What Makes a Pastry Dough Truly a Favorite
To earn the title “favorite pastry dough,” a recipe should do several things well:
Versatility — works for sweet and savory pastries: turnovers, tarts, galettes, danishes, etc.
Texture — tender crumb, flaky layers, not tough or dry.
Flavor — buttery, slightly rich, possibly with a hint of tang depending on the ingredients.
Ease / reliability — forgiving to work with, not super finicky, good results even for home bakers.
Shelf life / chilling / holding power — the dough should behave well when chilled, held, rolled, shaped, etc.
In building this recipe I draw inspiration from several dough types: sweet pastry / shortcrust, flaky pastry (but not full puff), Danish‑style laminated pastry, and “mock puff” / hybrid doughs that give good layers without many folds. Sources like King Arthur Baking’s All‑Purpose Flaky Pastry Dough, David Leite’s Sweet Pastry Dough, and the “Amazing Pastry Dough” from Pastries Like a Pro combine good butter, cool ingredients, minimal handling, and layering.
King Arthur Baking
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Leite's Culinaria
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So here’s a recipe that balances butter content, layering, ease of handling, and flavor.
Ingredient Logic — Why Each Component Matters
Let’s break down the main components and what they contribute — so you can tweak if needed.
Ingredient Role / What It Contributes Notes & Possible Swaps
Flour (all‑purpose or blend with pastry / cake flour) Structure. Pastry flour or lower protein gives more tender dough; all‑purpose gives strength. If your flour is strong, consider mixing 1 part cake / pastry flour to reduce toughness.
Butter (unsalted) Flavor, richness, and flakiness / layers. Cold butter creates pockets of fat that help flake. European butter (higher fat) gives better flavor. Can substitute part with shortening or lard in savory versions.
Sugar (for sweet pastry) Adds flavor, little color, slight sweetness. For savoury pastry omit or reduce. Use granulated sugar or caster sugar. If making sugar‑light version, halve it.
Salt Enhances flavor and balances sweetness / richness. Even sweet doughs need salt. Adjust if using salted butter; reduce added salt accordingly.
Liquid (water / milk / buttermilk / sour cream / cream) Brings dough together, hydrates flour. Milk / buttermilk / sour cream add richness, tenderizing (acid breaks down some proteins). Use cold liquid except when dough needs warming. For sweeter pastry, some versions use cream or milk.
Eggs (optional) Adds structure, richness, color, binding. Especially in Danish / sweet pastry / enriched dough. If not using eggs, you can use just water + butter; result is more basic but still fine for many pastries.
Leavening (optional) Usually not for shortcloth or flaky pastry; for danish / puff or yeast pastry, you’ll use yeast or steam in case of puff / choux. This recipe sticks with non‑yeasted, layered or flaky dough without yeast.
My Favorite Pastry Dough – Master Recipe
Yields: ~4 sheets / batches enough for ~12‑16 medium turnovers / galettes or two 9‑inch tarts or many smaller pastries.
Time with chilling: about 2‑3 hours (with resting). Active time ~30‑45 min.
Ingredients
Ingredient Quantity
2½ cups (≈ 320‑330 g) all‑purpose flour
½ cup (≈ 110‑115 g) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into cubes
½ cup (≈ 110‑115 g) cold sour cream or full‑fat yogurt (optional for richness)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar (for sweet pastry) or 1 tsp sugar if slight sweetness, or omit if savory only
½ tsp salt
About 4‑6 Tbsp ice‑cold water (or milk) – just enough to bring dough together
Optional: 1 large egg, cold, beaten (for sheen / binding) – helps slightly with structure and browning
Equipment & Tools
Mixing bowl (or stand mixer with paddle)
Pastry blender (if mixing by hand) or forks or food processor
Plastic wrap or parchment paper
Rolling pin
Bench scraper
Baking sheet or board for chilling
Measuring cups / spoons; ideally kitchen scale
Step‑by‑Step Method & Timing
Here’s how to make it reliably, with reasoning and techniques so texture, flakiness, tenderness come through.
