Can You Make Pastry Dough In A Food Processor?

Baking pastries is a rewarding culinary pastime that is fulfilling for the mind, body, and kitchen. The busy holiday months are returning shortly. This is a perfect time of year to acquire a few new time-saving baking skills to make your holiday season a bit less stressful and more enjoyable. Perhaps you have wondered can one make pastries in a food processor? We've researched this question and have found helpful answers for you.

Food processors are excellent for making tasty pastry doughs with ease and considerably quicker than with a hand or standing mixer. The power of thousands of RPMs allows the food processor to mix pastry dough within minutes. To do so, follow these steps:

• Place all dry ingredients in the mixing/working bowl.
• Pulse eight to ten times.
• Add the recipe-directed liquids slowly via the feeding tube at the low setting until a small dough ball has formed. 

Are you interested in learning how to use your food processor for making homemade pastries and treats? Maybe you have wondered if your food processor mixing bowl is large enough for making a pie crust recipe? Please continue reading; we have a great deal of culinary information to share with you!

How to make pastry dough in the food processor?

Shortbread is a great pastry to make within minutes in the food processor.  To get started, place your chilled butter and the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl. Pulse the ingredients six to ten times until the mixture looks similar to breadcrumbs. Next, add the egg, then slowly add the chilled water one tablespoon at a time while the food processor is running at the low setting. Remove the dough when it resembles a small ball. Wrap the dough ball in saran wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill.

Mixing pastry dough in the food processor can be a rewarding experience, especially pie crust. For best results, start with measuring your dry ingredients and place those in the mixing bowl while your cubed butter and water chill in the refrigerator. Press the pulse button five to eight times to mix the dry ingredients.

Next, add the chilled butter to the mixing bowl and pulse eight to twelve times until the butter and dry ingredients look like small granulated peas. With the food processor running on the low setting, slowly pour the chilled water through the feeding tube. Pulse until the small dough ball is formed. Remove it from the mixing bowl and allow it to chill covered in the refrigerator for 3o minutes.

Your pie crust is nearly ready. Perhaps you are wondering should I butter the inside of the pie dish? Click here to read our article that delves into this topic. 

Is it better to make pastry in a food processor?

Utilizing a food processor regularly for making pastries is an excellent method of maintaining consistency in pastry recipes. A food processor is a precise appliance that will yield predictable results continually. If the cook follows the recipes and uses the correct ingredients, using a food processor can take some guesswork out of the recipes.

Food processors help cut down on the number of dishes one recipe can generate, considering the multitude of tasks that the processor can complete with one mixing bowl and a blade or two. Also, most food processor models are equipped with mixing dishwasher-safe bowls that make cleanup a breeze.

Also, the powerful nature of these appliances will relieve your wrists from the stress and strain of mixing and kneading doughs. On average, it takes about eight to ten minutes to knead one loaf of bread by hand. A food processor can accomplish this task in one to two minutes—a time-saving must-have for busy home cooks and professionals.

Which food processor is best for making pastry?

The Good Housekeeping research team vigorously tested 45 different food processors with various tasks ranging from chopping carrots, mincing meats, making pastries, and analyzing the final baked results for consistency, taste, and texture. The researchers concluded that the Magimix 5200XL Food Processor was the best for bakers because it scored highest in the cake batter and pastry dough tests.

Click here to view the Magimix 5200XL Food Processor at Amazon. 

Protecting your food processor from dust and scratches is essential for the longevity of the appliance.

Click here to view a food processor cover at Amazon. 

Handling the food processors blades while installing the mixing bowl, changing the attachments, and washing the blades can be dangerous. These blades are undeniably sharp--handle with care and protect yourself with cut gloves.

Click here to view food-safe cut gloves at Amazon. 

What blade do you use in a food processor for pie crust?

Using a dough blade is the best method for making flakey pie crusts. The reason is that to create a flakey pie crust, the cook must mix the dry ingredients with chilled butter and water. The heat generated from the metal blades will quickly melt the butter and heat the water, overheating the dough, resulting in a soggy pie with a greasy flavor and a poorly formed heavy crust.

If your food processor doesn't have an accompanying dough blade, you should visit the manufacturers' website to find the correct one for your model. Do not use a random dough blade--most likely, it will not fit properly, and it could damage the food processor or cause personal injury.

Click here to view the 13-cup KitchenAid food processor with a dough blade at Amazon. 

Can you make puff pastry in a food processor?

Using a food processor for puff pastries works exceptionally well. The sharpness of the blades helps cut through the frozen or chilled butter with ease. Apply the same steps listed above for pie crust when preparing puff pastry dough. Within minutes your puff pastry dough will be mixed and ready for the next steps.

Click here to view a baker's rolling pin set at Amazon. 

Did you know there are 16 different types of rolling pins for bakers to utilize? Click here to read our article detailing each type of rolling pin. 

What size food processor do I need for pie crust?

Generally, a food processor with a three-cup mixing bowl can make one or two pie crusts simultaneously.  Pie crust recipes require few ingredients and don't need much space in a mixing bowl to blend thoroughly.

Moreover, the three-cup food processor models are great for small families or one-person households. These small appliances are easy to clean and require little space for storage and great for small kitchens.

Click here to view the 3.5 cup KitchenAid food processor at Amazon.

How do you make pastry in a Kenwood food processor?

Kenwood food processors are extremely powerful professional quality food processors with a dedicated following of home cooks and professionals around the globe who attest to the durability and functionality of the appliance. Kenwood food processors are equipped with eight settings and the pulse option that provide the cook with ample processing speeds to tackle any recipe.

To make pastry dough in a Kenwood food processor, attaching the knife blade is suggested, then placing all the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl. Process the dry ingredients by tapping the pulse button three or four times, then mix until all the ingredients are blended on the second power setting.

Next, add the water and other liquid ingredients slowly through the feeding tube until a small dough forms. If the dough is a bit runny, add another tablespoon of flour and mix at the second setting until absorbed and a dough ball is present.

In closing

Owning a food processor will not only help you create memorable pastries to share with your loved ones. This clever small appliance will help you reduced time spent in the kitchen chopping, mixing, and mincing--allowing you more time to focus on other aspects of your life. We sincerely hope that this article has helped you learn more about baking pastries and food processors usage. Please visit Kitchenseer.com soon for more educational content! Happy baking!

Be sure to check out some of our other posts to help further your culinary knowledge base.

Can You Knead Dough With A Rolling Pin?

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