Back to Basics - Shortcrust Pastry

If the thought of making pastry from scratch sounds like a lengthy and difficult task then read on! Today I'm going to show you how to make a very easy and versatile pastry, and I promise you don't need any Michelin stars to get this one right. 

As part of the "Back to Basics" feature, this is all about how to make shortcrust pastry. Just be sure to follow the quantities and method below carefully and you'll be on your way to heavenly pastry in no time.  

You will only need a few simple ingredients for the pastry. If you do a bit of research you'll see that shortcrust pastry recipes can vary quite a bit - most should have twice as much flour as butter, but some use eggs or milk instead of water (this makes a richer pastry), and others include sugar for a sweet shortcrust recipe. I've kept this recipe simple and it can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes. 

This recipe will make enough pastry to line a 20cm pie dish, with a little leftover. Use your shortcrust pastry to make a home made steak or chicken pie. Or impress everyone with your "made from scratch" quiche, lemon meringue or fruit pie... watch the blog for a scrumptious apple pie recipe coming soon! The dough can also be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, or it can be frozen for 3 months. 

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SHORTCRUST PASTRY

250g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
125g butter, cubed (room temperature)
5-6 tablespoons cold water

Step 1.) Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and mix.

Step 2.) Add the butter. Use a knife to cut the cubes into the flour until most of the butter has been blended in. 

Step 3.) Use your fingertips to finish rubbing the butter into the flour. Work quickly and gently, and lift your fingertips out of the bowl as you rub to help incorporate air into the flour. Do this until the mixture is crumbly but don't worry if there is the odd lump as you want to avoid over-rubbing.

Step 4.) Add most but not all of the water, then use a knife to cut the liquid in. Continue until the dough starts coming together, then use your fingertips to finish forming the dough, adding extra water as needed. The dough should be soft but not sticky. 

Step 5.) Shape the dough into a disc, this will make rolling it out much easier later on. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap or pop it in a freezer bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using. Resting the dough will make it more elastic which also makes rolling it out easy as pie!