Perfect pastry
Pastry is an important basic baking recipe and is used in both savoury and sweet applications.
It probably started out life as a simple flour and water paste which was used as a food wrap to protect food as it cooked. As time went on people began to realize the potential of the wrapper and started to eat it with the food it contained. Gradual modifications and improvements have taken us to the delicious flaky, melt in the mouth delight that we know today.
For the new cook there is a bewildering array of pastry types to choose from including shortcrust, puff, choux and hot water crust. Certainly the easiest place for the novice to start out is with shortcrust pastry which is one of the simplest and possibly the most adaptable.
What is shortcrust pastry?
This is a rich, crumbly pastry with a high proportion of fat to flour which is also known as pâte brisée. It can be used for flans, tarts, quiches and single and double crusted pies. When made with sugar and egg it is also called sweet pastry or pâte sucrée.
Nutritional note
Traditional recipes are often slightly contradictory to modern nutritional guidelines and pastry does contain a high proportion of fat, particularly saturated fat. For this reason it should be enjoyed on an occasional basis and in moderate portions, within a balanced diet containing plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit.
Making shortcrust pastry
Shortcrust pastry (basic recipe) is probably the easiest of the pastry types to master and soon even inexperienced cooks will be able to produce delicious home baked pies and flans. Patience and practice are probably the best the advice for successful pastry making but there are a few tips that can help you along the way.
- Temperature
Pastry needs to kept cool when being prepared. Work quickly with minimum handling and chill the dough between stages. Hot and humid conditions are not ideal for pastry making.
- Ingredient choices
Fat
The type of fat that is used will have a affect on final texture of the pastry. Butter gives a good flavor and lard or vegetable shortening give a good short
Texture
The ideal for shortcrust pastry is a half butter and half lard/vegetable shortening. The fat should be cold for the best results.
Flour
Avoid flours with a high protein content such as strong or bread flour. Pastry flour is the most specialized available for pastry making but all purpose or plain flour are fine.
- Techniques
Rub in
This is the way that fat is incorporated into the flour and it also helps to aerate (add air) to the mixture. To rub in by hand pick up some flour with a piece of fat using your finger tips. Then rub your thumb over your fingertips to combine the two together in a squeezing and rubbing motion. Continue this until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
You can also use a pastry blender/knives or food processor to rub in.
Adding the liquid
Liquid should be added little by little sprinkling the liquid over the flour and then stirring it through with a round bladed knife. Exact quantities are difficult to give as this will depend on the absorbency of the flour but start with a small amount. As you mix the dough should start to clump together, add a little more liquid if this is not happening. Once you have reached this stage discard the knife and bring the dough together with your fingers to make a soft but not sticky dough. If the pastry does not stick together a little more water is needed. All the flour and fat should be incorporated and the sides of the bowl should be clean.
Resting
Pastry needs a bit of resting time after it is made and before rolling out to allow the fats to cool down and to allow time for the liquid to wet the flour thoroughly. Pat the dough into a thick disc and then wrap it in some plastic food wrap or put it in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can also make this in advance as it will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator but do allow time for the dough to soften slightly before rolling out if it has become thoroughly chilled and solid.
Rolling out
The pastry should not be stressed or over-stretched during rolling out to minimize shrinking during cooking. With a disc of pastry in front of you on a lightly floured work surface use an even pressure roll the pastry away from you using a rolling pin. You can also flour the rolling pin if the dough is sticking to it. Turn the pastry a quarter turn and then roll again. Repeat the rolling and turning until the pastry is the required thickness and size. Add extra flour to the surface and rolling pin if needed.
Adapting the basicThe basic shortcrust pastry is very versatile and can be flavored to compliment the filling and tempt your taste buds. Once you have mastered the basic recipe you can ring the changes by adding herbs, spices, grated cheese or ground nuts. These should be added to the flour once the fat has been rubbed in and before adding the liquid. You can also add sugar to make it into sweet pastry and make it richer by binding the dough with egg or egg yolk instead of water.
Over to you!Now we have covered the basics of shortcrust here are some recipes to put the theory into practice.
Plain shortcrust pastry Tomato tart with pesto pastryBanana toffee upside down tartLemon and lavender barsEmmental and ham quicheCheesy broccoli and sweetcorn pieBon Appetit!
Gilla
Pastry questions from Ask Gilla Avoiding soggy pie crusts Shrinking pie crusts