Paste, Short Crust, Plain
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pastry
Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl.
Rub in the fat until well combined.
Add the water and mix with a knife to form a smooth paste.
Shape
Roll out to your desired shape and thickness, and use immediately.
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 main structure of the pastry once mixed with liquid.
- Fat (lard, clarified fat, or dripping)
- Coats flour particles to shorten gluten strands, giving a tender, crumbly texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas to lighten the pastry and help it rise slightly.
- Water
- Hydrates the flour so the dough binds into a workable paste.
The step that matters
Add the water and mix only until a smooth paste forms. Overmixing once water is added develops gluten, making the pastry tough rather than short and tender. Work quickly and stop once the dough comes together.
“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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