THE BAKERS GUIDE

washing over. After the paste has received the sixth roll out, it will, upon every further rolling, become less flakey and be more suitable for fruit-tarts, etc.

The foregoing directions for pastry-making will meet all ordin- ary needs ; but there are certain points, such as the use of soft butter and the extreme fluctuations of temperature, that have so much to do with the making of good puff paste, that a few explanatory remarks are absolutely necessary to guard the learner against those frequent failures and disappointments which in- evitably follow upon carelessness or want of knowledge. For instance, sometimes the summer is intensely hot, often reaching 105?, and all ordinary instructions would, in such circumstances, be insufficient to enable people to turn out goods in a workman- like manner. Butter is reduced to a state bordering upon oil, and everything depends upon the care with which the butter is prepared beforehand, the gentle handling, lightness of touch, and the rapidity with which the paste is worked off. This extreme heat being followed by a sharp bout of severe frost, all the previous conditions are naturally reversed, the hard frozen butter has to be well worked down, and the paste to receive more rolling. We give a few precepts about the preparation of butter, the use of ice, and the cause of ' tough,' 4 short,' or * flinty ' pastry : —

In Hot Weather

choose a good quality butter, without moisture or loose salt, or a good mixture of fats ; have it cut into a square piece direct from the tub, or package, and do not handle or pat it. Put it into the re- frigerator ; failing a refrigerator, place it upon ice or iced water. When the butter is set firm, dust with flour ; put upon a board and flatten it out to the size required to be covered by paste ; put it away again upon a board until it is firm and ready for use. When the butter is firm, wet up the flour with iced water with a pinch of cream of tartar in it, and mix as directed ; be careful to keep the paste from sticking, and do not cover with loose flour. If there are signs of the butter coming through, only fold and roll one fold at a time, and put the paste away near ice for a few minutes each time, until the six foldings are completed. When the butter is soft and weak, ice should always be used ; but if firm, *nd weather cold, it will not be necessary.

The cause of tough flinty pastry is insufficient rolling : the butter, if firm and hard, will, unless well rolled in, remain in layers, and when the paste is put into the oven, these layers will lift the paste and cause it to be flakey ; but the butter, not having been thoroughly incorporated with the flour, will be liberated by the heat of the oven— in other words, boil out.

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