Ever since my beloved neighbour June taught me to make her pastry a couple of years ago, I’ve used it exclusively for all of my sweet pies and desserts.
I used to make it by hand, rubbing in the butter and mixing in the eggs, until I discovered how much easier it is to use the food processor. I get a much more consistent result as well, possibly a product of not overworking the dough.
Our food processor doesn’t live on the bench, so whenever I drag it out, I try to make a couple of batches of pastry dough. It freezes very well, and can easily be defrosted in time to make apple pie for dinner!
The secret to June’s pastry is the icing sugar mixture she uses (not pure icing sugar). I believe it’s also known as confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar in the US. I find using scales to weigh out my quantities always gives me the best result, but I’ve included approximate cup measures in the recipe as well.
One thing – this can be quite a sticky dough, depending on the weather, the size of your eggs, and the amount of liquid your flour will absorb. Please have some flour on standby in case you need to add a little – but try not to add too much or overwork the dough, or it will toughen up.
June’s Pastry
- 225g (1½ cups) plain (AP) flour
- 225g (1½ cups) bakers/flour or continental flour (June uses the latter)
- 150g (1¼ cups) icing sugar mixture (confectioner’s sugar)
- 250g (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
- 2 eggs or 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
Note: for instructions on how to make this pastry by hand, please see this earlier post.
1. Measure the flour and icing sugar, and then tip both into the bowl of a large food processor.
2. Add the cold butter, cut into chunks.
3. Pulse the food processor until the butter is evenly incorporated and the mixture looks like coarse semolina. This will only take a few short pulses.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the 2 eggs (or 1 egg plus two egg yolks) briefly with a fork. With the food processor running, pour the egg through the chute of the food processor. The mixture will quickly combine into a ball of dough – stop as soon as this happens, and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench.
5. Gently work the dough together, adding a little flour if necessary, but handle it as little as possible to prevent it toughening up. The pastry is now finished, and needs just a short chilling time in the fridge before rolling out.
As this can be quite a sticky dough, I usually roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper. It’s the perfect foil for almost every sweet pastry dessert – I’ve used it for pies, galettes, slices and tarts.
Here it is in Dan Lepard’s Bay Custard Tart recipe…
…and it forms the base of our ricotta cake recipe…
The recipe makes approximately 900g of dough, which is enough for two apple pies. I usually divide the finished dough in half and freeze it in plastic bags, in readiness for the next time Small Man has a hard day at school!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
That looks like another goodie, Celia – but before I try it and mess it up, I think I should ask what is the difference between plain icing sugar, and the icing sugar mixture used here?
Thanks Celia.
Doc, thanks – good question. Pure icing sugar (as it’s known here) is just very finely ground sugar with nothing added, icing sugar mixture (sometimes known as “soft icing sugar” here) is very finely ground sugar with a starch added – tapioca, cornflour or the like. It’s the latter that June uses in her pastry – I’ve never tried it with pure icing sugar. Hope that makes sense! :)
Pastry made in a food processor is sooo much easier, and putting double batches in the freezer just makes life a whole lot easier.
Celia I would love to see the insides of your freezer. I suspect there are countless goodies in there! :-)
Brydie, it’s pretty full! Lots of bread and meat, rolls of cookie dough, crumble topping, pastry dough, caramel and chocolate ganache. I like to be able to put together an instant treat if necessary, you never know when you might have a dessert emergency! :)
I haven’t made pastry by hand for years – ever since I discovered how easy it is in the food processor. Although, initially, I had a few batches that were seriously over-processed, but I’m better at it now.
I didn’t know chocolate ganache could be frozen? What a brilliant idea.
Amanda, Carole Bloom’s wonderful book on candymaking says you can freeze truffle cream (ganache) for months! :)
I have a whole bag of apples to use up (dodgy supermarket apples bought for school lunches but rejected by kids), and bags of those lovely frozen berries. I think I might just have to make some apple and berry tarts. What a good idea to have emergency pastry in case your son has a hard day at school. I should do that too. My little Sam is having a hard term at school and his ‘no activity friday’ was ruined this morning by the news of having to take his viola in to school for the fourth day this week for an extra lesson after school. An apple and berry pie will be a super treat to cheer him up when he gets home.
It’s amazing how much an apple pie can improve Small Man’s day! :) Hope Sam’s ok, and the long weekend rejuvenates him. :)
Is that Mr Chop Chop or have you upgraded your food processor?
Have a great long weekend.
Moo
Moo, it’s staying until it dies! Still operating it with a chopstick! :) Have a good weekend too! x
Isn’t it amazing how much comfort food gives and how much love it exudes – I love the idea of a “dessert emergency”. Maybe the world would be a happier place if there were “dessert emergency” centres that would send out little vans, day or night, whenever a dessert emergency arose – they would have to be delivered with a hug though.
