Short Crust
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
Sift the flour into a bowl.
Add baking powder and salt, then mix well.
Rub in the Plantene until combined.
Gradually add cold water to form a stiff paste.
Bake
Roll out the dough once and bake 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.
- Plantene
- Rubbed into the flour to coat it, shortening the strands and giving a crumbly texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven to lift the pastry slightly and give a lighter texture.
- Cold water
- Binds the flour and fat into a stiff paste that holds together when rolled.
The step that matters
Rub in the Plantene until combined. If the fat is over-worked or warm, it blends into the flour fully and the pastry turns tough instead of short and crumbly. Keeping the mixture cool and stopping once it looks like fine crumbs helps the texture stay tender.
“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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