Traditional Finnish quark-butter dough makes a delicious, lower-fat substitute for puff pastry (pâte feuilletée) in various sweet or savoury pasties, pies and pastries, like salmon pie, vegetable pie or traditional Finnish star-shaped Christmas pastries.

Although not quite as flaky, quark-butter dough is easier to prepare and has a much tastier flavour than regular puff pastry.

250 g butter
250 g smooth, soft quark
250 g flour
(½ tsp baking powder)

Let the butter soften thoroughly at room temperature. In a large bowl, stir the quark with a fork or a spoon until smooth. Mix together the soft butter and quark by hand until well blended, but do not beat or whip the mixture.

Add the flour and mix gently and very briefly, just enough to get the ingredients incorporated. Do not knead the mixture.

Adding baking flour to the dough will result in a more risen, but less flaky and denser pastry consistency. Leave it out if you want the pastry to be flaky. If you are using baking powder, mix it first with the flour.

In picture abowe: the flaky edge of Finnish Christmas pastry made with quark-butter dough with no baking flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to harden. Soften the chilled dough slightly by pressing it gently with a rolling pin before rolling. Folding the dough in three layers before rolling will make it flakier.

Recipe source: family recipe from Mrs. Kirsti L./traditional Finnish recipe