Jan, you’re too funny! Dessert Emergency – sounds like a good name for a business – call us and we’ll feed you! I have to say, I’m more likely to give away a sweet treat to a friend in need than a savoury one – I reckon it helps. Delivered with a hug too! :)
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Interesting how she uses icing sugar mixture which has cornflour in it rather than pure icing sugar. I suppose adding the cornflour would make it softer (much like it makes cakes softer when it is used in cake flour)?
Thanks Lorraine. June uses icing sugar mixture for everything – never pure icing sugar. Perhaps it’s simply that she doesn’t like sifting it! I do find it much easier to use too!
Oh, and not cornflour always, sometimes the addition is tapioca, especially if the icing sugar mixture is gluten-free.
I see you already answered the question regarding the icing sugar mixture. Not sure we get that. I will have to investigate it when we get home in a few weeks time. Hope Small Man only has good days at school.
:-) Mandy
Thanks Mandy! They’re almost always good days! :)
Icing sugar mixture is very common – it’s icing sugar with an anti-caking agent. There’s a bit more about it here:
http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/cookingtips/787654/whats-the-difference-between-icing-sugar-and-icing-sugar-mixture
I was going to ask about the icing mix as well! Perhaps the starch helps stabilse the pastry a little? Anyway the food processor method is great- you work it less and it stays cooler than using your hands too.
I love the look of your desserts, are you sure the boys don’t just make up sob stories aboout schoo ljust to get you to make them a pie? I know I would!
Becca, it’s entirely possible that there’s no reason for it, and it’s just what June does, and she’s just never tried it with pure icing sugar! Or maybe she just couldn’t be bothered with sifting pure icing sugar?
It reminds me of that lovely story about the man who asked his wife why she always cut the legs of her chickens before she roasted them. “Because my mother always did..” was the reply. So he asked his mother-in-law, who told him exactly the same thing. So he asked his grandmother-in-law, “Why did you always cut the legs off your chicken before you roasted them?” and she replied, “Because otherwise it wouldn’t fit in my little oven…” :)
This is a fantastic recipe – very soft, but the flavour is great. I haven’t yet frozen it, but must try a batch this weekend. We are completely out of all freezer cookies, so I will try to find time over the long weekend to re-stock.
Our food processor has a dodgy on switch too – it only works by plugging it in and putting lid on, but I’m just too cheap to buy a new one when it does actually WORK, even if slightly inconvenient to remember that you have to turn it on or off at power point!!
Anne, interestingly enough, I find it less wet if I make it in the food processor. Maybe it melts the butter less or something? Thanks for trying it out.
Yum! No chance of getting icing mixture here so will have to make my own 97:3 mix! (In French cornflour has been translated as corn-flower – fleur de mais!)
You have inspired me – may do some baking this weekend!
Have a wonderful weekend, Anna! :)
Ahhh, many thanks for the recipe for processor pie dough, though I’m a graduate from two culinary schools I was never taught how to make dough as such in that we used Italian and French pastry approaches which though seemingly more fancy (in some minds) were actually very easy to make… Maybe today I’ll make a ricotta pie using your gifted recipe for a pie shell, and also a mixed berry pie… Some of my best pie fillings are from friends from New Zealand and Australia (I’ve found you folks really have a wonderful hand at pie making), now maybe I can cook them with abandon, thanks ever-so-much for the recipe and article….
Thanks Gian! I sometimes wonder if our flour is different downunder – certainly by weight it seems to be! If you can, I’d strongly recommend using scales for the pastry recipe – depending on the weather, measuring ingredients by cups can give me very variable results. Have a great weekend!
Oh, yes, due to a large collection of British and “Down Under” cook books I have scales which really are more practical than the American method of going by cups (also have a vast collection of cookbooks bought in Italy, all in all I have close to 3,000 culinary books, maybe more now, my “drug of choice” is kitchen books of which I buy about six or seven every month). Again, thank you for the food processor dough recipe, as stated above now I can get to a lot of recipes I’ve been putting on hold; though their parents will probably be upset my grandkids will soon deem me a hero… I’m just might have to blame you for it all!!!
Hehehe…Gian, all grandkids should see their grandpa (are you Nonno?) as a hero! Good on you, it’s so nice to hear that you’re enjoying your retirement! :)
Thank you for the tips on pastry making. I usually make it well without the food processor, but it is a bit time consuming and messy, so I will give this a go instead. Wishing you a wonderful weekend. Ours is forecast to be wet and soggy – hopefully not like my pastry.
Jane, it’s just so easy in the fp! I like making it by hand too, but I always found it stickier than when I make it in the machine. Sunny-ish weekend here, hope you’re not too rained out! Have a good one!
I’ve never actually made pastry dough in the food processor. What am I waiting for.
Thanks for the explanation of the different ‘icing sugars’.
