Pastry, Mom's Recipe

This recipe is my Mom's recipe and is easy to make.  I hope you enjoy.

1 Lb. vegetable shortening - cold

5 Cups all- purpose Flour

2 Tsp. Salt

3 Tbsp. Vinegar  (apple cider or white wine vinegars work well) 

1 Egg 

Cold water (approx. 1 cup)

You will need approximately a total of 1 1/2 cups of fluid so here is how we make up the fluid. Add one egg to a 2 cup measure. Beat with a fork. Add vinegar and whisk again. Then add the cold water  and bring the combined fluid up to 1 1/2 cups.  You may not need all this liquid, but sometimes you do depending on the moisture content of the flour and shortening.

Prep: 

Mix together flour, salt. Whisk together to remove the lumps.

Add shortening to the flour mixture and cut up shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter (see photo to the right). If you have a stand mixer you can use this too. Be careful not to over mix.

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ I now realize after making pastry for so many years that the flakiness of your pastry is directly correlated with how well your shortening is cut into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter helps with this process. The shortening should disappear into small chunks while keeping the flour powdery.

Prepare liquid and add 90% of the liquid to the flour mixture. Combine the liquid until it is incorporated and the pastry starts to come together into a ball. Do not over mix at this stage or your pastry will be tough. Continue to mix with your clean hands and if it is too dry add the rest of the liquid.

Roll dough up into a disc and wrap in parchment paper and then in a clean plastic bag and store in cooler until needed.