Shortcrust and Flaky Pastry

Name: Shortcrust and Flaky Pastry
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 5 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Ingredients: 200 g (1⅔ cups) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling; 2 g (⅓ tsp) fine sea salt; 120 g (8½ tbsp) cold unsalted butter, in 1 cm cubes; 1 egg yolk (about 18 g); 30 g (2 tbsp) ice-cold water, plus up to 1 tbsp more if needed; 30 g (¼ cup) powdered (icing) sugar, sweet version only; 330 g (2¾ cups) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling; 5 g (¾ tsp) fine sea salt; 10 g (2 tsp) sugar; 225 g (1 cup (2 sticks)) very cold unsalted butter, in 1.5 cm cubes; 120 g (½ cup) ice-cold water, you may not need it all; 5 ml (1 tsp) cider vinegar or lemon juice

The two doughs behind every pie and tart in this book

Makes: Shortcrust: one 23–25 cm (9–10 in) tart case. Flaky: one double-crust 23 cm (9 in) pie.
Hands-on: 20 min
Total: 2 h 25 min
Level: Some skill

Two master doughs: tender, crumbly shortcrust (savory or sweet) for tarts and quiche, and layered, crisp flaky all-butter pastry for double-crust pies and turnovers. Both are quick once you know the feel. Both are also fine store-bought when life is busy.

Ingredients

Shortcrust (savory or sweet)

200 gall-purpose flour (1⅔ cups)plus extra for rolling
2 gfine sea salt (⅓ tsp)
120 gcold unsalted butter, in 1 cm cubes (8½ tbsp)
1egg yolk (about 18 g)
30 gice-cold water (2 tbsp)plus up to 1 tbsp more if needed
30 gpowdered (icing) sugar (¼ cup)sweet version only

Flaky all-butter pastry

330 gall-purpose flour (2¾ cups)plus extra for rolling
5 gfine sea salt (¾ tsp)
10 gsugar (2 tsp)
225 gvery cold unsalted butter, in 1.5 cm cubes (1 cup (2 sticks))
120 gice-cold water (½ cup)you may not need it all
5 mlcider vinegar or lemon juice (1 tsp)

Diet: Vegetarian
Allergens: gluten, milk, egg, sulphites

Method

Shortcrust: Whisk the flour, salt (and powdered sugar for sweet pastry) in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips, lifting and letting it fall, until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs with no pieces bigger than a lentil, 3–4 minutes. A food processor does this in 10 one-second pulses.
Whisk the yolk with the cold water, sprinkle it over and stir with a table knife until the dough forms clumps. Squeeze a little: if it holds together, it's ready; if it crumbles, add water a teaspoon at a time.
Tip onto the counter, press into a disc 2 cm thick without kneading, wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. 30 min
Flaky: Whisk the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter cubes and toss to coat, then press each cube flat between your fingers into thin flakes, leaving some the size of a fingernail. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.
Mix the vinegar into the water. Drizzle in about 90 g and toss with a fork, then add the rest a spoonful at a time until the dough holds when squeezed but is still ragged. Press it into a rough rectangle on the counter.
Roll the dough into a 15 × 30 cm (6 × 12 in) rectangle, fold it in thirds like a letter, turn it 90 degrees and repeat the roll and fold once more. You'll see streaks and sheets of butter; that is the flake. Divide in two, flatten into discs, wrap and chill at least 1 hour. 1 h
To line a tart pan: roll the chilled shortcrust on a floured counter to 3 mm thick, turning it often. Lift it over the rolling pin into the pan, press into the corners and trim, leaving 1 cm overhanging. Chill 20 minutes, or freeze 10. 20 min
To blind-bake: heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Prick the base with a fork, line with crumpled baking paper and fill to the brim with baking beans, rice or sugar.
Bake 20 minutes, lift out the paper and beans, and bake 8–12 minutes more until the base is dry and pale gold. Trim the overhang flush with a sharp knife while warm. 32 min

Why it works

Cold fat that stays in visible pieces melts in the oven and leaves pockets of steam, which separate the dough into flakes; fat rubbed in finely instead coats the flour and shortens the gluten strands, giving a tender, crumbly crust. Water is what activates gluten, so using just enough keeps the pastry short, and the acid in the flaky dough limits gluten further. Resting in the fridge relaxes the gluten so the pastry doesn't shrink in the pan.

Common mistakes

Warm butter. If the dough feels greasy or soft, chill it for 15 minutes before continuing.
Too much water, which gives a tough crust that shrinks. Add it gradually.
Stretching the pastry into the pan. Lift and ease it into the corners; stretched pastry springs back as it bakes.

Variations

Chocolate shortcrust: Replace 25 g of the flour with cocoa powder and use the sweet version.
Whole-wheat flaky: Use 100 g whole-wheat flour in place of the same weight of all-purpose for a nuttier pie crust.

Make ahead and storage

Both doughs keep 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer, wrapped tightly; thaw overnight in the fridge. Lined, unbaked tart cases can be frozen and baked straight from frozen, adding 5 minutes.

Notes

Fan oven: 170°C (340°F) for blind-baking. Good store-bought shortcrust or all-butter puff pastry is an honest substitute in any recipe that calls for these. Vegan shortcrust: use a firm plant-based block butter and replace the yolk with 15 ml more water. Total time covers making both doughs, chilling them and blind-baking one shortcrust case; either dough alone is quicker. Sulphites only if you use vinegar rather than lemon juice in the flaky pastry.