Lockdown has been interesting, for one I am cooking and baking more than ever and thats saying something. I bake for a living but right now I never seem to leave the kitchen and the sheer amount of washing up is making me go a little stir crazy. Thankfully I am not the only one baking, the internet is flooded with new homemakers and the recipes they are tackling. The swaths of sourdough bakers, the banana bread fanatics and just those who have never baked before. I, for one, am thrilled that more of you are in the kitchen and I hope this new baking obsession is a permanent addition to your routine. For those new bakers out there I wanted to post some recipes that help build up your skills and give you building blocks to give you confidence in the kitchen.

Everyone should have a good flaky pie dough in their arsenal of recipes, once you learn how to make pie you open up a world of recipes and whether you want to use it for sweet or savoury this is my go-to recipe. You’ll notice there is a little sugar in the dough and whilst you could remove it for savoury pies I’d suggest leaving it in. Not only does the sugar act as a type of seasoning, helping give the dough a great flavour, it also helps with browning. 

The biggest thing I can teach you when making a flaky pie dough, or most pastry recipes for that matter, is that temperature is the most important thing and that temperature is normally cold. Keeping the butter cold helps ensure a light and flaky pastry. Butter includes water and as the pastry bakes the water content will evaporate and if the butter is handled properly this evaporation will lead to super flaky pastry. So don’t be worried, if the pastry begins to stick, starts to warm up, don’t panic simply throw it back in the fridge until you can work with it again. 

Now that you’ve mastered pie dough what should you make? Of course you can jump straight to a classic pie, I think a galette is a great starting point. Galettes are meant to be rustic so perfection isn’t needed and when your learning how to work with dough galettes wont mind clumsy shaping or a little heavy handed crimping. These are individual pies that are chilled out and don’t have any cares. For the filling I found some end of season rhubarb and early season strawberries over at Borough Market, which I am lucky to have in my neighbourhood. This combo is one of my favourites and whilst it is delicious without much adornment I love to add a little vanilla plus depending on my mood a couple other additions. Cardamom goes brilliantly in this recipe but today I kept things simple and added a small amount fo almond extract. I don’t use the extract for a strong punch of flavour but a subtle layering of flavour that makes these extra special.

Flaky Pie Dough
Makes enough for 1 double crust pie or 8 individual galettes

300g plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
250g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
6-8 tbsp ice cold water
2 tbsp vodka
1 large egg, for egg wash
demerara for decoration

Strawberry and Rhubarb Filling
350g strawberries
350g rhubarb
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
125g caster sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornflour
80g ground almonds

To make the pastry place the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl and mix to combine. Add 1/4 of the butter and toss to coat. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. This portion of the butter helps to make the finished pastry tender, the remaining butter will add the flakiness.

Add the remaining butter and toss in the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, press each piece of butter flat. Put the bowl into the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up, keeping the butter cold is key to making a super flaky pastry. If the butter becomes too warm it will get worked into the dough and you’ll make something with a more biscuity texture. Pour the vodka into a small jug with the ice cold water. Remove the bowl from the freezer and pour over the water mixture a couple tablespoon at a time, stirring with a butter knife. Your not looking to form a ball of dough, you want a mixture that is clumping together without any pockets of dry flour. You may need a little more or less water that is why it is important to add the liquid in stages. Tip the dough out onto the worksurface and use your hands to briefly bring together with your hands. Using your hands will warm the dough up a little so place onto a plate and chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

On a lightly floured worksurface, roll the dough into a rectangle (roughly 15cm x 40cm) then roll it up into a fat sausage. Cut the dough into two pieces and form into flat discs, wrapping in clingfilm and chilling for about an hour before using. This rolling process is a way to build in extra layering, and is an idea based on Portuguese custard tart bakers in Lisbon and methods for flaky buttermilk biscuits in the American South.

For the pastry roll out one piece of pastry at a time, on a lightly floured worksurface, until about 3mm thick. To ensure you get as many discs of pastry from the dough as possible on the first roll I like to roll into a rectangle roughly 6 inches wide. Cut out three 6 inch round discs of pastry and place them onto a parchment lined baking tray and refrigerate until firm. Set the scraps aside for the moment. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Gather the scraps together and refrigerate for an hour before rolling out and cutting out the remaining 2 discs of pastry. 

For the filling cut the rhubarb into small slices, 1/2-1cm thick. Cut the stalk from the strawberries and cut into quarters. Place the fruit into a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Set the bowl aside to allow the fruit to macerate. After 30 mins pour the fruit and juice into a fine mesh strainer set over a saucepan. Once all the juice has drained into the pan set the fruit back in the bowl. Place the pan over medium/high heat and reduce by two thirds then turn off the heat. Place the cornflour into a small bowl and pour over a little of the fruit juice, whisking to combine to form a slurry. Pour this mixture back into the pan and stir to combine, if using add the vanilla bean paste and almond extract at this stage. Pour this mixture over the fruit and stir to combine. 

To assemble place a spoonful of ground almonds onto a disc of pastry and spread into a thin layer, leaving the outer inch clear. This almonds are not there to add lots of flavour but to absorb any excess juice and keep the pastry crisp. Top with some of the fruit mixture. Fold the pastry border up and over the fruit, crimping as you fold (watch the video for a really helpful view of how I do this). Place the galettes onto a parchment lined baking tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until the pastry is firm. 

Whilst the galettes are chilling preheat the oven to 220C (200C Fan). When ready to bake brush the pastry with a beaten egg and sprinkle liberally with demerara or sanding sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes before reducing the heat to 200C (180C Fan) and baking for a further 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before serving warm and allow to cool fully before serving at room temperature. 

Once baked the galettes will be best served on the day made but will be great for a few days after but the pastry underneath will lose some of its crispness.