La pasta frolla

For the complete video click here!


La pasta frolla is a basic dough for cookies and torte such as la crostata and la torta di frutta (I will post the recipe tomorrow).


Ingredienti (per una crostata per 6 persone, about 26 cm in diameter):

(250 g is about 0.55 lb)

- 250 g di farina (flour)

- 125 g di burro freddo tagliato a cubetti (cold butter cut in cubes)

- 75 g di zucchero (sugar)

- 2 tuorli (or rossi) d'uovo (egg yolks) a temperatura ambiente (at room temperature)

- mezza buccia di limone grattuggiata (half a lemon zest grated)

- mezzo cucchiaino di lievito istantaneo (half a teaspoon of baking powder)

- 1 pizzico di sale (a pinch of salt)

- 1 pizzico/1 goccio di vaniglia (pinch/tiny bit of vanilla - goccia= drop)

Procedimento:

- In una ciotola (in a bowl) mescola (mix) la farina, il lievito, lo zucchero, il sale e la buccia di limone.

- Aggiungi (add) i tuorli d'uovo e il burro. Impasta (knead) con le dita (with -your- fingers) per meno di mezzo minuto (for less than half a minute).
-  if it does not stick together, add some cold water or an egg white

- Form a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally a couple of hours.

La pasta frolla is now pronta (ready) to make una torta or you can simply flatten it, cut it in your favorite shapes and bake it (at 350 F) to make biscotti.

 Comments and variations:

- you can use un robot da cucina

- you can prepare more dough and freeze it =)

- you can substitute all or part of the butter with extra virgin olive oil: not

 as tasty, but healthier

- in a few years you can add 1/2 a tablespoon of scotch to the dough