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?

I googled this for mince pies and they recommend self raising flour. Only used margarine cos were lactose intolerant

It was amazing pastry

EntropyBanana I'm flabbergasted by this! And it truly does work?

Sorry half lard here to add crispness.

Careful on water, only just enough.

Second most things others have said, especially more fat than you think.

My trick is roll it out in between two sheets of non stick baking paper - it minimises the amount of extra flour you use and minimises handling. Then once flat and rolled put it back in the fridge to chill again before cutting/shaping.

And I get much much better results from a non-fan oven. Use an oven thermometer.

Sorry, I entered the true pastry thread. LOL

I only say that because I am useless at baking, so buy it all ready made. Ooops.

@hawleybits

EntropyBanana I'm flabbergasted by this! And it truly does work?

Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but it does work. You have to make sure that there's no wetness left. When he demonstrated it his butter was so soft that he whipped the water into it with his bare hand.

Vodka is apparently a good replacement for water and helps to keep the dough tender.

My secret pastry recipe is use SR flour (yes I know it's weird). Take out 3 tbs of flour swap with two cornflour and one icing sugar for sweet pastry or just 3tbs of cornflour for savoury. It's the crumbliest shortest pastry I've ever made, I do use half butter half lard though.

It came about in lockdown when I couldn't get plain flour, I found this recipe online and it's so good I use it all the time.

Bbc recipe
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/shortcrustpastry_1278
Food processor till you get sand. Drop in water very slowly until it just forms a ball. Cool in fridge. Always works without fail and tastes good. Have used for mince pies, turkey pie and steak pie in the last 2 weeks and its worked well for all - non soggy, slightly crumbly and delicious!

@amusedtodeath1

My secret pastry recipe is use SR flour (yes I know it's weird). Take out 3 tbs of flour swap with two cornflour and one icing sugar for sweet pastry or just 3tbs of cornflour for savoury. It's the crumbliest shortest pastry I've ever made, I do use half butter half lard though.

It came about in lockdown when I couldn't get plain flour, I found this recipe online and it's so good I use it all the time.

That sounds like the one I found! It was delicious

Cold hands, cold surface - it's all about not letting the butter get warm. Some people have pastry hands (cold) some people have bread hands (hot).

Grate frozen butter - thought I was a genius when I figured that out!

Trex not butter

Shortcrust pastry

200 g plain flour
100 g cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk

-Rub butter into flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. (For sweet shortcrust, also add 40 g castor sugar at this point).
-Lightly beat the yolk and work it into the mixture to bring the dough together, adding some of the egg white if needed.
-Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour, or overnight.

Works every time

www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/424067/recipe/perfect-shortcrust-pastry

Have no clue how to link but here's the URL

Oh

875g plain flour
500g fat (I use stork and it comes out well)
250g caster sugar
2 whole eggs
No water or milk

Put in mixer with dough hook on slow/med speed until almost dough-like, finish off with hands.

Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Liberally flour the work surface and rolling pin. Roll out to just slightly thicker than a £1 coin.

Thoroughly grease your baking tin (again I use stork for this)

Use Trex and my mil’s secret-self raising flour. Stunning.

Roughly half cold lard (or Cookeen if you're cooking for a veggie but it's not quite as good ) to cold butter (slightly more butter) and less than double plain flour. Generous pinch of salt. Pulse in food processor until like breadcrumbs. Add enough water with the processor running for it to (just) come together. So, for eg 10oz fat and 1lb 1 or 2oz flour (for some reason I find doing the proportions easier in imperial), I add a glass of cold water (c100ml)

Divide the lump (if using the above quantities) into two balls and leave in the fridge for at least 20 minutes (up to a couple of days).

Roll out on a floured surface. The quantities above made this many mince pies

I have hot hands, but come from a family of pâtissiers.

Try making Pâte sucrée.

It is much much better.

I am a pastry pariah apparently.....all butter not grated sometimes straight from fridge, sometimes left out, egg yolk, lemon juice, hands coldish but not freezing, I never rest my pastry. Yet pastry is the one thing make amazingly well!! I only do sweet shortcrust though.

Recipe I use...
12oz plain flour
5oz butter
1oz caster sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice
one egg yolk
1/2 tablespoon of water.

I made vegan for my friend using a flora plant based butter block and a heaped teaspoon of apple sauce instead of the egg yolk. The flora "butter" I did have to use straight from the fridge as it has a much lower melting point.

For the pastry
400g/14oz plain flour, plus extra rolling
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 lemon, zest only
250g/10oz cold butter, cut into cubes
1 free-range egg, beaten with 2 tbsp cold water, plus 1 free-range egg, beaten, to glaze

This is what I use to make my apple pies! I get really achy arms and fingers and it takes ages as I only use my thumbs and fingers. It takes a good 15 minutes to do it thoroughly. Then when I add the egg and water, I use a knife to mix it in a figure of 8, very slowly.

Cold hands. Not much help I know, but I was taught to make short crust pastry at school over 40 years ago and I was a natural. I put that down to my poor circulation and cold hands.

I always do mine half lard, half butter but tried a hairy bikers one with all butter and it was lovely and short. May have been the magic cold hands though.

I have really warm hands so spent lots of time cooling them and having pastry disasters...when I don't bother and use hands to warm up my pastry is much better...I have a cold kitchen and granite worktop so think I was just too cold? It's not spectacular but it's fine. I've just got a Kenwood chef and this batch of mince pies I threw everything in there, again nothing special but my goodness it was quick and easy!

My first experiment this morning is using cheeseismydownfall's quantities and method. I made a few little jam tarts with the leftover pastry and I have to say, it's crisp and delicious. Waiting to cut the apple pie later, so fingers crossed.
For those who are interested, I used the Tesco Baking Block - no other fats and S/R flour. No salt. Saltiness is perfect.