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–+ servings
A ball of chilled shortcrust pastry on a floured board.

Shortcrust Pastry

Robyn
Homemade shortcrust pastry is a staple recipe to have up your sleeves to make a quick quiche or pie. With just 5 ingredients, this pastry is crisp and tender when baked, and so much tastier than store bought pastry.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course basics
Cuisine International
Servings 8 People
Calories 233 kcal

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Rolling Pin

Ingredients
  

  • 250g (1⅓ c) plain flour
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 125g (½ c) cold butter, cut into cubes
  • 1 egg yolk from a large egg
  • 50ml (⅛ c + 4 teaspoons) cold water

Instructions
 

  • In a mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt together.
  • Add the cold butter cubes to the flour and gently rub in using the tips of your fingers, until the texture resembles breadcrumbs.
  • In a small bowl or mug, beat the egg yolk and cold water together with a fork.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the flour and using a blunt knife / butter knife, stir them together. You may need to use your hands at the end to lightly bring the pastry together.
  • Form the pastry into a disc and wrap in cling film.
  • Place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.
  • When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180˚C fan / 200˚C / 356˚F convection / 392˚F unless your recipe states otherwise.
  • Lightly dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour. Unwrap the disc of dough and gently roll out to a thickness of 3-5mm (0.10-0.20 inch), rotating 90 degrees every few rolls to ensure even thickness and prevent the dough from sticking to your surface.
  • If making a quiche or tart, line your tin and blind bake, if topping a pie, lay the pastry over and cut to size before baking.

Video

Notes

Plain flour – all purpose flour
Butter – I have tested making pastry with butter and shortening, and prefer using all butter for the best flavour and texture. Use cold butter, straight from the fridge. Cut it into cubes roughly 1cm / 0.40 Inches in size to make it easier to rub in to the flour. Don’t use margarine as it contains too much water.
Egg yolk – adding an egg yolk to the pastry adds proteins which help the pastry to bind. It also adds flavour (and colour). I have tested recipes making pastry without egg and with a whole egg, and I have found using an egg yolk gives the most reliable results.
Water – cold water, best from the fridge if possible.

Tips for making pastry

Use cold ingredients – and cold hands! – for the flakiest homemade pastry.
    • Why? If the butter is warm when you make the pastry, it can also make it tough. You want cold butter to be able to trap little pieces within the pastry, which will melt during baking and lead to light, flaky pastry. Using cold butter is what makes fluffy cheese scones light.
Don’t make the pastry on a scorching hot summers day! It can end in disaster! If you know you want to bake with pastry, I suggest you make it in the cooler first thing in the morning and keep in the fridge until you need it.
Handle the dough lightly.
    • Why? You want to minimise working the gluten cells which will lead to heavy and tough pastry.
Resting time is important.
      • Why? It allows the fat to solidify again which means it’s more likely to hold its shape during baking, and it also allows the gluten strands to relax.

Tips for cooking pastry

If leaving the pastry in the fridge overnight, bring it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you roll it to make it easier to roll.
When rolling out pastry: sprinkle both the work surface and rolling pin lightly with flour (too much flour can lead to a tough pastry). Use an even pressure and gently roll the pastry. Occasionally flip the pastry over to ensure that it is not sticking to the work surface.
If the pastry cracks on rolling or once in the tin, patch it up.
Place some greaseproof paper over the pastry and fill with raw rice or baking beans – this will help prevent the bottom of the pastry from puffing up and the sides of pastry from falling in.
When recipe asks to, ‘blind bake pastry’: Roll the pastry out and prepare with baking beans as above and bake in a preheated oven at 180˚C fan / 200˚C / 356˚F convection / 392˚F for around 15 minutes until the pastry is firm, then remove the greaseproof paper and beans and cook the pastry for another 5 -10 minutes until lightly golden.

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 320mgPotassium: 40mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 423IUCalcium: 12mgIron: 2mg
Keyword basic pastry recipe, shortcrust pastry recipe

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