This recipe’s technique of rolling butter into large, thin pieces before mixing creates bakery-quality flakes. Cold temperatures of the ingredients are essential to formation of flour/fat layers, so for best results do not take shortcuts.

Notes:

1. Because this dough is relatively labor intensive, I usually double or triple the recipe and store one batch in the freezer for later use.
2. When it comes to measuring flour, mass is a more accurate indicator than volume. I don’t have a kitchen scale, so I weigh my wheat on my family’s postal scale.

 

Ingredients (for 2 medium galettes or 1 pie shell):

1 stick of unsalted butter

¼ cup cold water

¼ plus 1/8 teaspoon salt

165 grams of white flour (about ¾ cup)

 

Instructions

1. Cut the butter into 1cm cubes and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
2. Dissolve the salt in the cold water. Place in the fridge until later use.
3. Sift the flour into a pile on a clean, cold, countertop. Remove the butter cubes from the freezer and coat in flour.
4. With a floured rolling pin, roll the butter into flat flakes, about 1/4-1/8 of an inch thick. This usually requires copious amounts of counter-scraping  with a metal spatula or pastry cutter.
5. Gather flour and butter into a pile and roll again.
6. Scrape flour and butter into a small bowl and place into the freezer for 10 minutes.
7. Remove the flour and butter combination from the freezer and dump back onto the counter. Create a create a well with your fingers and pour in the chilled salt water. Using your metal spatula or pastry cutter, loosely mix the ingredients. It will not look like a dough yet!
8. Once all of the water is absorbed by the flour, shape your mixture into a pile and roll with the floured rolling pin.
9. Scrape up any dry bits that have escaped, fold the dough, and roll again.
10. Repeat step 9 approximately 2 more times, or just until your dough is cohesive. Do not overwork: this will ruin the flaky structure.
11. Carefully shape dough into a disk, cover in saran wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough for up to 2 weeks.

 

When you are ready to use your pastry dough, let it warm at room temperature for 10 minutes.

 

Recipe adapted from https://www.chiceats.com/recipe/baking-science-homemade/how-consistently-make-flaky-all-butter-pie-or-galette-crust.