Here’s a quick, easy recipe to make sweet shortcrust pastry, simply follow the steps outlined below and you’re away!
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Ingredients
- 500g sifted, good quality plain flour
- 100g sifted icing sugar
- 250g butter cubed
- optional; zest of 1 lemon or lime or orange you could instead try vanilla seeds or cocoa powder or cinnamon (don’t go overboard)
- 2 x free-range eggs (large sized) beaten
- a splash of milk
Method, how to make sweet shortcrust pastry
Take a large mixing bowl and sieve the plain flour into it, when you have sone this do the same with the icing sugar. Note, sieve the flour from a good height above the bowl (without spilling it) this will incorporate air into the mix which will help make light pastry.
Next rub the butter cubes into the flour/sugar mix. Do this by working it between your thumb and fingers, you should end up with a nice crumbly mixture. Note, cold hands make better pastry! if you have hot hands then run them under a cold tap for a while to cool them down. You do not want to melt the butter from the heat of your hands.
Stage three is to add any flavours to the mix, so in goes your lemon / orange / lime zest or other flavourings (which ever one you choose to use might depend on the item you are making).
In a jug, beat the eggs and milk together then slowly add it to the dry mix. Gently combine it all and you should end up with a dough ball. Note, don’t mix it too much else it’ll end up like chewy elastic, you are aiming for a light, short crumbly pastry.
Resting time, lightly flour the pastry (and work surface) and gently press is so it’s shaped into a flat round configuration. Wrap it up in clingfilm and place it in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
That’s it! you are now ready to use your homemade sweet shortcrust pastry. It’s ideal for sweet pies, tarts, mince pies and the like.
Cook for the stated time for your recipe, you won’t usually have to cook it for more than 35 – 40 minutes but this will vary depending on the fillings etc.
Tip, just before cooking you can add an egg wash (or milk) to the lid if it’s a pie, then sprinkle a little fine sugar over it, this will caramelise when in the oven creating a lovely golden look to the finished product.