Making homemade shortcrust pastry dough for a tart or quiche is so easy and with less than 10 minutes hands-on time. Follow these simple no-fail step-by-step directions for the perfect shortcrust pastry dough.
Ingredients
250 g pastry flour
125 g unsalted butter
1 medium egg yolk
20 ml cold water
1 pinch of salt
Preparing The Pastry Dough
1. In a large bowl or on the work surface, add the flour and salt. Create a dip in the middle with your hands.
2. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the mixture.
3. Mix the ingredients with your hands to combine the butter and flour.
4. Then rub the ingredients together to incorporate well. Be sure not to knead the ingredients as this overworks the dough.
5. Add the yolk and the water. Quickly combine the ingredients together with your hands.
6. Roll into a ball.
7. Sprinkle the dough with flour, then wrap with cling film and place in the refrigerator.
Rolling The Pastry Dough
1. Lightly flour the work surface and the dough. Place the dough on the work surface and press a little bit with your palm of your hand to have a nice flat circle of dough.
2. Roll the dough and turn 90 degrees each time you roll until you have a few mm thick pastry dough & large enough to fit over the tart tin.
3. Place the rolling pin at the far end of the pastry dough and roll the dough onto your rolling pin. Flip the dough over and lay the dough on the tart tin.
4. Gently press with your hands the pastry into the tin. Press it down the sides and onto the base.
5. Once the pastry is secure, fold back the excess of the pastry dough over the lip. Then roll the rolling pin over the top of the tart tin to trim the edges.
6. Prick the tart with a fork and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or in the freezer for approx. 15 minutes.
Baking The Pastry Dough
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Cut a large circle of baking paper the size of your tart pan and place over of the tart. Fill the tart crust with pastry weight or beans.
3. Bake the tart crust approx. 15 minutes until the base of the dough is dry.
4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
5. Remove the tart crust from the pan and place on a tray lined with baking paper to add the filling.