THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

PASTRY.  – Three large tablespoons of flour sifted with half a teaspoon of KARN’S BAKING POWDER, rubbing into it a large tablespoon of cold butter, or part butter and part lard, and a pinch of salt, mixed with cold water enough to form a smooth, stiff paste;  roll out thin.  This is enough for an under crust for custard or pumpkin pies.

~W. A. Karn (Druggist). The Art of Cooking Made Easy. Woodstock: 1903.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• ¾ c. all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• pinch of salt
• ¼ c. chilled butter
• 2 Tb. cold water, approximately.

Sift together the dry ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, work the firm butter into the dry ingredients with the fingers, until an even, mealy consistency is achieved.

Pour in portions of the cold water, and mix lightly with a fork to combine;  add only enough water to enable the pastry to hold together, so that it can be rolled.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the pastry quite thin, and cut as desired.

This quantity is sufficient for about 10 tarts, using a 3-inch diameter cutter, or for the top of a deep-dish pie, or a small pie shell.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F until golden, or as directed, depending on the type of filling.

This recipe is handy when only a small amount of pastry is required.

Cooks agree with one voice that fresh butter is the fat for pastry….

~Handbook of Domestic Cookery. London & Glasgow: W. Collins, Sons & Company, 1882.

In making pastes for pies and puddings, the handling is of the greatest importance;  a light touch and cool hand is absolutely necessary.

~Handbook of Domestic Cookery. London & Glasgow: W. Collins, Sons & Company, 1882.

A NOTE FROM PATRICIA: I used this recipe for the pastry for ‘Raspberries in Ambush‘. I doubled the recipe, then used 3/4 of the pastry dough for the pie shell base, and made some tart shells from the remaining dough. And yes, I made it gluten-free using 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Perfection! Pie crusts made with butter are quite nice with juicier fruits as they don’t get as soggy.