Shortcrust pastry recipes (2024)

FAQs

What dishes are made from shortcrust pastry? ›

This style of dough is "short" because the amount of flour is usually double the amount of fat, allowing it to break apart more easily than American-style pie dough (a closer ratio of flour to fat). Shortcrust pastry is primarily used for sweet and savory pies, tarts, and quiche.

Plain flours are best for pastry. The gluten strands in bread flour are stronger than plain flour and can make pastry tough to roll out. If you used the wrong flour try resting the dough for half an hour to relax the gluten then follow our rescue tips below.

In the United States, what is commonly known as shortcrust pastry in other parts of the world is referred to as pie crust. This simple yet delicious dough is made from just a few basic ingredients, including flour, butter, salt, and water.

General rules

Keep everything as cool as possible otherwise the fat may melt which would spoil the finished dish. Introduce as much air as possible during making. Allow to relax after making to allow the fat to harden. Handle the pastry as little as possible.

But there are two much more important perks to using vinegar: it provides a little insurance against overworking the dough. And, that splash of vinegar will keep your dough from oxidizing and turning gray.

Milk brings a softness to the crust, but if you prefer a dough that is harder and crispier then replace the milk with water. If the dough is slightly wet at the end when gathering it into a ball, just sprinkle a little bit of flour on your bench and roll the dough in the flour before kneading the dough.

In pastry making, butter plays a fundamental role because it makes the pastry ""waterproof"". At the same time, it adds crustiness and crumble to shortcrust and all dry pastries (small cakes for eating on the move, for example) and brings softness and creaminess to risen doughs.

Pâte brisée is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry. In English, it's also known as short or shortcrust pastry and is a versatile all-butter dough we use for both sweet and savory recipes—everything from apple pie to quiche.

Is shortcrust pastry the same as shortbread? ›

It's not. The “short” refers to fat (as in shortening). So shortbread is, essentially, a mixture of fat and flour. Shortbread biscuits add sugar to that, while short pastry generally (but not always) omits it.

While it might not seem like this delicate white powder would do much, it surprisingly has a great impact on how a homemade pastry will turn out. For instance, it can help a dough or mixture to rise when baked and can even help to give the pastry a soft, fluffy texture.

The pros: Lard produces an extremely crisp, flaky crust. It's also easy to work with, as its melting point is higher than butter, so it doesn't soften as quickly while you handle it, or threaten to dissolve into the flour as quickly as butter before baking.

The best fat for pastry-making

Unless you don't eat dairy, we recommend butter for flavour and texture. You can also try a 50/50 split between butter and lard, which works well for savoury recipes like quiches. Make sure your butter is really cold when you rub it in to the flour.

Some common examples include pies, tarts, donuts, croissants, Danishes, and scones. Here's a handful of our favorite recipes, including some easy shortcuts, such as frozen puff pastry or refrigerated piecrust.

If you are making a pie with a crust you'll need to decide which type of pastry to go for. Shortcrust pastry is the best for pies that fully encase a filling as they tend to be firmer and less likely to leak. Puff pastry is great if you prefer just a pastry lid on top of the filling.