fold it in thirds like a letter (fold one third over the center, then fold the other third on top). Rotate the dough 90 degrees.
- 6Roll out the dough again into a rectangle about 12 inches long. Fold it in thirds once more, creating multiple layers. This creates the flaky texture.
- 7Roll out the pastry to your desired thickness (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick) for use in pies or tarts. The pastry is now ready to line pie dishes or cut for tart shells.
