My Grans Sour Cream Pastry Recipes

SOUR CREAM PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes.
• To blend by hand:
• In a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender blend together flour, butter, and salt until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Stir in sour cream with a fork just until incorporated. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water over mixture and gently stir just until incorporated. Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add enough remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated and testing, to give mixture proper texture. (If you overwork mixture or add too much water, pastry will be tough.)
• To blend in a food processor:
• In a food processor pulse together flour, butter, and salt until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Add sour cream and pulse just until incorporated. Drizzle 4 tablespoons water over mixture and pulse just until incorporated. Test mixture by gently squeezing a small handful: When it has proper texture it should hold together without crumbling apart. If necessary, add enough remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until incorporated and testing, to give mixture proper texture. (If you overwork mixture or add too much water, pastry will be tough.)
• To form dough after blending by either method:
• Turn mixture out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of hand smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together and form it, rotating it on work surface, into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 1 day.

SOUR CREAM PASTRY

Steps:

• Pulse flour, salt and baking powder in food processor.
• Add shortening. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Stir together sour cream and egg; pour all at once into flour and pulse until it just comes together.
• Dump out onto wax paper. Gather into a disk, wrap in the wax paper and chill at least 20 minutes.
• Cut into two pieces, rewrap one and return it to the refrigerator.
• Roll on a lightly floured surface.
• Fill and bake according to filling recipe.

GREAT GRANDMA'S SOUR CREAM DROP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cream sugar, shortening, and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Mix in sour cream and lemon zest on low speed until no streaks of sour cream remain. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium-low just until there are no streaks of yolk, and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder all at once and mix just to combine.
• Drop by heaping tablespoons on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are puffy and spring back when lightly touched with a finger, about 10 minutes. They should be light golden, with occasional spots of pale golden brown.

SOUR CREAM PASTRY

Steps:

• Put the flour and salt in a 3 qt bowl, stir to blend.
• Scatter butter slices over flour and cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture consists of particles that vary in size from small peas to bread crumbs (you can use a food processor for this step).
• Stir in the sour cream with a fork.
• The pastry will appear dry because the sour cream is thick and does not disburse easily.
• With your hands, manipulate the dough into a ball.
• Divide in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until cold and firm- at least 4 hours, and up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.