Shortcrust Pastry Recipe

Design Technology | Food Technology

Key Stage 3 | Key Stage 4 | Key Stage 5

Shortcrust Pastry

Method

1. Sieve Flour into large mixing bowl

2. Add into the mixing bowl the fat.

3. Chop the fat with the knife into the flour so that it is broken down into smaller pieces.

4. Rub in, using your finger tips, the fat into the flour until the mixture turns to breadcrumbs.

5. Add cold water to the breadcrumb mixture, tablespoon by tablespoon. Start to mix the water into the mixture with the knife.

6. Add enough water so the mixture can bind together.

7. Once the mixture starts to form together use your hands to lightly push it all together into a ball.

8. Place the ball onto a floured surface and lightly knead.

9. Start to roll out into the size and thickness needed, making sure that the mixture has not stuck to the table by constantly moving the mixture.

Ingredients

150g Plain Flour

75g Block Margarine or Lard

8 tablespoons of cold water

Equipment

Large Mixing Bowl

Knife

Sieve

Rolling pin

Flour Dredger

Jug

Tablespoon

Variations

Pastry can be made with variations to this recipe. You can change the fat that you use so it could be a white cooking fat or lard instead of block margarine, or it could be a combination of the two. You could also change the flour, you could use brown or wholemeal flour instead of white flour or you could use a combination of them. Just remember the basic pastry rule: How much flour you use, you use half that amount of fat!