Sweet shortcrust pastry
Sweet shortcrust pastry has just the right amount of sweetness and crunch to perfect your sweet pastry dishes. It can be prepared very quickly in a food processor and is perfect for many desserts requiring pastry including cherry Bakewell tart , raspberry frangipane or mince pies.
Ingredients
- 160 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 80 g butter chilled
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla essence
- Water
Instructions
If using a food processor
- Place the flour and butter in a food processor and blitz until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs.
- Add the icing sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract (or vanilla essence) and blitz again until the ingredients have combined to form a single mass.
- If the dough is too dry, add some or all of the egg white. If it is still too dry after adding all the egg white add a little water until the dough is the right consistency.
- Wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes before rolling out.
If preparing by hand
- Sift the flour into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Rub the flour into the butter until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs.
- Add the icing sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract (or vanilla essence) and mix well.
- If the dough is too dry, add some or all of the egg white. If it is still too dry after adding all the egg white add a little water until the dough is the right consistency.
- Wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes before rolling out.
To roll out
- Lightly flour a pastry board and roll the pastry out to a thickness of about 3mm in the shape of a circle.
- Carefully lift the pastry, lay over a 20cm diameter loose bottomed flan dish, gently press into place and trim any excess pastry from the edges. Refrigerate until you are ready to use in your recipe.
Notes
- Make sure the butter is chilled before starting to prepare the pastry particularly during hot weather. Remove from the fridge just before using.
- The sweet shortcrust pastry can be prepared ahead of time, wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge until ready to use. The pastry can be kept until the following day in the fridge. If you plan to keep it any longer I suggest it is frozen and defrosted shortly before using. The dough can be frozen either unrolled or after lining a tart tin.
- You may need to adjust the amount of moisture used in the pastry. Start by using just the egg yolk and add the egg white only if needed. If any further liquid is needed to bind the dough add some cold water, a little at a time. Use only sufficient water to bind the dough taking care no to add too much.
Nutrition
Calories: 238kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 4gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 97mgPotassium: 43mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 373IUCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!