Cobblestone Farm
BLOG
The best pastry ever using lard from free range pigs
The Best Pastry Ever
This is hands down the best pastry I have ever tried. I probably made more sausage rolls and pies in the last year than I have made in 20 years because it works so well.
You can double the recipe and freeze it if you like.
I use this pastry for my meat pies which have gravy in them and I don’t get soggy bottoms! It is also perfect for sausage rolls.
Ingredients
1 level cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3oz frozen butter (I use salted butter but you can use unsalted)
2 tablespoons Berkshire pork Lard
¼ cup iced water
Directions
food processor
Put the flour and salt in your food processor.
Add the lard and frozen butter - I find the butter easily breaks or you can grate it if you prefer, though I don’t find it necessary.
Pulse fat into the dry ingredients.
With the motor running pour in ice cold water until the ingredients start to come together. Stop the machine as soon as the dough starts to clump together. Don’t overmix .
Take the pastry out of processor and form into ball .
Put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours before you use it.
to make the old fashioned way - By hand
Put all dry ingredients into a bowl
Cut butter into chunks and add to dry ingredients with lard
Add most of the water and bring the dough together - you may need to add the rest of the water
Wrap the pastry in parchment and put it into the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill.
Homemade Bisquick recipe using lard from free range pigs
I love having a tub of this mixed up and ready to use in the fridge. I use it more in winter to make pot pies when I don’t have time to make The best pastry ever recipe
HOMEMADE BISQUICK MIX
INGREDIENTS
6 cup flour
1 cup Berkshire pork lard
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
METHOD
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt three times into a large bowl.
Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Store the mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
Or
Put all ingredients into a food processor and blitz
Berkshire Pork Sausage Rolls
Who doesn’t love a sausage roll? Especially one that doesn’t have a soggy bottom!
I don’t usually make a lot of pastry but this recipe adapted from a Julia Childs recipe worked so well that I ended up making Quiche Lorraine, Garlic mushroom Quiche, Sausage rolls and Quail egg and sausage rolls.
I use a food processor but of course, it can be made without one.
Ingredients
1 level cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3oz frozen butter
2 tablespoons Berkshire pork Lard
¼ cup iced water
4 Cobblestone Farm Breakfast or Cumberland burgers/sausage
1 Cobblestone Farm Free Range egg beaten
Directions
Food processor. Pulse fat into dry ingredients then with the motor running pour in cold water until the ingredients come together. Stop the machine as soon as the dough starts to clump together. Don’t overmix
Take the pastry out of the processor and form into a ball - go to step 6
OR Put all dry ingredients into a bowl
Cut butter into chunks and add to dry ingredients with lard
Add most of the water and bring the dough together - you may need to add the rest of the water
Wrap the pastry in parchment and put it into the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill.
After chill time preheat oven to 400 F
On a lightly floured board roll out the pastry into a rectangle shape ⅛” thick.
If you are using sausages you can remove them from their skins otherwise shape burgers into a fat sausage shape.
Put sausage in the centre of the pastry rectangle. Make sure the pastry can cover it then dab water along the pastry edge. Fold pastry over and seal edges with a fork.
Prick the top of the sausage roll with a fork every inch or so.
Brush pastry with beaten egg and place in the oven for about 30 mins until golden brown and the sausage meat is 165 internal temp.
Leave the sausage rolls on the tray to cool - there will be fat that has leaked out. This will go back into the sausage roll and you won’t have a soggy bottom.
HP or Ketchup?