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Pakistani Nut Pastry 2

Serves 4 to 6 Pastry vegetarian, Breads & Pastry

Pakistani Nut Pastry 2

Pakistani Nut Pastry 2 finds its roots in the bustling kitchens of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Islamabad, where home cooks craft it for intimate family tables. This pastry captures the essence of shared meals, with salt sprinkled by intuition and a generous hand with butter, making it a staple in household kitchens rather than restaurant menus. It's a treat that requires no special occasion, just a desire to bring people together over something sweet and comforting.

The pastry offers a delicate balance of buttery richness and nutty sweetness, with a texture that's both tender and crumbly. The nuts lend a satisfying crunch that contrasts beautifully with the smoothness of the buttery dough, while the sugar and egg bind it all into a cohesive, indulgent bite. This is a pastry meant to be savored, with each piece inviting another until the plate is empty.

Ingredients

  • 250 gflour
  • 150 gnuts — chopped
  • 100 gbutter
  • 100 gsugar
  • 1egg

Method

  1. Start by bringing the egg and butter to room temperature. This ensures that the butter is soft enough to blend smoothly with the other ingredients, creating a uniform dough. Leave them out on the counter for about 30 minutes before you start preparing the pastry.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 250 g of flour and 100 g of sugar. Mix them together with a whisk or fork until they are well blended, ensuring there are no lumps of sugar. This will help the sugar distribute evenly throughout the dough.
  3. Add the softened 100 g of butter to the flour and sugar mixture. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. This technique ensures that the butter is evenly distributed, which is crucial for a flaky pastry.
  4. Crack the room-temperature egg into the mixture and gently mix it in using a wooden spoon or spatula. Continue to mix until the dough comes together and forms a smooth, cohesive ball. If the dough feels too sticky, sprinkle a little more flour until it reaches the right consistency.
  5. Roughly chop 150 g of nuts and fold them into the dough. Ensure that the nuts are evenly distributed throughout the dough, so each bite of pastry will have a nutty crunch. This step adds texture and flavor to the pastry.
  6. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). While the oven is heating, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter or a knife to cut the dough into desired shapes.
  7. Place the shaped dough pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the pastries are golden brown and firm to the touch. The edges should be slightly darker, indicating they are perfectly baked.
  8. Remove the pastries from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This allows them to firm up slightly, making them easier to handle. Serve the pastries warm or at room temperature, perfect for sharing at the table.
Cover of Authentic Pakistani Cuisine
From the cookbook

Authentic Pakistani Cuisine

This recipe is from Authentic Pakistani Cuisine by Yassine Sbiti — the Pakistani volume in the ComidaTime International Cuisines series.

Available soon on Amazon…

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