Shortcrust Pastry (2024)

FAQs

What is shortcrust pastry called in the US? ›

While the term "shortcrust pastry" is widely used in the UK and other parts of the world, Americans have embraced the term "pie crust" to describe this beloved pastry dough, reflecting its primary use in classic American pies.

Pie dough is made by leaving butter in large flakes and then (occasionally) folding the dough a few times to create layers. For shortcrust pastry on the other hand, butter is rubbed into flour until the texture is very fine and sandy, and the final texture is crumbly and brittle.

shortcrust pastry in British English

(ˈʃɔːtˌkrʌst ) noun. a basic type of pastry that is made with half the quantity of fat to flour, and has a crisp but crumbly texture. Also called: short pastry.

Chilled uncooked shortcrust pastry sheet. Jus-Rol Chilled pastry sheets are ready rolled, so you can use them straightaway. Shortcrust, puff, filo: all the pastry types you need to create sausage rolls or mince pies. Jus-Rol pastry sheets and blocks make it easy for you to bake.

All pie dough or tart pastry recipes that you will find online are either the basic type of shortcrust pastry (made with flour, water, some type of fat, salt, and sometimes sugar) or one of two common variations of shortcrust pastry, listed below (note: there are other variations, but these two are the most common).

A basic pie crust made with flour, butter, and water is called shortcrust. You wouldn't want to use shortrning in shortnread. Good shortbread is made with good butter, since it is one of the simplest things you can bake and the flavor of each ingredient is important.

Shortcrust pastry is the simplest and most common pastry. It is made with flour, fat, butter, salt, and water to bind the dough. This is used mainly in tarts. It is also the pastry that is used most often in making a quiche.

There is a lot more water in rough puff pastry than in shortcrust. As a rule, it has about half the amount of water as flour. This wet dough is what will create the steam and the gluten. The process of rolling and folding (more on that later) will develop just enough gluten.

Egg (optional) – the fat of the egg yolk enriches the pastry whilst the egg white gives it structure (making it easier to work with). They're both also wet so help to bind the dry ingredients together.

Do you knead shortcrust pastry? ›

Add just enough liquid to make the dough come together and don't knead it – a brief squish to press it all together will do. Too much water or movement develops gluten in the flour, which equals hard pastry.

Plain flours are best for pastry because their gluten strands are relaxed while the stronger gluten in bread flours can cause pastry to shrink back.

But there are two much more important perks to using vinegar: it provides a little insurance against overworking the dough. And, that splash of vinegar will keep your dough from oxidizing and turning gray.

Shortcrust pastry can crack or tear if it's rolled too thin or if it's stretched too much when being placed in the tin. This can be prevented by rolling the pastry to the proper thickness and handling it gently when transferring it. So, wherever possible, it's probably easier to leave it to the experts..

Milk brings a softness to the crust, but if you prefer a dough that is harder and crispier then replace the milk with water. If the dough is slightly wet at the end when gathering it into a ball, just sprinkle a little bit of flour on your bench and roll the dough in the flour before kneading the dough.

Similar to shortcrust pastry, the “short” in shortbread refers to its crumbly texture, which comes from a large amount of butter. You'll usually see shortbread biscuits shaped in fingers, wedges, or rounds. They often have small markings made with a fork.

Filo pastry is notably different to both puff and shortcrust. Made with relatively little fat, the pastry comes in very thin sheets which usually need to be layered together to create a thin, flaky casing for fillings.

On paper, the main difference between puff and shortcrust pastry appears to be the fat content. Shortcrust will generally have a "half-fat-to-flour" ratio (by weight) and puff pastries roughly equal quantities of flour and fat.

Puff pastry can generally be described as flaky, light and buttery, good for pies and pastries, while shortcrust pastry has a more crumbly, biscuit-like texture which is good for tart or quiche cases.