Mrs Beetons Baking Recipes Revisited
French Puff Paste or Feuilletage
(Founded on M. Ude’s Recipe)
To equal quantities of Flour and Butter 450g (1lb) allow:
150ml (¼ pint) Water (approx)
2 Egg Yolks
½ saltspoon Salt
Weigh and sift the flour.
Put the flour on the pastry board, work 50g (2oz) of butter lightly into it.
Make a well in the centre
Add the egg yolks, salt and about 150ml (¼ pint) of water (the amount of water to add depends on experience).
Knead the pastry quickly and lightly and when quite smooth, roll it out square to the thickness of about 1.2cm (½ inch).
Roll the butter into a ball and place this ball of butter on the pastry.
Fold the pastry over the butter all round and secure it by wrapping it all over.
Flatten the pastry by rolling it lightly with the rolling pin until it is quite thin, but not thin enough to allow the butter to break through, keeping the board and pastry lightly dredged.
This rolling gives it the first turn.
Fold the pastry in three and roll out again and if the weather is very warm, put it in a cold place to cool between the several turns.
Roll out the pastry again twice, allow to cool, then roll it out twice more, making 6 turnings in all.
Fold the pastry in two and it will be ready for use.
If properly baked and well made, this crust will be delicious and should rise in the oven about 5 or 6 inches.
The pastry should be made rather firm in the first instance, as the ball of butter is liable to break through.
Great attention must also be paid to keeping the butter very cool, as, if this is in a liquid and soft state, the pastry will not come out well.
Should the cook be dexterous enough to succeed in making this, the pastry will have a much better appearance than that made by the process of dividing the butter into 4 parts and placing it over the rolled-out pastry.
but, until experience has been acquired, we recommend Very Good Puff Paste.
The above pastry is used for vols-au-vent, small articles of pastry and in fact, everything that requires very light crust.
FRENCH PUFF-PASTE or FEUILLETAGE
(Founded on M. Ude’s Recipe)
1208. INGREDIENTS - Equal quantities of flour and butter - say 1 lb. of each; 1/2 saltspoonful of salt, the yolks of 2 eggs, rather more than 1/4 pint of water.
Mode - Weigh the flour; ascertain that it is perfectly dry, and sift it; squeeze all the water from the butter, and wring it in a clean cloth till there is no moisture remaining. Put the flour on the paste-board, work lightly into it 2 oz. of the butter, and then make a hole in the centre; into this well put the yolks of 2 eggs, the salt, and about 1/4 pint of water (the quantity of this latter ingredient must be regulated by the cook, as it is impossible to give the exact proportion of it); knead up the paste quickly and lightly, and, when quite smooth, roll it out square to the thickness of about 1/2 inch. Presuming that the butter is perfectly free from moisture, and as cool as possible, roll it into a ball, and place this ball of butter on the paste; fold the paste over the butter all round, and secure it by wrapping it well all over. Flatten the paste by rolling it lightly with the rolling-pin until it is quite thin, but not thin enough to allow the butter to break through, and keep the board and paste dredged lightly with flour during the process of making it. This rolling gives it the first turn. Now fold the paste in three, and roll out again, and, should the weather be very warm, put it in a cold place on the ground to cool between the several turns; for, unless this is particularly attended to, the paste will be spoiled. Roll out the paste again twice, put it by to cool, then roll it out twice more, which will make 6 turnings in all. Now fold the paste in two, and it will be ready for use. If properly baked and well made, this crust will be delicious, and should rise in the oven about 5 or 6 inches. The paste should be made rather firm in the first instance, as the ball of butter is liable to break through. Great attention must also be paid to keeping the butter very cool, as, if this is in a liquid and soft state, the paste will not answer at all. Should the cook be dexterous enough to succeed in making this, the paste will have a much better appearance than that made by the process of dividing the butter into 4 parts, and placing it over the rolled-out paste; but, until experience has been acquired, we recommend puff-paste made by recipe No. 1205. The above paste is used for vols-au-vent, small articles of pastry, and, in fact, everything that requires very light crust.
Average cost, 1s. 6d. per lb.
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