Butter is the fat that is used for puff paste, but for other varieties of pastry almost any desirable fat may be utilized. Lard has always been a particular favorite for pastry making; still, for ordinary pastry making, there are various combinations of fat of both animal and vegetable origin which serve the purpose.
Certain fats left over from various cooking processes in the home can be utilized to advantage in the making of pastry. Chicken fat is a very satisfactory one. A mixture of lard and tried-out beef suet also makes an ideal fat for pastry, the hard flakiness of the suet being particularly desirable. In fact, almost any fat without a disagreeable odor or flavor may be used as all or part of the fat required. As has already been learned, fats may be clarified and freed of their odor by first heating them and then allowing a few slices of raw potato to become hot in them.
9. LIQUID FOR PASTRY.--Water is the only liquid used in pastry making. Water in which small pieces of ice are allowed to melt is especially desirable for this purpose, but if ice cannot be obtained, the water used should be as cold as possible.
10. PROPORTION OF INGREDIENTS.--The proportion of ingredients for the making of pastry varies with the kinds of flour used and the kinds of pastry desired. Some varieties can be made with a comparatively small amount of fat, while others require a large amount. The use to which the paste is to be put will determine the proportion of fat to be used. It varies from the minimum amount of one-sixth as much fat as flour, by measure, or one-third, by weight, which is the proportion for economy paste, to one-half, by measure, or an equal amount by weight, which is the proportion used in the making of puff paste. For the ordinary preparation of pies, an amount midway between the two extremes is usually sufficient, while oftentimes less may be used to advantage. It should be remembered that fat is the most expensive ingredient in pastry making and should be used with discretion.
11. The amount of liquid in proportion to the amount of flour is about one-fourth, by measure, for, as is explained in Hot Breads, pie crust is an example of a stiff dough, and such dough requires four times as much flour as liquid. However, liquid should be added to the other ingredients until the correct consistency is obtained, regardless of the quantity used. The consistency is not right until the flour and the fat cling together in such a way that the mixture may be rolled out to form the crust for a pie. The less liquid used to accomplish this condition, the flakier will be the crust when it is baked. More skill is required in the handling of pastry when the smallest amount of water that can possibly be used is added, but the results achieved usually justify the care that is taken.
UTENSILS FOR PASTRY MAKING
12. The utensils needed for pastry making are few in number and simple in use. They consist of a mixing bowl, two case knives, a spatula, a rolling pin, a flour sieve, two measuring cups, two measuring spoons, and pie tins. Fig. 1 shows the way in which these necessary utensils as well as the required ingredients for pastry should be placed so as to be handy for the person who is to use them. It will be well to observe the placing of these, for much depends on their convenient arrangement. The kind of utensils to use requires consideration, also.
13. A bowl of any description may be used for the mixing, the usual cake-making bowl being very satisfactory. As the illustration shows, this utensil should have a round bottom, as the ingredients may be kept together better in such a bowl than in a pan of another kind. The two case knives are needed for mixing the ingredients in the bowl, and the spatula is used in handling the paste. The rolling pin, which is used for rolling out the dough to the required thickness, may be made of any material, but it should be one that will revolve while the handles remain stationary. With such a utensil it is possible to procure a lighter touch than with one that has fixed handles. The flour sieve is an absolute necessity, because the flour for pastry must be made as light as possible by sifting. One of the measuring cups is needed for the flour, or dry ingredient, and the other for the water, or wet ingredient. The two measuring spoons, which should be of different sizes, are used for measuring the salt and the shortening.