Shortcrust Pastry Base

Ahh, The Flakey, Buttery Taste Of A Good, Shortcrust Pastry

The fact that pastry is used in so many of our cakes, tarts, pies & quiches, we tend to take it for granted.

However, when it comes to making pastry from scratch, the process looks & sounds more complicated, so we more often than not try to avoid it all together. In reality this isn’t always the case, you may just be surprised how many simple pastry recipes are available.

With only a hand full of ingredients a few simple steps, this recipe will sure bring out the aspiring pastry chef in you, lol…

Things To Note

Try to keep everything as cold as possible & avoid melting the butter or shortening,  as it will create an unworkable dough.

Be equally mindful not to over work your dough, both heat & gluten will create a stiff hard pastry as apposed to a flakey buttery texture or a perfect crust. So be gentle when kneading.

Another thing worth noting, is that pastry can be kept frozen for up to a month, so take advantage by making extra in the one go as any left overs can be saved for another day. Simply thaw & roll. If pre-rolled you can pop straight into the oven.

A lot of my recipes will be using this base, so a handy all round, pastry recipe to know 🙂

Don’t be shy, give it a try! And let me know what you think!

Di

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Shortcrust Pastry Base

Buttery shortcrust pastry base

Course Main Course

Keyword Tarts

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Resting 3 hours

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 5

Calories 359 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups Plain flour Sifted
• 1/2 tsp Xanthan gum Sifted
• 60 g Dairy free margarine Cold
• 60 g Vegetable shortening Cold
• 1 pinch Salt
• 2 tbsp Cold Water

Instructions

1. Put sifted flour and xanthan gum together into a food processor

2. Add the margarine, vegetable shortening, salt and pulse until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3. Then add water and mix till mixture comes together and form a dough.

   If mixture's still dry, add another tbsp of water until dough forms

4. Remove dough and gently knead on a lightly floured surface for about 2 minutes until smooth and elastic.

5. Form dough into a ball, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate until chilled (2-3 hours).

6. Cut dough into 5 even portion

7. Put 1 portion of dough on a piece of cling wrap and roll into a circular disc, large enough to cover the tart tin.  In this case we are using 5 x 4.7 inch round tins.

   Do not roll too large or your pastry will be too thin and break.

   
   

8. Lifting the cling wrap, gently flip the pastry onto the tart tin. 

9. Peel away the cling wrap and gently press the pastry into the side of the tin, filling in the gaps.

10. Trim the edges with a sharp knife

11. Repeat process for the remaining 4 tarts

12. Refrigerate rolled pastry for 30 minutes to rest before filling or baking

Recipe Notes

Don't let the 3 hr prep time scare you, its just resting time for the dough 😉

The qty also works for 1 x 23cm tart tin, so you can make 1 big tart instead of 5 small tarts.

Any dough left over can be mixed and rolled for another smaller tin, or freeze and defrost for another time, so no waste here 😉

*Nutrition information is approximate and is meant as a guide only*

Nutrition Facts

Shortcrust Pastry Base

Amount Per Serving (100 g)

Calories 359 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Sodium 95mg4%

Potassium 53mg2%

Carbohydrates 38g13%

Fiber 1g4%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 460IU9%

Calcium 8mg1%

Iron 2.3mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.