Traditional Buttery
Small Batch (approximately 30 x 50g Butteries or 60 x 25 g “snack” Butteries)
Ingredients
Dough Mixture
780g strong flour
25g granulated sugar
31g fresh bakers yeast (available free from an in-store bakery such as Asda)
600ml warm water
Fat Mixture
125g plain flour
31g salt
250g butter
250g white fat/lard/meat dripping
31g granulated sugar
Method
Dough Mixture Add the sugar, yeast and 600ml water to the flour and mix slowly until it comes together and the dough becomes malleable and tacky. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for 20 minutes. The dough will increase in size to about 1.5 times the original size.
Fat Mixture Place all the ingredients in a bowl or mixer and mix together on a slow speed until a smooth paste is achieved. Cover and place in the fridge to chill.
Combine the Mixtures* Lightly flour a table/surface and spread the dough out by hand to form a rectangle at least A4 sized. By hand, roughly spread the fat mixture over the bottom 2/3 of the dough. Fold the remaining 1/3 over the middle (fatted) third and then fold the last 1/3 over so that the fat is all enclosed. Using a dough scraper or large knife make deep cuts into (but not completely through) the dough in a crisscross pattern. Use the blade to lift one side of the mixture and fold it over the top then do the same with the other side. Repeat this chopping and folding process until the fat and dough are mixed and you have a slightly stringy but not over incorporated dough.
Form the Butteries and Bake With well floured hands weigh 70g for each buttery (or 35g for “snack” butteries) and press using your knuckles on to well greased trays with no space between the rolls. Allow to rest for about 15 minutes then bake at approx. 200-220 deg C for 15-20 minutes until dark golden brown. Take the trays from the oven and leave to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.
*Additional Note
We found that the chopping and folding was key to getting the texture of buttery that we know and love.
It is tricky to explain the technique for spreading, chopping and folding but here is another attempt. Apologies if this is just repeating what the recipe says above.
Spread out the dough on a floured surface to at least A4 size (30cm x 21cm or 12″ x 8″)If you think of this sheet as being divided into three thirds, called 1, 2 and 3, it might help.
Starting at one end, thickly spread all the fat mixture over thirds 1 and 2 of the dough surface then fold third 3 over third 2 and finally fold third 1 over the top of 3 and 2 so the fat is all enclosed and you have something like a dough/fat Swiss Roll.
Using a dough scraper http://www.lakeland.co.uk/17909/Dough-Scraper (other dough scrapers are available) or large knife start at one end and cut ‘slices’ most of the way down through the mixture about 2.5cm or 1″ wide.
Cut similar slices the length of the dough almost as if you are cutting into cubes.
Next, at the end you started cutting the first ‘slice’, slide the blade of the scraper/knife under the dough, lift up the end and fold it over the top then do the same with the other end.
Repeat the cutting and folding possibly 5-6 times until the mixture starts to be combines but still looks a bit stringy.
During this process you might be convinced that something has gone wrong or that there is far too much fat mixture but as you proceed it will all come good.
You don’t want the fat to be completely combined or you won’t get that fabulous stringy/flaky texture.
Hope this helps, good luck and remember to send us a picture of the results
