Who can share the secret of world class, short crust pastry?

[hawleybits]

I can't make nice pastry. I have tried in various ways but it's never lovely. Everything is cold and I handle it as little as possible but still it's not crisp and short. The only ingredient I can't use is lard as we're vegetarians but I'm sure this can't be the only route to good pastry.
Will someone please tell me what it is I am doing wrong?

Short crust!

Grating the butter

The proportion of fat to flour is higher than any already suggested.

Salted cold liquid.

Three new things to try! I also now have a new oven, so hoping a constant/correct temperature will help.

What temp do you use?

Tips of your fingers and a light touch.

Try adding double cream to bring it together instead of water - and sweeten with icing sugar rather than regular or caster. Works beautifully for me.

I use this recipe, have only started making pastry very recently but I'm getting glowing reviews from family so it must be coming out well despite my inexperience. Only thing I'll say is ignore what she says about not chilling it before you roll out, it still needs 30mins to an hour in the fridge imo moorlandseater.com/sweet-shortcrust-pastry/

Use half butter half vegetable shortening (tree). Keep everything very cold. Use processor or cutter or fingertips but keep everything as cold as poss so work quickly. Use 5ml ice cold water per oz of flour and push together with a knife. Wrap tightly n cling film and chill before rolling.

Trex not tree

I learned from my Granny, who was born around 1900 and whose pastry was to die for.

Lard (or half lard half butter/block margarine). Half fat to flour (she always used SR flour and so do I). Keep cold, minimal working.

Don't roll it too thin. In addition the the cold hands, half lard etc.

I use SR flour for sweet shortcrust....I might be Bore's Grandma!

also I use one and a half flour to fat ratio, whole block of butter, balance with flour on scales, cut block in half and use one half for remaining flour

and after rubbing in only use a knife, with a cutting/folding in action to blend it together with an egg yolk or two, ideally no water, but you do sometimes need a bit. If you use a knife it won't go together until it is the right texture, if you use your hands it's easy to press it up and over work it.

I too use my grandmother's recipe. Keep everything cold as possible. Use as little water as possible and don't overwork. I use only self raising flour. My GM used half lard to flour, which I did before becoming vegetarian. I now use Trex. I've found Trex is becoming difficult to source sometimes. Eventually found some in Sainsbury's for my mince pies. Also I see it now contains palm oil which I'm not happy about.

My shortcrust is pretty good though I say it myself - very short and flaky.

I'm probably repeating what other pastry queens have said but my secret is using the food processor - I hate 'rubbing in' and it means less handling, which pastry hates. It's so quick and simple too.

Double plain flour to fat (I use half butter, half lard, but since lard is out, just butter then) - i.e 6oz flour to 3 oz fat. pinch salt. Dice the butter roughly into the flour, which you've put in your food processor with the sharp blade. Process till it's fine breadcrumby.

Add about 1.5 tablespoons water, process some more until it comes into a nice neat ball. (The quantity of water is the tricky part. Too little and the pastry is TOO short and needs a lot of squashing to get it to come together and it keeps breaking, and too much makes it tough.)

That's all there is to it! Try not to roll too many times, i.e handle as little as possible.

Good luck!

Sorry but my amazing melt in mouth pastry is down to the lard.
I do it in food processor.. Never bother with cold everything or resting it...
But I use 70/30 fat to flour.
Half butter half lard, bind with egg yolk nit water.
If its for a savoury dish I add finely grated parmesan if it's for a sweet dish a good slug of castor sugar.
I also grease pan or dish with more lard.

I use all butter, no water and in the processor. Wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 mins too. I do have good luck with shortcrust pasty for some reason (and notoriously bad luck with cakes!)

I have also done the grated method too which was good but actually rolling it out takes me less time.

What are you baking it in? I have a non stick push bottom tart tin.. maybe it has magic powers!

Half fat to flour. Freeze the butter. Rub in with cold hands and stir in just enough milk to bind it. Soft but not sticky. And make night before so it can rest in the fridge, take out fridge half hour before rolling.

@cheeseismydownfall I'm going to try yours, I think. Do you think it would work with GF flour? Not using trex as it's palm oil now.

I need a 'like' button for all your comments. I'm so pleased I asked because it has motivated me to try again tomorrow, to make an apple pie.

To the poster that asked what I usually bake in, mostly I use an old-fashioned enamel pie dish.

I bought a Tesco Baking Block today. It's vegetable fat but sadly I see, it does contain palm oil. I scoured the shelves for Trex and assumed it was no longer available but now I know it is, I will look in Sainsburys.

I might try blitzing quickly in the processor and then use an egg yolk or cream to bind together with a knife.

What does everyone think about Plain vs SR flour?

I use all butter in the food processor for about 30 seconds. Its fab and quick and would never buy ready rolled shortcrust.

I would think a veggie alternative fat would be the same?

@hawleybits

I bought a Tesco Baking Block today. It's vegetable fat but sadly I see, it does contain palm oil. I scoured the shelves for Trex and assumed it was no longer available but now I know it is, I will look in Sainsburys.

I might try blitzing quickly in the processor and then use an egg yolk or cream to bind together with a knife.

What does everyone think about Plain vs SR flour?

no need to use egg or cream. Just plain flour , water and any hard fat. You just need to make sure you don't mix too much or it becomes chewy

Only thing I have to add to comments above is that as well as free it the "fat" I run my hands under the cold tap to make sure my fingers are slightly painfully cold .

If I feel my fingers warming I do the same.

Used to use the food processor but realised the blades whirring create heat. So back to hands and frozen grated fat.

My pastry is very short but I pay a price (and I buy nice hand cream).

WTF "free the fat" I meant freeze the fat

I was taught this method by Clive Mellum, a master baker and a brilliant teacher. I had never had success with shortcrust pastry before. Doing it this way keeps the water and gluten apart, and thus the gluten doesn't get activated and the pastry is beautifully short. In the class we even made it with strong bread flour and the results were amazing. You can roll and re roll this and it stays lovely, doesn't go grey and hard.

For a sweet shortcrust, you use 100% flour, 50% butter, 25% sugar and 12.5% water. So for 100g flour you'd use 50g butter, 25g sugar and 12.5g water.

You cream the butter, sugar and water together really thoroughly until you can't see any wetness. You need to start with soft butter and keep at it. At this point the butter is encapsulating the water and it'll never come into contact with the gluten.

Now mix in the flour and let the dough relax for at least half an hour. Then roll and use.

I was hugely sceptical when he showed us, but the results spoke for themselves!

I'm already onto a winner then because my hands are always freezing!

I buy it already made and pretend it's my own. Never failed me yet.