pate brisee (crust for potpie)

Directions

1. . In the bowl of a large food processor, pulse together the flours, salt and butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
2. 2. With the machine running, add the cold water gradually until the mixture comes together in a ball. You might not need to add all the water.
3. 3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently shape into a flat disc. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least half an hour before rolling out. The dough can also be frozen for use at a later time.
4. As I’m not particularly adept with a rolling pin, I prefer to roll my dough out between two sheets of parchment paper.
5. This batch made enough pastry to cover the tops of both the large beef and mushroom pie above and the medium vegetarian one below, with a small portion left over. Both pies were given a generous egg wash and then baked in a 200C (with fan) oven for half an hour.
6. There are times when only a pie will satisfy (as the old Big Ben jingle used to claim), and it’s comforting to have a reliable pastry dough for just such an occasion!