Shortcrust Pastry
2014-09-10- Cuisine: Family
- Course: Main Course
- Skill Level: Intermediate
Recipe Info
- Servings : 4
- Prep Time : 10m
- Cook Time : 30m
- Ready In : 60m
Everyone swears by their own pastry recipe, so if you have one, stick to it. If you’re a newcomer to pastry making or unhappy with your current version, this is the one passed on with enthusiasm.
Ingredients
- 225g plain flour
- 150g butter, diced
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt (for savoury pastry) or 25g castor sugar (for sweet pastry)
- 1-2 egg yolks
Method
Step 1
Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the salt or castor sugar, then mix to a dough with egg yolks and a little cold water if necessary. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured work surface and use to line a deep 28cm loose-bottomed flan tin.
Step 2
To bake blind, cover the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans (either ceramic ones or any raw dried beans, which you can reuse for baking blind). Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas 4 for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and greaseproof paper and return the pastry case to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until very lightly coloured. After removing the beans and paper, you could brush the partly cooked pastry with lightly beaten egg white before returning it to the oven. This helps to form a seal and keeps the pastry crisp when you add the filling.