The Basics Series: Shortcrust Pastry
I thought I would start to share with you a few of my basic recipes that I use on constant rotation in the kitchen. Things that often get skipped through quickly in recipe methods but when a little more time and care is spent on them can make all the difference - and significantly add to your kitchen arsenal.
And starting with the big guns: shortcrust pastry. No, don’t run away in terror! I know for many pastry is a fearsome kitchen endeavour. I understand, it was for me too. But a few goes at it and you’ll begin to understand it’s wily ways and be the boss of it. It’s really quite simple. And yes, shop bought pastry does the job but it’s not the same as presenting your beautiful dish, receiving ‘ohs and ahs’ abound, and being able to smugly confirm you made the pastry. And this recipe is a great one - rich, buttery and decadent.
Noticed how I mentioned butter there. Yes, well, there’s no getting away from the fact pastry isn’t going to win any heath awards, but it does take the gong for adding a touch of luxury and celebration to an occasion. Savoury or sweet, the appearance of a bit of pastry does always lift the spirits somewhat. And this recipe is full on butter - I use the Leiths recipe and if you read about my time at the school that should come as no surprise.
Some recipes use lard as the ‘fat’ element and it does provide superior crumble but butter more than makes up for that with flavour. And here we use eggs yolks. This really amps up the richness and gives your pastry a lovely golden glow. If you did want a less rich version you could do worse that follow Queen Delia’s version.
Okay, before we start let’s go over some ground rules:
All your ingredients need to be fridge cold - including the water
Remember all pastry is just a combination of fat, flour, liquid and salt - choose your ingredients wisely as with something so simple you need the best ingredients you can afford.
Give it time - you will need to chill your pastry a couple of times before baking
Finally: show no fear - pastry senses it and will pray on your vulnerabilities.
shortcrust pastry
INGREDIENTS
Makes enough to line a 24 inch flan ring (double the recipe if you want to top your pie):
250g plain flour
Pinch of salt
140g chilled butter
2 egg yolks
3–4 tbsp chilled water
2-3 tsp caster sugar for sweet pastry only (add just before you start adding the liquids)
Method
Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl.
Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Using 2 cutlery knives and working in a scissor action, cut the butter into the flour, keeping the 2 knives in contact. Using knives rather than fingers helps to keep the butter and flour cool.
Once the butter has been broken down to small pea-sized pieces, use your fingertips to gently rub the little pieces of flour and butter together.
Give the bowl an occasional shake to lift larger lumps of butter to the surface. The mixture should become a uniform fine, pale crumb with no visible lumps of butter. If the mixture begins to turn yellow, the butter is softening too quickly and you need to put the bowl in the fridge for 5–10 minutes to chill the butter.
Alternative: for the above steps you can use a food processor instead. Add the flour, salt and butter to your food processor and pulse until the butter is combined to a uniform crumb. Remember not to over mix but make sure butter is evenly distributed.
Mix the egg yolks and water together in a small bowl with a fork until evenly combined. Add 2–2½ tbsp of the yolk mixture to the crumb and, using a cutlery knife, distribute the liquid as quickly as possible (this will create flakes of pastry).
Pull some of the flakes to the side and feel them; if they are very dry, add a little more of the liquid to any dry areas of crumb and use the knife again. Don’t be tempted to add too much liquid, as it can make the pastry tough. Once you think the flakes will come together, stop adding liquid.
Use the flat of the knife to bring a few of the flakes and dry crumb together, to create larger lumps. At this stage the pastry should be uniform in colour, not streaky. Continue like this until there are no dry crumbs in the bottom of the bowl.
Pull the pastry together with your hands, shaping it into a flat disc, about 10cm in diameter and 1.5cm thick. Do this as quickly as possible, without overworking the pastry, which also makes it tough.
Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for 20–30 minutes before rolling out. This will relax it and prevent too much shrinkage, as well as firm up the butter.
Add your pastry is ready to use in your marvelous creations! For tips and images on the best method for rolling out you can check out more from Leiths.