How to make shortcrust pastry? the good news is that it’s not a dark art & out of reach to all but the accomplished cook or professional chef! This simple pastry recipe uses just a few ingredients and the recipe is easy to follow, it’s not difficult to make good tasting short crust pastry, simply take your time, be prepared and methodical. Follow these steps and you are on the way to making a wide variety of tasty dishes using this traditional pastry, it’s ideal for both sweet and savoury pies, quiches, mince pies, Cornish pasties, and the base for many types of tart.
- Simple to make
- Five easy steps
- Made in under 20 minutes
- Many different uses
- Delicious homemade taste
This shortcrust recipe requires just 4 ingredients and when made it would be enough to cover an 8″ pie dish, remember that shortcrust pastry is based on the ratio of half fat to half flour. If you were to use all butter in the recipe (inplace of lard) then your pastry will be much crumblier when cooked however it will not hold it’s shape as well, you can experiment with the butter / lard proportions to find a balance that suits your preferences and the dish you are making.
Shortcrust pastry ingredients
Plain Flour – 110 g (4 oz)
25 g (1 oz) lard
25 g (1 oz) Butter
1 tablespoon cold water
Pinch of salt
Pastry Making Hints & Tips
- Some say cold hands make better pastry
- Soften the butter & lard before using
- Always try to get plenty of air into the flour when sieving
- Overworking the dough is a no! too much rolling or will stretch the gluten strands making it chewy rather than nice and light.
And finally ….. when you have made the pastry wrap it in clingfilm and leave it to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out and using. No skimping, this is part of the process!
Method
Combine salt with flour and sieve into a large bowl. Add butter/fat. Cut into small pieces and with a knife, cut the fat into the flour.
When evenly blended, rub the mixture in with your fingertips. Be gentle! lift it high & let it incorporate air as it falls back into the bowl. When it resembles a crumble mix you are ready to add the water, sprinkle it over the mixture.
Next use the blade of a knife to bring it all together. Having done that, finish it off using your finger tips to combine it all together. The pastry mixture should now be complete, leaving a cleanish bowl. Now is the time if you need to add a little more water, when the pastry is finished it should feel moist but not sticky or glutinous.
The last step is to take a well earned break!, leave the shortcrust pastry to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out. You can make up larger batches and freeze some for use later, just remember the ratio of fat & flour.
Rolling Shortcrust Pastry
Cooking time
Depending on the type of dish you are making with the shortcrust pastry (it could be Cornish pasties or Flans or Quiches for example) it makes a difference to the oven temperature and length of time required to cook properly. As a rule of thumb you should set the oven temperature to 180°C (Gas mark 6) and then bake for for 35-40 minutes.
Cooking tip
For a lovely finished look to your pastry you should glaze the pastry with an egg wash just prior to cooking. Seperate the yolk of an egg and put it into a cup or small bowl with a couple of tablespoons of fresh milk. Using a pastry brush (if you have one, tips of your fingers if not!) simply brush the mixture lightly over the pastry surface. If you are making a sweet dish then you can add some white or brown sugar – sprinkle it over the top.
Making pastry in a food processor
Shortcrust pastry can be easily made in a food processor, simply add the fat, flour & salt and use the pulse mode until all is rubbed together. Then with the motor running add water through the funnel part of the lid, just a little at a time until it is all bound. Again, chill it for 30 minutes before use.
Follow this link for a SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY recipe