Those who can, make their own dough.
Those who can’t or are short on time? They welcome a little help.
Enter Star Dough to the rescue.
Made in small batches from unbleached wheat flour, sweet butter, creme fraiche, baking powder and sea salt, this frozen, prepared dough is a lifesaver. It comes already rolled out into rounds sized perfectly for making pies and galettes. Or use cutters to make little tarts or canapes or whatever your imagination dreams up. Just thaw, then unroll the rounds and they’re ready to use.
The product is the brainchild of Hugh Shurley of Point Richmond, Calif., a fine artist of photography and collages, whose talent apparently extends from studio to kitchen. Just take a look at his Star Dough blog to see some of the delicious creations he’s made.
I had a chance to try a sample of the dough, when Shurley dropped off a couple of packages to my home, as well as a box of apple-caramel mini empanadas he’d just whipped up. I used the dough to make a couple of savory galettes — filled with caramalized onions, cemini mushrooms, Canadian bacon and grated Gruyere.
Whether used in savory or sweet applications, the dough bakes up wonderfully rich and flaky.
The dough is made in a commercial kitchen in San Francisco. Each package contains two frozen, 12-inch rounds.
Star Dough sells for $10-$14. One dollar from the sale of every package is donated to Meals on Wheels, which provides meals to home-bound seniors in San Francisco.
Find the dough at various Bay Area stores, including Bi-Rite in San Francisco, the Pasta Shop in Oakland, Monterey Market in Berkeley, Piedmont Grocery in Oakland, and Sigona’s in Palo Alto and Redwood City.
More Helpers: Bakesale Betty Cookie Mix
And: Baked Brownie and Blondie Mixes
