How would you make this dough?

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petervr on 4 Jul 2018 at 03:35

In the TV Series "French Odyssey", british TV chef Rick Stein visits this french lady who makes an amazing apple pastry with a super stretchy dough that she stretches out over a table. The whole process is described in this excerpt of his video. Its only 2 minutes and 30 seconds long on Youtube and can be found here: Apple Tourtiere

I would like to find out how this type of dough can be made. So please have a look at the clip and have a go at the dough recipe.

Thanks in advance,

Peter

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Lechem on 4 Jul 2018 at 04:10

I'm partial to krémes which is an Hungarian Custard Slice. Must be my Hungarian roots. Now I've no idea how to determine a pastry from just looking at a video however if you want a thin flaky pastry from a dough that can be stretch out like a table cloth then krémes is the way.

I'm sure there are loads of recipes out there with variations in pastry and filling but the secret to a good krémes is a dough as you describe.

what I'd suggest is you first try and find a Apple Toutiere recipe on-line. If not then you can get ideas from a krémes recipe.

I'm not sure on the recipe I've found nor quite how to follow the method however it looks like each krémes slice is made individually. There will be many ways and my mother remembers a family friend, from her childhood, who would roll the pastry out like a tablecloth.

I do the same up to the point where she starts cutting circles in the dough. A soft dough is made and then slapped onto the table and pulled away until the gluten is well developed and dough tends to clean the table.  A disc is pounded out and stretched on the back of the hands and placed in the middle of a lightly floured tablecloth or sheet on the table. The dough will then be stretched as one walks around and around the table until it hangs over the edge.  The thick outer edge can also be cut off with a knife or scissors or pulled as she demonstrates.  The cut off  edge of the dough is often chilled and used for noodles.

Dough is usually AP wheat flour, water, egg white, oil, good pinch of salt.  Recipes vary.

used to make for just about every Sunday Dinner but if course the apples were rolled up into the pastry with brown sugar, butter and  bit if warm spice.  They didn't put hooch in it though which would be a step up with some apple schnapps for sure - if you are German.  I do like the crispy folds on top in the video though.  Once you get the hang of making it it isn't as hard as it looks.

Austrian dishes I learned as a young wife back in 1983.  200g of flour was enough to cover the table and yes an almost capful of vinegar was added to the water with half egg shell of oil.   Didn't use a rolling pin or broomstick. Slap and folding the dough brought the wet dough down to the right hydration making a smooth dough.  It really is easy.

I like the looks of this pastry pie as well and in looking for a lower fructose delicacy, tempted to sub out the apples for soaked  (lemon juice) and cooked zucchini.  This would be good with apricots too, maybe even better!  Early apples are coming in soon.  I also have pineapple, if they're a little on the "green" side, they taste like apples as well when baked.  A more economical version of an apple desert in the tropics.

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pearlofeu on 1 Nov 2018 at 01:13

Hi Peter,

 

this lady was making phyllo or filo which is a greek dough. Many countries use this kind for their pastries, like austrians, hungarians, germans, croatians, middle easterns, or as you saw french.

It is very hard to make it at home, however you may find it in grocery stores, usually in the fride (not freezer) section. Most greek or middle eastern stores has them as well.

If you insist making it from scratch, I suggest you to take a short pastry class with a session of phyllo first. 

Let us know how it went.