Shortcrust Pastry
Ingredients
- 225 grams plain flour
- 1 pinch of salt
- 56 grams butter, or margarine
- 56 grams lard, or hard vegetable fat
- 2 tablespoons iced water
Accompaniment
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Description
The most common type of pastry and easy to make though it does need to be kept cool and handled as little as possible. Use it for flans, pies, tarts, tartlets, pasties, quiches etc
Method
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1
Combine the salt with the flour and sieve into a large bowl add the shortening and cut into small pieces and with a knife, cut the fat into the flour.
When evenly blended, rub the mixture in with your fingertips lifting it high and allow it to 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 with that done you can now finish it off using your finger tips to bring it all together.
The pastry mixture should now be complete, leaving a clean bowl and now is the time you might need to add a little more water if it is too dry.
The pastry is finished when it feels moist and smooth
Now leave the pastry to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out you can of course make up larger batches and freeze some for use later.
Chef's Tips
The most common type of pastry and easy to make though it does need to be kept cool and handled as little as possible. Use it for flans, pies, tarts, tartlets, pasties, quiches, and turnovers.
Follow these simple steps and you are on the way to making a wide variety of tasty dishes using short crust pastry.
Short Crust Pastry is based on the ratio half fat (shortening) to flour some say cold hands make better pastry, soften shortening before using. Always try to get plenty of air into the flour when sieving. Overworking the dough not a good thing and too much rolling or binding will stretch the gluten strands making it chewy rather than nice and light.
Finally, when you have made the pastry leave it to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out and using, no cheating, this is part of the process
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