Cream Pastry Dough is a traditional Stuart recipe, based on the works of Hannah Woolley, for the classic, basic, Stuart shortcrust pastry made with flour, butter, egg yolk and cream that forms the base for pies and pasties. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Stuart version of: Cream Pastry Dough.
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Original Recipe
This recipe is authentic and based, on the most part on the works of Hannah Woolley. Pastries in Stuart times were very rich and based on eggs, butter and cream to bind. This pastry was used as the base for pies and pasties, both savoury and sweet. In any Stuart-period recipe calling for 'pastry' use this one.
In all but the wealthiest households, the flour used would have been much coarser than the pastry flours of today. Use strong white bread flour if you are making this for a banquet, otherwise mix plain flour and whole grain flour for a closer approximation of the pastries in less well-off households.
Ingredients:
1kg flour (see note above)
225g butter, diced
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
200ml chilled cream or whole milk (about)
Method:
Mix together the four and salt in a bowl (sift them if using fine flour). Dice the butter finely then add to the flour and rub in with your fingers (or cut in with pastry knives). Work in the egg until combined then add enough of the chilled cream or milk to bring the mixture together as a dough.
Turn onto a floured work surface and roll out quite thickly if making a pasty and thinner if making a pie. Pies in Stuart times were large and deep and were made to last several days. About 1/3 of the quantities above would be sufficient for a modern pie.
