There is a scent that can melt the heart, an enveloping aroma that fills the whole house: the smell of freshly baked tarts and biscuits, ready to be dunked in your tea. And all these little treats share one secret: shortcrust pastry.
Making shortcrust pastry is an age-old ritual, handed down from generation to generation, an unbreakable bond with Italy’s culinary roots. Every family has its own secret recipe, a jealously guarded treasure, because the true magic of shortcrust pastry lies in the love that goes into making it.
A pinch of history
The origins of shortcrust pastry go back a very long way: no one knows exactly when it was born, but as early as around 1000 AD, doughs very similar to shortcrust were already being made, thanks to sugar cane imported from the Middle East, Egypt and Syria.
In the seventeenth century, shortcrust pastry began to spread widely across Europe, but it was Italy that came to appreciate this recipe most: Bartolomeo Scappi mentioned it in one of the most important texts of Italian Renaissance cuisine. Before long, shortcrust pastry became one of the most widely used preparations in Italy, with its many regional variations. Over the course of the eighteenth century the recipe was refined further, establishing itself as the base for tarts, biscuits and all kinds of pastry products.
How do you make shortcrust pastry?
Before we start baking, though, we need to distinguish three basic recipes for shortcrust pastry: the classic shortcrust, the sablé shortcrust and the shortcrust for bases. What sets these three types apart is the ratio of butter to sugar, in relation to one constant: the amount of flour, which is the base ingredient.
- The classic shortcrust has equal amounts of fat and sugar, each weighing half as much as the flour. Example: 50 g fat, 50 g sugar, 100 g flour. This dough is mainly suited to making biscuits.
- The sablé shortcrust has a higher percentage of fat and less sugar: 60 g fat, 40 g sugar, again with a constant 100 g of flour. It is excellent for making oven-baked cakes and biscuits to serve with tea.
- The shortcrust for bases is the opposite of the sablé shortcrust: it has a higher percentage of sugar and a lower percentage of fat — 40 g fat, 60 g sugar, per 100 g of flour. It is suited to baked bases that will then be filled with creamy preparations.
You’ll notice that these three recipes are missing the ingredient that brings moisture to the dough: the eggs. In shortcrust pastry, the amount of egg is calculated by adding up the weight of the solid ingredients and dividing the result by 10–12.
Now, let’s get baking!
INGREDIENTS
- 300 g type 00 flour
- 150 g cold butter
- 150 g caster sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract)
Preparation
- In a bowl, sift the flour with the salt and the caster sugar. Add the vanilla seeds and mix.
- Add the cold butter in small pieces and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
- Add the egg yolks and mix quickly until you have a smooth, even ball of dough. Don’t overwork it, or the pastry will be ruined!*
- Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- After the resting time, roll out the shortcrust pastry with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3–4 mm.
- Now use your shortcrust pastry to make tarts, biscuits or any other treats from your favourite recipes!
*How do you mix shortcrust pastry?
There aren’t just three types of dough — there are also three methods for mixing shortcrust pastry! Let’s take a look:
- The classic method. You work the fat with the sugar and the flavourings, then add the liquids and finish with the flour. This method is recommended for shortcrust doughs that are low in fat, and gives a less crumbly texture.
- The sablage method. Also known as the reverse method, it means first working the flour with the fat and the flavourings, then adding the liquids and finally the sugar. This process is ideal for fat-rich recipes, as it produces a nicely crumbly texture, and it is especially useful when you are working in a warm room.
- The whipped method. The ingredients go in following the same sequence as in the classic method; the difference is that the fat is whipped with the sugar and the flavourings, the liquids are then added in a thin stream (so that the whipped mass absorbs them slowly) and the flour goes in last, very gently and by hand, to avoid deflating the mixture. This method is used for shortcrust doughs that need to stay creamy after mixing and are piped with a piping bag.
The expert’s advice
It often happens that shortcrust pastry crumbles after resting in the fridge, turning oily and impossible to work with, with separated, uneven patches: no need to panic! These signs mean the shortcrust pastry has “split”, but you can bring it back by following a few simple steps.
The first step is to gradually work in ice-cold water or very cold egg white, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes back together into a compact shape. Next, knead the dough gently with your hands for a few minutes, without warming it too much. Finally, shape it into a compact ball and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. Adding a cold liquid and giving the dough a further rest allows it to firm up again and reabsorb the excess fat that had separated.
It is important not to overwork the dough, to avoid warming it up again. If, on the other hand, the dough is uneven or the edges keep cracking as you roll it out, you can add a little more flour, bit by bit, as you work it. With these simple tricks you can rescue your shortcrust pastry even when it seems beyond saving, so you won’t have to throw it away — saving precious time and ingredients!
That’s all for today: don’t forget to send us your creations! We are always curious to see what comes out of your ovens.
