Original recipe of the week: Easy puff pastry

No longer do we have time to slave away over puff pastry when we really want a pie. And no good pie has a shortcrust top!

Technical skill, cold hands and a whole lot of patience are what we think it takes to make really good traditional puff pastry. Not anymore! Our secret ingredient is a freezer – simply freeze your butter to help with the butter distribution and make a light and flaky puff with less of the aggro.

Easy puff pastry

Serves/makes: 1 large pie top

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes or until golden and flaky

What you will need:

250g block of unsalted butter – frozen

250g self raising flour

2 tbsp water

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

What you need to do:

1. Take the butter out of the freezer and place the flour onto a clean surface.
2. Gently grate the butter onto the flour. When all is grated you can start to combine, carefully folding so that the butter is evenly dispersed throughout the flour. If the mixture is a little dry you can add in the water.
3. All you need to do now is season and your Easy Puff Pastry is ready to use. Simply roll to your desired thickness!

Bethany Stone