Enjoy your weekend. Lots of love
Hope you have a great weekend too, Oz! xx
Brian has been making pastry dough since the Kenwood arrived here last summer,but he doesn’t like sweet pastry, though I do. I might have to sneak into the kitchen and make a secret batch of this for me. I’ve never made pastry in the food processor, so this sounds like the perfect excuse. I love the pic of the custard tart, Such tempting foods. I’ve heard abut the other sort of sugar, not sure if we get it here retail or not. Xx
Joanna, I think most of the “icing sugar” sold is actually icing sugar with a little anti-caking agent added – pure icing sugar is mostly only used for royal icing and is hard and lumpy and needs sifting before use. Best way to check is to have a look at the ingredients on the packet – sometimes it’s not marked. Mind you, it may well work with pure icing sugar, and if you try it, please let me know how you go! Dan’s custard tarts were sooo good! xx
Hi Celia,
I love your blog!!
I am trying to steer clear of all things dairy so do you think margarine would work? Is it worth giving it a try??
<3 Mimi
Thanks Mimi! Definitely worth a try! I know pastry can be made with all sorts of fats – lard is often used to make it more sturdy.
thanks Celia,
I’ll give it a go with the lard – sounds so very slimming!
<3 Mimi
Mimi, I have no idea what quantities to use, but I do know lard pastry is very traditional, especially in British and South American cooking!
This is exactly what I need! Hubby can make beautiful flakey pie crust but he won’t show me how he does it. :( I wanted to make a pie the other day and didn’t because I know my crust would have turned out tough (no matter how hard I try). I will definitely give this one a try.
Cat, it’s quite a sticky dough, so make sure you have some flour on standby. Having said that, if you can get it into a plastic bag and into the fridge, it should set up enough to roll out between two sheets of parchment. The food processor is a great way to make all doughs – I have a savoury dough I make as well, which I’ll post up next time.
This looks like a very good pie crust recipe. In a few weeks the cherries will be ready to pick…I think this crust will be just the thing for fresh cherry pie! YUM!
Cindy, lucky you – I wish we could pick cherries! They’re Small Man’s favourite fruit! :)
“Hehehe” Enjoying my my retirement? I stopped being a restaurant cook a few years back but after a couple months went nearly mad so I restarted my catering service which I do for pleasure more than $$$. Yes, I’m Nonno Gianni to the lil’ ones, not one is full Italian (though the older ones say they are) and with a couple of them I always say they are Italians in the making, though I do make them all proud of their other half, so for some of them I cook English or Irish or Latin American or good ol’ Louisiana Cajun… In that my sister married into a Cajun family I’ve absorbed many of their dishes which aren’t as spicy as presented in cookbooks or on the telly… I’m fortunate to own an original copy of a Cajun cookbook that came out a little after our Civil War, not one recipe calls for hot peppers, (though can be observed the African contributions), it can be called genteel cookery…. Oh, today at a local greengrocer I bought a couple pounds of off-white Rainer cherries of which will soon be pricked with a sewing needle then put under grappa and allowed to rest for a month, it seems that in Italy only men enjoy cherries as such at the local cantinas, but 88 year old Signora Leanora who says that a true “donna” (lady) never drinks liquor in public forgoes that edict and is known to down several glasses of grappa or brandy or flavored spirits in public stating “Ma io non sono una donna!”, meaning, “But I’m not a lady”. Brava Signora Eleanora!!!… As always, thank you for your wonderful site.
Thanks Gian, sounds like your family is eating well courtesy of Nonno! :) We don’t get white cherries here very often, but I imagine they’d be magnificent marinated in grappa! Thanks again for dropping in! :)
Tee Hee. This post reminded me of my mother converting to icing MIXTURE after finding us after school eating all the lumps out of the icing SUGAR. One day we’ll confess to just moving on to eating “liquid peppermints” with icing mixture, peppermint essence and a drop of water. Ah, childhood.
Vix, I spoke to June about this, and she said she only uses icing sugar mixture because it’s less lumpy. She said back in Hungary they didn’t even have icing sugar, and they used to crush up sugar cubes to make this! :)
Ummm, “peppermint”! Here in the States in the Deep South (South-Western USA) the folks like to crush up peppermint candy into small bits then cover the sides of plain yellow cakes with simple white frosting, all y’all will be really likin’ it, y’know what I be meaning??? It’s simple but really delicious… Of course kids love it.
ADDENDUM: Sorry!!! The cake’s frosting is covered with the crushed peppermint… Now you know!
Crushed peppermint! That’s a new one to me, Gian! :)
Oh, I saw a donna hay recipe for chocolate peppermint slice – just like back when I was growing up – and she had crushed peppermint candy on the top as well. Very pretty. Gian, that sounds pretty good, but naughty. I’m sure I’d be eating those behind the curtains just like the liquid peppermints :-)