Basic Shortcrust Pastry

Makes approximately 300g (10oz) of pastry

Basic Shortcrust Pastry recipe – The Artisan Food Trail
While ready-made shortcrust pastry can be bought there’s nothing to be scared of in making your own. It can be simply made by hand or if you prefer, in a food processor.
As it’s so versatile, being suitable for both savoury and sweet dishes, why not start a habit to make it yourself?

Ingredients

  • 200g plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 110g butter (cubed or an equal mix of butter and lard)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons water (very cold)

Hand-made method

Place the flour, butter, and salt into a large bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make sure you work as quickly as possible to prevent the dough becoming warm.

Gradually add the water to the mixture. Use a cold knife to stir the mixture until the binds together into a dough. Add more cold water, a tiny amount at a time if the mixture is too dry.

Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.

Food processor method

Using a food processor is a great way to speed up pastry making. The pulse function avoids the over working the mixture which can make the pastry tough and dry to eat.

Place the flour, butter, and salt into the bowl of the processor.

Using the pulse setting, pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Try not to over mix.

Using the processor’s funnel at the top, slowly add the water a little at a time until the mixture comes together in a ball.

Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill as above in the hand-made method.

Basic Shortcrust Pastry recipe 2 – The Artisan Food Trail

Tip

To make the best pastry follow these tips and you’ll be making the lightest crisp, melt-in-the-mouth pastry ever.

If you’d like some pointers on just how much pastry to make take a look at the pastry calculator.

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