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Shortcrust Pastry
The key to lovely, light shortcrust pastry is to use proper butter and mix it quickly with the flour, using a fork or pastry blender rather than using your fingers. This quantity of pastry is sufficient for the top and base of an 18cm/7” pie, a large baking tray or 24 small tarts.
Ingredients
- 200g Wessex Mill Plain White Flour
- 100g butter
- 5-7 tbsp cold water
- plus butter, for dish
- plus flour, for dusting
Equipment
- 1 x pie dish
- 1 x baking tray or tart tray
- 1 x mixing bowl
- 1 x pastry blender
Method
180°C, Fan 160°C, 350°F, Gas 4 or as per your recipe
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Pre-heat the oven.
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Rub a little butter around the inside of your baking dish or tart tin.
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Measure the flour into a mixing bowl.
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Chop the butter into small cubes and add them to the bowl.
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Using a fork or pastry blender, work the butter cubes into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
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Stir in enough of the water to bring the pastry together into a soft dough. If it is suddenly too wet, cover and leave it to stand for 10 minutes.
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Using your hands gather the mix together to form a smooth ball of pastry dough.
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Dust the work surface with flour, put the dough in the middle and sprinkle it with flour.
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Roll out the pastry until 3mm/ ⅛” inch thick.
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Press a cookie cutter into the pastry if making tarts, lift the pastry into the baking dish, OR simply press it into the baking dish using your fingers.
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Gather the unused pastry into a ball and re-roll or freeze for use on another day.
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Continue as per your recipe.
