Shortcrust Pastry

INGREDIENTS

180g unsalted butter
240g plain flour
pinch of salt
¼ cup water

METHOD

Remove butter from the refrigerator 30 minutes before making
pastry.

Sift flour and salt onto a marble pastry slab or workbench. Chop
butter into smallish pieces and toss lightly in flour. Lightly
rub to combine partly.

Make a well in centre and pour in water. Using a pastry scraper,
work water into flour until you have a very rough heap of buttery
lumps of dough (I am the daughter of a builder, and this action
always reminds me of my dad working a much larger well of water
into a ring of cement powder). Using the heel of your hand,
quickly smear pastry away from you across the workbench. It will
combine lightly. Gather together, then press quickly into a flat
cake and dust with a little flour. Wrap pastry in clingwrap and
refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

When required, roll out pastry, dusting generously with flour as
necessary. Line tin or dish, then line pastry with foil and fill
this with dried beans or pastry weights. Bake at 200C for 15
minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake for another 5
minutes.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ?

COMMENTS