Step 1: Prepare
Chill your butter well. Butter straight from fridge, cubed.
Keep your liquids cold; place sour cream / yogurt in fridge until needed.
If using sugar and salt, measure them.
Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients
In bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt. If using any leavening (this version doesn’t require), that’d be mixed here too.
If using food processor: pulse dry ingredients a couple of times.
Step 3: Cut in Butter
Add cold cubed butter to flour mixture. Use pastry blender or two knives or food processor pulses to cut butter until pea‑size pieces remain. The aim is to have lumps of butter visible — these will create flakiness.
If using sour cream / yogurt: mix in lightly with butter‑flour so bits of butter still remain visible.
Step 4: Add Liquid & Bring Dough Together
Drizzle in some of the ice‑cold water (or water + a splash of milk). Mix gently, tossing flour to absorb; add more, tablespoon by tablespoon, until dough just comes together. If using egg, you can add now (or use egg wash later).
Be careful not to overwork — once it starts to stick and form into a ball, stop.
Step 5: Shape & Chill
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, shape into a flat disk (or rectangle if you plan to laminate or layer). Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes (better: 1‑2 hours). Chilling helps relax gluten and keep butter firm.
Step 6: (Optional) Lamination for Flaky / Croissant-Style Layers
If you want extra flaky pastry (turnovers, danishes), do a light lamination / folding:
Roll out chilled dough to a rectangle (e.g. 12×18 in or similar) on floured surface.
Fold into thirds (like a letter) — this is one “turn”. Rotate 90°, roll and fold again. You might do 2–3 turns, chilling between each (20‑30 min). Do only as many turns as you need — more turns = more layers but more work.
Step 7: Using the Dough
Once sufficiently chilled / rested (and laminated if using), roll out to desired thickness. For most pastries roll to ~⅛‑¼ inch thickness depending on filling or result needed.
Use for pastries: turnovers, tarts, galettes, hand pies, sweet or savory.
Step 8: Baking
Preheat oven adequately (often quite hot: 375‑425°F (190‑220 °C) depending on pastry type).
Bake until pastry is golden, crisp on edges, fully cooked. Watch for butter pockets and steam vents to puff.
If using egg wash, brush before baking.
Step 9: Cooling & Storage
Let pastries cool on racks. For dough: store in fridge for 1‑2 days; can freeze for longer (wrap well).
After baking, best eaten fresh, though leftovers may be reheated to crisp up.
Variations & Flavor Customizations
Here’s how to adapt this “favorite dough” to different styles, flavors, and uses.
Sweet Pastry Variant
Use full sugar (2 Tbsp or more), plus add vanilla extract or a touch of lemon/orange zest when dough is mixing.
Use sour cream / yogurt for richness.
Egg wash (egg + milk or cream) before baking gives nice golden brown sheen.
Savory Pastry Variant
Reduce or omit sugar.
Use salted butter or increase salt slightly.
Add herbs to dough (e.g. finely chopped rosemary, thyme, dill) for extra flavor.
Fill with cheese, vegetables, meats.
Laminated / Flaky Dough
Perform 2‑3 folds with chilling between. Use high‑fat butter; keep dough and butter cold.
Use this for danish, puff‑like pastries, croissants, etc.
“Mock Puff” or Quick Flaky
Skip full lamination; instead leave larger butter pieces in dough and fold once or twice. Gives flakiness without many turns.
Recipes such as Helen S Fletcher’s “Amazing Pastry Dough” uses sour cream and fewer folds yet yields tender, flaky crust.
Pastries Like a Pro
Puff Pastry / Full Lamination
If you want full puff pastry, use equal parts butter and flour (in butter block and détrempe), many turns (often 6+), lots of chilling. This is more work but spectacular. See “Perfect Puff Pastry Dough By Hand” sources.
joshuaweissman.com
Troubleshooting & Tips
Here are likely problems and how to fix or avoid them.
