One of the first things you learn how to make in Culinary school for pastry arts, is dough. Here is a lovely recipe you can put together and use right away or freeze for up to a month, or keep in your refrigerator to be used within two to three days.
Pie and Tart Doughs
Pâte Brisée / Flaky Dough
Can be used for sweet or savory fillings. It’s quick, easy, versatile and is usually used for pie crusts and sometimes latticed for decoration. It may be cooled and later filled with a filling just before serving.
Ingredients:
8 oz A P flour
3 1/2 oz butter in 1/2″ cubes
1/ 2 t salt
1/3 c cold water with some lemon drops added
Instuctions:
1) Chill all of the ingredients.
2) Combine flour, salt and butter in mixer and attach paddle. Stir together until butter is shimmed down to the size of peas (flaky) mealy (like cornmeal).
3) Add water a few drops at a time until the dough just holds together.
4) Turn onto a lightly floured cold surface. Rub in small areas (fraisage) do not knead; by pressing dough into different directions to ensure butter is evenly dispersed. Do not overwork.
6) Quickly roll dough to 1/8″ thickness, turning and lifting to avoid sticking. Place the dough over the rolling pin and place onto a lightly greased tart pan. You should reinforce (add more dough to strengthen), or double wall sides of the tart. Roll off top and flute edges if desired. Any dough scraps should be piled atop one another and used again. This is a directional dough, which means that you keep scraps in a pile, laying them in the same direction as the dough had been rolled out. Unlike pie dough, that does not matter which way the scraps were rolled.
7) Refrigerate before baking in order to relax the dough and chill the butter. This allows the dough to absorb the water. About 30 minutes.
Bake in preheated oven 375º 10 to 12 minutes blind, remove weights and parchment paper and continue to bake 6 minutes or until amber in color. Bake docked (using fork tines to mark the dough to keep from shrinking), 15 to 18 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack, add filling or wrap and store. Can be baked with filling.
Yields 2 8″ to 10″ tart shells or 12 small tartlets.
Store wrapped in plastic wrap in refrigerator about 3 days or in the freezer for a month.