Flaky Pastry Dough (Ghagina tal-Isfoll)
A flaky pastry dough made with margarine and folded repeatedly to create layers. This Maltese recipe is the base for savory pastizzi or timpana.
Ingredients
- 227 g flour
- 170 g margarine cut into half-inch cubes
- cold water
- salt
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 4 of 4 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 71.6 mg
- Iron: 10.5 mg
- Magnesium: 53.5 mg
- Phosphorus: 272 mg
- Potassium: 294 mg
- Zinc: 1.6 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 227 g flour
- cold water
- salt
Prepare
- 170 g margarine, cut into half-inch cubes
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Sift 8 oz. common flour and a dash of salt together into a large bowl. Add 6 oz. margarine cut into half-inch cubes, dropping them into the flour without squashing them. Mix lightly with your fingertips or a knife until all margarine cubes are coated with flour, keeping the cubes intact.
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Step 2.
Add 6-7 tablespoons of cold water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a knife after each addition. Stop adding water when the dough comes together and is very soft; if some flour remains loose, add a teaspoon of cold water at a time until all flour is incorporated. Do not overmix—the margarine cubes should remain visible.
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Step 3.
Lightly flour your work surface (preferably marble), the dough, and a rolling pin. Using your fingertips, gently shape the dough into an elongated rectangle about 8 inches long and 5 inches wide. Roll the dough lightly with the rolling pin to maintain those dimensions.
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Step 4.
Fold the lower third of the dough rectangle up toward the top, then fold the upper third down over the first fold, creating a three-layered rectangle. Use light pressure from the rolling pin to seal the three open edges. Brush off any excess flour.
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Step 5.
Turn the folded dough anti-clockwise so that the right side is now at the top. Roll the dough lightly until it is 9 inches long and 6 inches wide. Repeat the folding process: fold the lower third up, then the upper third down, and seal the edges. Brush off excess flour.
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Step 6.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and refrigerate for 20 minutes. While the dough chills, clean your work surface and rolling pin, and prepare a damp cloth for later use.
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Step 7.
After 20 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Repeat the rolling, folding, and chilling process (steps 3 through 6) three more times, for a total of four rounds of folds and chills. After the final chill, the dough is ready to be rolled out to desired thickness for pastizzi or timpana.