Issue Probably Because How to Fix / Prevent
Dough cracks or breaks when rolling Butter too cold? Dough dry? Not enough liquid Let dough rest, add small extra splash of water, roll gently; don't force it
Pastry tough or chewy Overmixing, too much gluten, flour too strong, dough warmed up too much Mix gently, chill dough, use lower protein flour, keep butter cold
Butter melting or leaking out Dough / butter too warm, rolls or lamination too thin Work in cool environment, frequent chilling, handle quickly
Layers not visible / non‑flaky Not enough folding / lamination, butter not layered well, maybe butter smears too much Do proper folds, maintain distinct butter blocks, chill between folds
Dough sticky / hard to handle Too much moisture, warm hands or surface Chill dough, flour surfaces lightly, use plastic wrap, cold tools
Pastry burns on bottom before top baked Oven hot, baking pan too close to heat, pan conductive Bake on middle rack, use insulated baking sheet, rotate if needed
Uses & Pastries You Can Make With This Dough
This “favorite dough” is flexible. Here are common ways to use:
Fruit turnovers (sweet)
Hand pies with jam or cream cheese
Galettes (free‑form tarts)
Tarts / tartlets (sweet or savory)
Mini pies
Danish pastry / filled danish (if laminated)
Savory pastries: cheese, spinach, meat pasties
Pastry shells for quiche or pot pie
Storage, Freezing, Batch‑Making
Make double batch: keep some dough wrapped in plastic, chilled, or frozen. Dough freezes very well.
Freeze flattened wrapped disks or blocks; thaw in fridge overnight before using.
Dough can be prepared ahead, used over 1‑2 days. Refrigeration helps flavor develop.
If dough is fully laminated, maintain cold chain: chilling between folds, rest before baking.
Approximate Timeline & Workflow
Here’s a sample schedule for making pastries using this dough:
Activity Time Estimate
Weigh / measure ingredients + cube butter 5 min
Mix dry + cut in butter 5‑7 min
Add liquid, form dough 5 min
Chill initial dough 30 min
Lamination (if doing) + folds + chilling between folds (2‑3 turns) ~1‑1.5 hours including rest times
Roll out / fill / shape pastries 10‑20 min depending on quantity
Bake actual pastries 15‑30 min depending on pastry type
Cooling / serving 10 min
Total time depends heavily on whether you laminate. Without lamination you can get ready in ~1 hour including chilling and baking; with lamination more like 2‑3 hours.
Full Clean / Printable Version (Your Favorite Pastry Dough)
Here’s a final consolidated version you can print or refer to easily.
My Favorite Pastry Dough (Versatile, Flaky, Sweet or Savory)
Ingredients
2½ cups all‑purpose flour
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
½ cup cold sour cream or full‑fat yogurt (optional, for richness)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar (sweet version) or 0‑1 tsp sugar for savory only
½ tsp salt
4‑6 Tbsp ice‑cold water (as needed)
Optional: 1 beaten egg (for sweet version or egg wash)
Instructions
Cube butter, keep everything cold.
Whisk flour + sugar + salt in mixing bowl.
Cut in butter until lots of pea‑size pieces remain.
If using sour cream/yogurt, mix in lightly.
Add cold water a little at a time; mix gently until dough just holds together. Do not overwork.
Flatten into disk (or rectangle). Wrap and chill 30+ minutes.
Optional: Laminate by folding (2‑3 folds) with chilling between.
When ready, roll out to desired thickness. Shape pastries, fill, egg‑wash or glaze if needed.
Bake in preheated oven (375‑425°F depending on pastry) until golden and cooked.
Cool on rack. Pastries best eaten fresh; dough can be stored / frozen.
If you like, I can send you a 2000‑word printable PDF of this pastry dough recipe, or adapt it to gluten‑free / dairy‑free / quick version (no lotion, no long rest), or show you one optimized for laminated sweet pastries. Which would you prefer?
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