Shortcrust pastry experts - help please

misty6

Hello I made a pastry lid for a small pie earlier and it had a very strange texture. It was sort of like shortbread biscuit rather than pastry. The problem is I scaled it down to just do a small 1 person pie so I think my proportions were out. I don’t make pastry enough to know what I’ve done wrong!
I used 44g of plain flour and 21g of fat (roughly half and half butter and lard), about 2.5 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt.
If anyone could suggest anything I would be very grateful.
Oh and I rubbed in the fat with my fingers

jayII

Try adding a bit more water. I never measure the water for pastry, just ensure that it's very cold water and add it slowly until the pastry is the right consistency.

With too little water the pastry can't become 'stretchy', so it will resemble shortbread, as you describe.

Hope that helps.

buildersdaughter

Time was that I only would have looked at this thread for ideas. Now, although I wouldn't claim to be a pastry cook, I do have pastry that works well.
ITA with jayII, but I think that the other thing that helps pastry to become stretchy is as much resting as you can, as cold was you can. I followed Nigella's advice and it made all the difference, so this is what I do:
Put the flour in th fridge or freezer for 10-15 mins (if pushed, this is the step I leave out)
Rinse hands in cold water
Use iced water with a spot of lemon juice for binding - and do it by feel as all flour 'takes' different amounts of water
Rest in fridge for 20 mins, then leave out for 5 to make it easier to roll out. This is the stage I never leave out.
If lining a tin, I will then put the tin back in the fridge for 15 mins or so.

I make it less of a faff by making pastry in advance - it can rest in the fridge for a day or so.

And yes, I know pastry cooks who don't do this - some of the best I know just whip pastry up in no time - but this is the only way it works for me. However, when I reflect on it, I know that my mum and one of my grandmothers made pastry 'in the larder' because it was colder.

[Deleted User]

proportions are fine. Mix water in with a knife, then quickly gather into a ball, wrap and put in the fridge. That will give you very nice flakey pastry

bouicca21

Advice above is spot on, though I've never bothered with faffing around with stuff I the fridge. Must have naturally cold hands ...

The only question I'd ask is about the flour - white or wholemeal? Mix of both? Wholemeal is more difficult to work with. Plain works better than self raising, but the difference is pretty marginal.

misty6

The flour is plain white flour.

I didn!!!8217;t know about using a knife to mix the water in or putting the flour in the fridge first so will try those too. I will persevere as the price of pastry in the shops is ridiculous for what it is.

Thank you all for your help !!!55357;!!!56898;

Wizzbang

You need cold hands to make successful pastry! I was not blessed with them, so I use a pastry blender. It really helps.

DigForVictory

In the current weather, I'd be making pastry & letting it rest well away from the heater.

Managed Coolth is the cunning secret of my aunts (plural) pastry talents. (They'd say in part as it keeps hungry menfolk out.)

If you can find a marble slab - work surface offcut? It's the ultimate cheat & a real boon no matter how warm your hands!

LameWolf

I use all butter, and mix the pastry in the food processor as my hands are too arthritic to mix by hand; usually comes out ok.
I will try the fridge trick though - as long as I'm organised enough to allow myself time!!

buildersdaughter

The thing is that it can rest in the fridge for ages - I often leave it there for hours or even overnight; you do then have to give it 10-15 mins to be able to roll it.
So a bit like breadmaking, it doesn't take much time but it does take forethought!
LW, I use a processor as well for the same reason.

joedenise

I usually use the processor for the "rubbing in" stage but always mix in the very cold water (from a bottle kept in the fridge) by hand. Used have problems when I rubbed in by hand, probably because my hands were too warm.

Denise