Recipes > Shortcrust Pastry
Shortcrust Pastry
Pastry making is an art and a science combined. Once you have mastered this skill you can begin to make exciting sweets and exotic dinner dishes, yet to become accomplished with this skill you must realise that working with patisserie requires precise formulas and ratios. This is unlike conventional cooking where you can add a dash of this or a tablespoon of that on whim and also unlike conventional cooking once you commit a mistake it is extremely hard to rectify. Therefore until you become truly proficient with pastry do not deviate from the recipe's instructions and measurements!

Only when you are competent should you start to play with the ingredients. (Eg: Change the water for orange juice or whisky. Add herbs and spices to the flour.)

Shortcrust pastry is a 1/2 flour to 1/2 fat ratio. The fat normally consists of 2/3 butter 1/3 lard. However if you do not have lard do not worry simply use butter to make up the ratio. The pastry will work just as well. (Indeed should you wish to use margarine for a healthier option this too is fine, provided it is a stable baking margarine-check the packet!)

Makes 260g / 9oz ; or enough pastry for 1 x flan

Ingredients
170g / 6oz plain flour
1/4 Tsp salt
30g / 1oz lard
65g / 2 oz butter
3 Tblsp cold water

Mise-en-Place:
Weigh the ingredients
Dice the lard and butter

Method:
Either by hand or in a mixer:
Sift in the flour and salt
Rub in / mix in the butter and lard into the flour until the mix resembles 'breadcrumbs'
Add the water
Bring the dough together (it is important not to over handle or over mix the dough at this point. Once it has been brought together stop! Any further handling will result in tough/ dense pastry.)
Use as required

To Roll:
Place pastry on lightly floured work surface (preferably cold surface)
To roll a circle you must start with one. Use the rolling pin to knock the dough into your starting circle. Use your fingers to maintain a good circumference.
Begin rolling.
Always roll in the same direction. Be firm.
To maintain the pastry in a circular shape roll once (I roll from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock) then rotate the pastry by a small degree.
Roll again, then rotate.
As you roll and rotate the circle will appear lopsided but by the time you have completed one full rotation it will have formed a perfect circle.
Each time you lift the pastry for each rotation be firm and don't be too scared that it might break; pastry is tougher than you think!
From time to time dust the dough and work surface with flour to prevent sticking.
If the pastry becomes too wide to easily turn, roll the pastry over the rolling pin, rotate the pin, then unroll the pastry. Repeat.
When you have reached the required size prick the pastry all over with a fork (this will help prevent air bubbles forming when it bakes.)
Chill 20-30 minutes before baking.

Where you went wrong:
The pastry shrinks when baked: You over handled the pastry/ added too much water/ had the oven on too low a setting/ you forgot to chill the pastry before baking
Too greasy: You used the wrong measurements/ added too much fat/ had the oven on too low a setting
The pastry looks grey: Ha-Ha, looks horrible doesn't it! You left it uncovered for too long in the fridge. If you plan to leave it for more than 30 minutes cover with cling film.

As you can see there is alot that can go wrong with pastry making. Do not despair! Practice becomes perfect and as pastry making is both a science and an art do not expect to learn this skill overnight. Practice, practice, practice!