Perfect Shortcrust Pastry Recipes

PIE CRUST (SHORTCRUST PASTRY)

Steps:

• Pulse Dry: Place flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Pulse twice to combine.
• Cut in butter: Scatter butter across surface. Pulse 5 times until the largest pieces are the size of chickpeas.
• Add chilled water: With the motor running on low, pour 2.5 tbsp of water into the tube feeder.
• Form crumbs: Keep blitzing for 10 seconds until crumbs form (also see video). Pinch between fingers - they should stick and form a dough.
• HAND option: Whisk flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Rub butter into flour with tips of fingers until it resembles crumbs - it should look the same as using a food processor. Then mix in cold water with rubber spatula, then proceed with steps below.
• Form disc: Tip crumbs out onto work surface, bring together into dome (don't knead), pat into 2cm/ 4/5" thick disc.
• Chill: Wrap in clingwrap then refrigerate 1 hour (up to 2 days, otherwise freeze).
• Dust with flour: Sprinkle work surface with flour, unwrap dough and place on the flour. Sprinkle top with flour, dust rolling pin with flour.
• Roll out: Roll out into round that's 10cm/4" larger than 22.5cm/9" pie tin. Patch up and roll over cracks as necessary
• Transfer to pie dish: Gently roll the pastry so it wraps around the rolling pin. Unroll it over the pie dish.
• Drape pastry into pie tin (do not stretch/pull, causes shrinkage).
• Trim: If making a pie with NO LID (like Pumpkin Pie), then trim edges with scissors leaving a 1 cm / 2/5" overhang. If making a pie with a lid (like a Meat Pie) then trim edges so they align with the edge of the pie tin (ie no excess overhang).
• Tuck excess under, if appliable (ie per step above, if making a no lid pie). Then crimp or decorate edge as desired.
• Refrigerate: Put pie crust in the freezer for 15 - 30 minutes (while oven heats up). This helps prevent shrinkage, firms up the butter again (flakiness!) and helps to ensure decorative crimped edges remain in tact.
• Baking options (Note 4) - Blind bake the pie crust if it will be baked once filled (eg Meat Pie, Pumpkin Pie). Fully bake the pie crust if it will not be baked once filled.
• Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
• Line & weigh down: Place 2 large pieces of parchment/baking paper crosswise over the pastry, then fill with baking beads or lots of rice or dried beans to weigh it down. (Note 2)
• Bake 1 covered: Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven.
• Bake 2 uncovered: Use excess paper to CAREFULLY remove hot beads, then return to oven for 5 minutes or until base is light golden (doesn't need to be 100% cooked though).
• Cool: Remove from oven. Cool 15 minutes in the pie tin before filling (another measure to avoid soggy base).
• Follow directions per Blind Baking steps above BUT bake at 190°C/375°F (170°C fan) covered with baking beads for 25 minutes, then 15 minutes uncovered until golden. Fully cool before filling.
• Fill and bake per directions of chosen pie filling - such as Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Meat Pie. The par baked pastry will not be 100% cooked, it finishes cooking with the filling. It's cooked enough so the crust will not go soggy.

BASIC SHORT-CRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor. Add butter and quickly cut it into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add ice water and mix briefly, about 30 seconds, to form a soft dough. Remove dough, shape into a thick disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Bring to cool room temperature before rolling.
• To roll, lightly flour dough and counter. Roll out gradually, periodically letting dough rest for a moment before continuing. This makes rolling easier and will keep dough from shrinking back during baking.
• Roll dough to a thin round approximately 13 inches in diameter, then trim to make a 12-inch circle (refrigerate and save trimmings for patching). Lay dough loosely into a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, letting it relax a bit. Fold overlap back inside to make a double thickness, then press firmly against the pan so the finished edge is slightly higher than the pan. Refrigerate or freeze for an hour before pre-baking.

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• Sift flour into a bowl and rub in butter. Add egg yolk and enough water to make ingredients cling together.
• Press dough into a ball and knead gently on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Use pastry for tarts, pastries, quiches, or other savory goodies.

THE PERFECT SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse for a few seconds at a time until the butter is the size of peas. Add the water and pulse again until the dough just begins to form. Add water as needed. Remove the dough from the food processor and form two discs.
• Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
• Roll out the dough on a floured work surface or between two sheets of parchment paper in a 3 to 4-mm (1/8-inch) thick sheet. Use the dough to make a 2-crust pie or line two 23 to 25-cm (9 to 10-inch) pie plates.