Homemade Pastry Mix Recipe
Who would have thought that pastry crust, a simple four ingredient endeavor, could be such an art form, rife with potential mistakes? After many disasters, I asked my mother for the recipe that she has used to make all of her delicious pies and pastries. This is a basic mix to be used in pastry crust or pie crust. It is easy to store, and then you have a mix ready to go when you wish to make a pie or pastry.
See the pie crust recipe here for specific pie instructions when using this mix.
Homemade Pastry Mix Recipe
makes 8-9 cups
Ingredients:
- 6 cups flour
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 2 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
And later, when you use it to make dough:
- a small amount of very cold water
Preparation Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt.
2. Using a pastry cutter, cut in shortening until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. (See image above)
3. This pastry mix does not require refrigeration, but it may be a good idea in the summer. Store in a cold place.
Using the Homemade Pastry Mix:
You will need:
- A small quantity of very cold water.
4. When you are ready to use the mix, measure out however much you need and use a pastry cutter to break up any chunks that have formed.
5. Sprinkling only a very small amount of water at a time across the mix, use a fork to quickly and evenly mix the water in. Keep adding small amounts of water until the dough has just started to hold together into a ball. Take care not to use any more water than necessary, and do not mix the dough any more than necessary.
6. Use as you normally would for whatever pastry you are planning to make, following whatever recipe you have for baking times and temperatures. Here is a great pie crust recipe that uses this pastry mix. Enjoy!
