Very, very rough pastry

This recipe can be multiplied once you’re in the swing of things and know how much you need.

When I first started looking for a rough puff pastry recipe, I became overwhelmed reading recipes that told me to turn the dough 90 degrees and count the number of times I rolled it. I’m sure my pastry would be puffier and flakier if I did follow those instructions, but my superrough recipe works for us. Seriously, there’s so much butter in this stuff, it’s never going to taste bad!

Makes 3

standard family pies 21⁄2 cups flour (I use spelt because it’s what I always have, but most recipes recommend allpurpose white flour)

1⁄2 tsp salt

300g butter (ideally, cut into quarters and put in the freezer first, but cold straight out of the fridge will do) 160ml cold water (ideally, throw a

couple of ice cubes in it)

What to do

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Grate the butter into the flour mixture and loosely rub together. Add water and mix with a wooden spoon until you

make a rough dough.

2. Cover with a plate and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.

3. Divide into three. Roll out one portion as needed and freeze the other two wrapped in beeswax wraps (or whatever you have lying around).

Nic’s tip

Pretty much anything tastes good in pastry, but here are some of my regular dishes: Vegetable quiche, bacon and egg pie, cheese and relish scrolls, apple and cinnamon foldover (a lazy version of a pie).