Flaky Pastry

Sift flour and cut the fat into quarters.

Cut in a quarter of the margarine into the flour and combine with cold water and lemon juice.  Mix into a manageable dough.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll the pastry out to an oblong shape (three times long and wide).

Place a third of the remaining fat on two thirds of the pastry.  Fold the third without fat up (envelope style) forming a double sandwich of dough and fat which also incorporates some air.  The edges of the dough are sealed by tapping with the rolling pin to enclose the air and to prevent the fat from oozing out and sticking to the rolling pin.

The folded dough is given a half turn to the right and re-rolled.  The remaining fat being added half at a time as above.

Allow the dough to relax in the refrigerator.  After relaxing, the pastry is rolled and folded three times more, taking care to keep the corners square to ensure even thickness when rolling.

The pastry is then cut to shape and used as desired.  Note:  Pastry must be allowed to relax for 15-20 minutes before baking.  This is to reduce loss of shape during baking.

Bake at 200°C-230°C (400°F-450°F) for 20-25 minutes.

Recipe Note: Ideal for meat pies, patties, pastry cups and savoury cups.

Method Note:  Lemon juice helps with the elasticity of the pastry in particular.