Flourist Sifted Spelt Flour lends a soft texture and flavourful aroma to classic pastry dough.
Sifted Spelt Pastry Dough
2 2⁄3 cup (368g) Flourist Sifted Spelt Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter (227g), cold and cut into cubes
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ice cold water, or as needed
Yield: dough for 2 single crust pies, 1 double crust pie or 4 medium galettes
Tip: One of the keys to flaky pastry is keeping all the ingredients, including your tools, as cold as possible. Leave them to chill in the refrigerator before you start your work.
Combine flour and salt in a large metal mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Mix apple cider vinegar and water and keep chilled.
Add cubed butter to the flour and toss lightly with your hands to coat. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles very coarse meal. Butter pieces should should vary in size, ranging from a pea to a nickel, with each piece of butter coated in flour.
A tablespoon at a time, drizzle the vinegar-water mixture along the side of the bowl, allowing it to trickle towards the flour mixture. Use your hand or a fork to flick the flour mixture towards the center of the bowl, rotating the bowl as you go. Repeat with 6 tbsp of liquid. The flour mixture should start forming larger clusters.
After adding 7 tbsp of liquid, take a handful of the flour mixture in your hands and squeeze gently. If it easily holds together without falling apart, enough liquid has been added. If it easily breaks apart, continue adding 1 tbsp of liquid at a time, checking the consistency after each addition until the just dough holds together. Add liquid sparingly.
Divide in half and form into two circular discs, wrap individually with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour preferably, overnight.
This dough can be made for storage in the fridge for 4-5 days. Freeze it if you plan to keep it for longer than that. Defrost on the counter prior to use, and then use as directed based on your recipe.
