I store around 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of frozen cubed butter in a resealable sandwich bag in my freezer, for making pastry and biscuits. It will keep for up to six months, and it’s well worth spending a few minutes chopping butter and stashing it away to make these easy pastries.
Ingredients
- 100 g (3½ oz) frozen cubed butter
- 150 g (5 oz/1¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 72 g (2½ oz/scant ⅔ cup) icing (confectioner's) sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- zest of ½ lemon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
How to Make It
- Place half the butter, the flour and sugar into the cup of your blender, put the lid on and shake well, then blitz to a breadcrumb consistency. Tip out into a bowl.
- Put the remaining butter, the egg yolk, lemon zest and vanilla, followed by the blitzed flour mixture, into the cup of your blender, shake, then blitz to a dough.
- It will be quite crumbly but tip it out onto a well-floured work surface and bring together into a soft dough with your hands. Chill, wrapped in cling film (plastic wrap), until needed.
