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
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the dough
Rub the dripping or lard into the flour.
Add the baking powder and salt.
Mix in enough cold water to form a nice paste.
Knead the dough until smooth.
Roll out the dough very lightly.
Bake
Bake in the preheated oven.
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 water.
- Dripping or lard
- Coats the flour particles, shortening the gluten for a crumbly, tender texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven, giving the pastry a light lift.
- Cold water
- Binds the flour and fat into a dough without melting the fat.
The step that matters
Roll out the dough very lightly. Handling and rolling develop gluten, which toughens pastry. Light rolling keeps the dough short and tender, so the fat stays in small pieces that give a crumbly texture.
“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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