flakey pastry dough

[Ananda]

I've been trying to make a flakey pastry dough without using too much butter with very mixed results. Is there a way to get a nice crust for pastry without using a mountain of butter?

What I use now:
4 dl flour
1,5 dl cold water
little salt
1t sugar
125 g butter (which is half or so of what most recipes ask for)

I leave the pieces of butter in bits and cool the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using and then cool it again before baking after shaping the pastries.

It tastes okay, but is not flakey. Is way too much butter the only way to get the flakey quality?

[lorin]

I use 50/50 butter and cream cheese. If you can find it in Sweden it makes BETTER pastry dough than all butter.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cream cheese
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter

Directions

Soften cream cheese and butter and mix together incorporating flour a little at a time.
Roll out with a rolling pin between 2 wax papers. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and prick with fork before half-baking to prevent shrinkage. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

[Menolly]

That sounds awesome, lorin! I always have trouble keeping the butter "ice cold" when trying to make pie crusts, so I stopped trying. This recipe may just work for me.

Thanks!

...notw to see if low carb options, such as almond or flax meal in place of flour, will work.

[DoctorGamgee]

For flakey pastry crusts, in my experience, when you cool the dough for 30 minutes, roll the butter between two sheets of wax paper and refrigerate it as well. Then roll the dough out in a long rectange (30 inches, for example), unfold the butter (20 inches) from the wax paper at one end, and fold the dough over it so that the non-buttered section of the dough comes in from the right, and then the butter/dough folds over to create alternate layers of dough and butter. Roll it out and shape it. That will help some of the flakey-ness issues. Though you may be already doing that...
For what it is worth.

We use it on our Sweetheart rolls every year at Christmas and they come out perfect.

[Harbinger]

For the flakiest crusts ever: "Crisco'll do you proud ever' time!"- Loretta Lynn

Crisco is a type of shortening. Might not be the best choice for you since you seem to not want to use butter. Crisco is not a healthy alternative. Also don't know if they have it outside of US.

But it will make a very flaky pie crust.

[Ananda]

I converted the numbers and that sounds like something to try, Lorin. Thanks. We do have that cheese.

Doc, you mean you have the butter separate from the dough instead of worked in and kept in little chunks? then, you layer them and folder it together?