Spelt Pastry

I've just posted the recipe I used to fill the spelt pastry shell I made last week and thought I had better post the recipe for the pastry I used! This is a version of a recipe my Mum has been using for years, since I was a child when she made applie pies on a regular basis. I don't often make pastry, but whenever I do, I have to phone my Mum to get the proportions. She has the recipe in her head, of course, and calls it out to me over the phone. I write the details on the back of an envelope and by the time I've made the pastry, the envelope has been recycled and I still don't know how to make pastry! Finally, I have written it down and now you get the benefit of my Mum's years of experience. The only change I've made to her recipe is to use wholegrain spelt flour rather than plain white, but you can use either, depending on what you're making.

When you're making pastry it's really important not to over handle it. So, minimal poking and stirring, rolled and folded as per the instructions below and then put in the fridge. When you use it and trim off the bits you don't need, you can use them again! Fold them, rather than squish them together and keep in the fridge or freezer.

I've used spelt flour because I like to avoid wheat when I can, as we do tend to eat far too much of the stuff. Spelt is an ancient grain which has not been farmed as intensively as wheat and therefore remains much as it was when humans first started growing it. It also contains less gluten than wheat so is easier to digest. Wholegrain spelt contains a broader range of nutrients in comparison to it's more inbred cousins, including manganese, B3, phosphorous and magnesium.

The Recipe!
12oz wholegrain spelt flour
8oz vegetable margarine
water to mix (approx 100-150ml)

• Weight out the flour
• Slice in the margarine and continue to break up with a knife, until the pieces of margarine are quite small.
• Add the water slowly, and bring together with the flour mix.
• The mix should be fairly dry, just barely holding together, stay on the dry side.
• Put the mix on a floured counter and roll out.
• Fold in 3 and roll out again
• Fold in 3 and roll out again
• Fold in 4 and put in the fridge until you need it.