Dough Whisperer

When the time came this week to prepare the second batch of Russian tea biscuits, my confidence was up as I basked in the glow of batch #1 success.

So I doled out a little of this, measured out a little of that, and sifted my way into a dough ball.

But something was amiss. My hands told me the dough offered way too much give and my head told me not to reach for the flour.

If this was a batch of chili, spice it up and we'll call it a day. But when a Crisco and oil pastry dough is deviating from your hopes and expectations, finding a solution can get quite sticky.

With batch #2, it would be with strategy and moderate manual finessing that would turn this ball into a baked good.

Avoiding a full fledged flour intervention, I nudged the tender dough into a rectangle. While holding my breath, fillings were spread and sprinkled, and all was gently rolled up into a log. Amazed at the tenacity of this tender log, I knew it would cave in if taken to the knife.

In this desperate time where no more measuring was to be done, I opted to give the log a little talking to.

"Firm up," I urged the dough.

10 freezing minutes later, the dough emerged from its frosty time out. Having gained some resilience, slices were carefully made and into the oven it went.

Batch #2 was not as attractive and consistent as batch #1, but the Russian tea biscuits tasted great nonetheless.

And by batch #3, I was fluent in dough speak.

Be Well.