Shortcrust Pastry

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Homemade shortcrust pastry - deanysdesignscouk

This recipe will make enough pastry to do a large dinner plate sized apple pie .

Ingredients:

  • 300 gm Plain flour
  • 150 gm butter
  • Iced cold water

Method:

I always use half the amount of fat to flour.  If the pastry I’m making is for a sweet pie  I use all butter but if I’m making a savoury pie then I use half butter half lard.

First put 3 or 4 ice cubes in half a cup of water so it can be chilling while you make a start on the pastry.

Put the flour in a bowl and chop up the fat before adding it to the flour.

I never ever handle my pastry until I start to roll it this ensures that it’s not overworked.

Use a knife and incorporate the butter with the flour chopping it into smaller and smaller pieces as you go . It’s tedious but the result is well worth it. You may find using two knives is easier but I prefer just one.

It doesn’t actually resemble breadcrumbs when it’s ready but it’s close.

Then make a well in your flour (with your knife) and add 2 tablespoons of the chilled water and fold the flour into it bringing your knife against the bowl to make sure it’s well mixed. Keep adding a little water at a time until just enough for the pastry to form into a ball. Don’t over wet it or the pasty will be hard when cooked instead of light and crumbly. It’s better to err on the dry side.

Then get a plastic food bag or some cling film and still without touching the pastry scoop it up and gently squeeze it together wrap it up and place in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

This will keep in the fridge for about 3 days as long as its wrapped up.

When ready to roll, lightly dust your surface with flour and your rolling pin and squeeze any loose bits of pastry together before taking it out of the bag. Then cut about 2/3rds off it and place the 1/3 back into the fridge to use for the lid.

Roll a couple of times, pick up your pastry and turn it over lightly dusting your surface again. Roll a couple of times again and repeat until it’s slightly bigger than your plate.

If your making a round pie then turn your pastry a quarter turn each time you roll to keep it round. Do not stretch the pastry because it will just shrink back during baking.

I usually put baking paper on the pastry and fill it with baking beans to ‘blind’ bake it.

I use a fan oven preheated on 170° and bake for about 12 mins. I take it out of the oven and leave it a couple of mins before lifting out the paper with the beans. Then put my filling in and, brush a drop of milk or a beaten egg around the edge of the pie and place the lid (after rolling of course) on the top pressing down the edges so they stick.

Homemade shortcrust pastry - deanysdesignscouk

Cube the fat into flour

Homemade shortcrust pastry - deanysdesignscouk

Chop with a knife

Homemade shortcrust pastry - deanysdesignscouk

Until like breadcrumbs

Homemade shortcrust pastry - deanysdesignscouk

Add iced water

Homemade shortcrust pastry - deanysdesignscouk

Put into a bag

Homemade shortcrust pastry - deanysdesignscouk

Without touching

Homemade shortcrust pastry - deanysdesignscouk

Squeeze lightly together and chill until needed

 

2 Comments

  1. Dear Deany, Thank you so much. Have been searching everywhere for masterclass in making shortcrust pastry, and then I find one on your website. Illustrated as well – brilliant!! Jacquiexxx

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *