Best Frozen Butter Pastry Dough Recipes

Frozen-Butter Pastry Dough image

Yield Makes enough pastry dough for one 9-inch pie or one 10-inch tart

Number Of Ingredients 5

1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising) plus additional for kneading and rolling
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, frozen
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Steps:

Into a chilled large metal bowl sift together flour, sugar, and salt. Set a grater in flour bowl and coarsely grate frozen butter into flour mixture, gently lifting and tossing flour to coat butter. Chill flour mixture 20 minutes.
Drizzle 6 tablespoons ice water evenly over flour mixture and gently stir with a fork until just incorporated. Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add enough remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until just incorporated, and test mixture again. (If you overwork mixture or add too much water, pastry dough will be tough.)
Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and with floured hands mound into 4 portions. With heel of hand smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat.
Gather dough portions together and form dough, rotating it on work surface, into a disk (dough will not be smooth). Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 2 hours, or until firm, and up to 2 days.

Frozen Butter Pastry Dough image

Number Of Ingredients 4

2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, frozen
8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Steps:

Into a chilled large metal bowl sift together flour and salt. Set grater in flour bowl and coarsely grate frozen butter into flour, gently lifting and tossing flour to coat butter. Chill mixture 20 minutes. Drizzle 6 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork until just incorporated. Gently squeeze a small handful of mixture to test for proper texture: It should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add some additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time and stirring until just incorporated, and test mixture again. (If you overwork or add too much water, pastry will be tough.)
Turn mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and with floured hands mound into 4 portions. With heel of hand smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough portions together and form dough, rotating it on work surface, into a disk (dough will not be smooth). Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 2 hours, or until firm, and up to 2 days.