Quiche pastry

To maintain the round shape you need to roll the dough on a floured surface, turning 1/8 of a turn each time you roll across the dough. As you turn, be sure to lift the dough and dust the dough and the surface, as needed, to prevent it from sticking to the surface. To get the dough started, press it into a flat, round disk before refrigerating, not a ball. Before rolling, press your rolling pin into the dough in parallel rows, then turn and repeat a couple of times. This will help soften the dough without warming it and gets the rolling process out to a quick start.

As for the leaks, I guess I don't understand the situation. Quiche is baked in a pie plate or a quiche tin. You roll out the dough and line the pan so to some degree the shape of the dough before the pan is lined doesn't really matter. I don't blind bake my quiche pastry but I know that other do. I don't think any pastry would support a quiche and not leak unless it was supported by a pan.

Thanks for info. The pastry is baked blind in a loose-bottomed tin. If there are any leaks in the pastry shell it allows the liquid filling to leak out.

I'll try out your ideas.

It sounds like you are rolling it too thin.

I have just done another this morning, this time a sweet pastry for a cold whipped cream fill so the leaking is not a problem this time.

The pastry began to crack early in the rolling process. My suspicions is the texture before I begin rolling. Is it too dry, too much handling, too little kneading, too little shortening?

I think it was too dry. I used to be afraid of adding too much water when I started to make pie pastry and always had that problem. What recipe are you using? Do you make it by hand? Do you have a food processor?

Basic recipe 6oz flour, 3oz shortening, 2 tablespoons water. I sometimes mix by hand but recently moved to food processor where I use less water, stopping when dough forms ball. I remove a knead gently before chilling.

I use a proprietry "baking" shortnening though recipies ask for mixture of margarine and lard. I don't use lard (no reason other than I don't use enough to justify)

Recent recipe also used ground almonds and sugar.

I have had the same problem both hand- and machine-mixed. I'll try making it a "very little" less dry!

Here is the recipe that I like

1 1/2 cups AP flour 1/2 cup cake flour 6 oz butter (3/4 cup), cubed and chilled or frozen 2 oz shortening (1/4 cup), chilled if possible 1/2 tsp salt egg yolk (optional) 2 tablespoons sugar (optional) ice water

I put the flour, salt, and sugar into the food processor and pulse to mix. I cut the butter into small pieces and freeze for about 30 minutes or more or use it well chilled out of the refrigerator. The butter goes into the FP bowl and I pulse it about 5 times. There will still be large chunks of butter. Then I put in the shortening and a couple of tablespoons of water and the egg yolk if used, and pulse a few times. Then with the motor running I slowly add cold water until the dough forms walnut size lumps. I find that if you process until a ball is formed the dough is over process and becomes tough. I pour the contents out onto a surface and with the heel of my hand, smear the lumps together. If you find that the dough won't stick together, you can sprinkle the mixture with some water. I then gather the dough into a ball, divide into two portions, and form the portions into disks. . The disks are wrapped in plastic film and allowed to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to two days. You can also freeze it at this point.

Here is a link to some videos that show some variations on the process.

Thanks for all the tips. I will try to improve next time.

I thought I understood USA terms. UK term for A/P is "plain", ie no raising agent. You use "cake" flour. Does this contain a raising agent? We often use "self-raising" for for cakes, though I prefer plain and add the corect amount of baking soda and cream of tartar.

are you familiar with continental European flour types?

all purpose is what over here is called Type 405. Or your plain flour. Cake flour is a finer ground with usually less gluten, made from low protein wheat, while bread flour has more gluten (Type 550 over here). Cake flour would be Type 00 in Germany (and Italy, Farina di grano ternero 00).

What I do when I need cake flour, is, use plain flour mixed with about 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch per cup, and sift several times.

HTH,

Petra in Haburg, Germany

The flour I use has no leavening agents. The reason for using the mixture is to approximate pastry flour. If you have pastry flour, the I would use two cups of that instead.

Not familiar with continental European flour. It opens up a new vista. I know that our local baker claims to use French flour for baking baguettes etc.

I use plain, strong (or very strong) and wholemeal or strong wholemeal. Strong for bread and pizzas, plain for all other types of cooking including cakes, sauces and pastry. I didn't know there was such a variety.