Short Pastry
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
In a basin, mix the flour with the salt and baking powder.
Beat the clarified dripping on a flat dish with a knife until creamy.
Rub the creamy dripping into the flour quickly and lightly.
Make and bake
Add cold water gradually until the mixture is dry and crumbly.
Turn the mixture onto a floured board and roll it out once.
Bake immediately in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C).
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the pastry once mixed with water.
- Clarified dripping
- Coats the flour particles to create a short, tender, crumbly texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking to lighten the pastry.
The step that matters
Rub the creamy dripping into the flour quickly and lightly. Working fat into flour quickly and lightly keeps it in distinct pieces coated with flour. Overworking warms the fat and develops gluten, which makes the pastry tough instead of short.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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