PUFF-PASTE.
239. One pound of butter,
One pound of flour.
Wash your butter in cold water to extract all the salt; work it well with a broad wooden spoon in order to get out all the water. Lay it between clean napkins, put it in a tin pan or plate, set it on the ice to get hard, but do not let it freeze. Sift your flour in a pan, cut the butter in four equal parts, cut one-fourth in very small pieces in the flour, but do not touch it, as the warmth of your hands will make the paste heavy. Add to the flour as much cold water as will make it a stiff dough. Turn it out on your pie-board, roll it gently into sheets, cut one-third of the remainder of the butter into small pieces, and lay over it, sprinkle on a very little flour, fold it over, roll it out again, cut one-half of the butter which is left in small pieces and lay on, put on a little flour, and fold it as before, roll it out again, and put on the remainder of the butter. It should now be set on the ice, but should not come in contact with it. When it is perfectly cold, roll it out in a sheet thinner in the centre than at the edges of your pie, cut it with a very sharp knife the size you wish it. Fill with whatever you choose, and bake in a tolerably quick oven.