How to make a shortcrust pastry

Shortcrust pastry is the name given to the crumbly base that you see (and eat) in most tarts, pies, flans, rolls and pasties. This is accomplished by the rubbing-in method and once you have tried making it yourself, you will notice how ridiculously simple it is (even my boyfriend makes his own shortcrust pastry).

The first time I tried making my own shortcrust pastry was last year and I followed those instructions and it worked out just like I wanted it to. I hope you can make the most of this recipe, so here goes...




Basic ingredients for the shortcrust pastry are:
100g of plain flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
50g of unsalted butter (cut into pieces)
2-3 teaspoon of cold milk

Note:
1. If you are using salted butter, just don't add the salt.
2. Having the correct proportion of ingredients is important in this case. Try using a kitchen scale.

Now for some action:
1. Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl.
2. Put the pieces of butter in the flour and rub them together using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Next sprinkle the milk over the mixture and mix it all well until you obtain a stiff dough.

At this point you might consider putting the dough in the fridge if you plan to use it later.

Or else you might start rolling the dough with a rolling pin to fit your pastry tin.

Use a fork to prick the dough so that it does not puff up while cookies.

Use milk or a little beaten egg as a glaze on the pastry.

Bake it in a preheated oven (between 200 degrees celsius and 210 degrees celsius) on the top shelf for 10 to 15 minutes or until you see the dough changing color to a golden brown.

Enjoy!