It seems every country has its own version of flaky pastry. Hungarian flaky pastry is no different. It is quick to make and yet worthy of krémes. Roll it out to any configuration or simply bake a sheet and cut it up into the desired shape while it is hot. Pile fruit, custard or whipping cream on the top, its perfectly delicious.
HUNGARIAN FLAKY PASTRY
Full Batch:
1-1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup chilled hard margarine
1 pinch of salt
4 Tbsp cold water
4 tsp vinegar
Half Batch:
1 cup + 1 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp chilled hard margarine
3 Tbsp cold water
1 Tbsp vinegar
• In a large bowl, crumble the flour and the chilled margarine to fine crumbs.
• Mix in the salt.
• Add to a small dish the cold water and the vinegar.
• Pour the liquid over the pastry crumbs.
• Stir to combine and gradually form a rough ball.
• Generously flour a board and roll out the pastry into a thin rectangle.
• Roll up pastry and divide into 4 parts.
• Roll each division into a thin rectangle.
• Stack the four rectangles on top of one another.
• Chill for twenty minutes.
• Repeat rolling, dividing and stacking and chilling the dough one more time.
• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out the chilled pastry.
• Cut to fit the parchment lined baking pan.
• Place the pastry on the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown. Keep an eye on it, flaky pastry can bun very quickly.
• Within about 3-4 minutes, deflate the parts that swell up by pricking them with a fork.
• Remove from the oven.
• If baking a sheet pastry, immediately cut to the desired shape. Once the pastry cools, it is not possible to cut it without it breaking apart.
