For the Sweet shortcrust Pastry the ingredients are:
300g plain flour
200g butter or margarine
100g castor sugar or icing sugar
1 egg
Prepare and weigh all ingredients exactly. The fat for this kind of pastry can be used straight from the refrigerator if it is cut into small pieces. First of all, sift the flour to remove lumps. Since the pastry contains enough fat on its own, it won't be necessary to grease the tin or baking tray. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. With your hands as cool as possible, work the sugar and butter or margarine into the flour with the egg, and as quickly as possible knead all ingredients together using only your fingertips to obtain a very smooth dough. It is important that your fingers are as cool as possible, and on no account should you overwork the dough or it will become crumbly and tough.
Form the prepared dough into a ball, wrap in foil or cling film and leave to stand in the refrigerator. It is essential to wrap the dough to prevent it from drying out. It is also important to note that the higher the fat content in relation to the other ingredients, the longer the pastry should stand in the refrigerator.
Pre-heat the oven to moderately hot, gas mark 6, 200C, and place the oven shelf in the right position.
When it's time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and knead it gently. Sprinkle the board and rolling pin lightly with flour and roll out the pastry. Take care that too much flour isn't added when rolling or shaping it as this will alter the proportion and texture of the pastry. If the dough becomes too soft, you can put it back in the refrigerator to firm up again. Flan and tartlet cases are sometimes baked blind. In this case, they should be pricked at close intervals with a fork before baking to prevent the pastry rising or bubbles forming. The flan case is then lined with greaseproof or wax paper or foil and filled with dried beans. The pastry is baked blind for 10-15 minutes, and then the beans removed. At this stage, the pastry can either be returned to the oven to finish cooking for a further 10-15 minutes, or a filling is added and then cooking is continued. Freshly baked pastry breaks easily. Therefore, it should always be left cool for a few minutes before carefully turned out of the tin or lifted from the baking tray with a pallete knife. Pastry should not be left in the tin or tray until completely cool, or the fat from the pastry will set and make it difficult to remove.
Short crust pastry can also be made using another method: sift the flour on to a pastry board, form a well in the centre and pour in the egg and the sugar. Spread the flaked butter around the flour border and with hands as cool as possible work all the ingredients quickly to obtain a smooth dough. This method requires a certain amount of skill.
300g plain flour
200g butter or margarine
100g castor sugar or icing sugar
1 egg
Prepare and weigh all ingredients exactly. The fat for this kind of pastry can be used straight from the refrigerator if it is cut into small pieces. First of all, sift the flour to remove lumps. Since the pastry contains enough fat on its own, it won't be necessary to grease the tin or baking tray. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. With your hands as cool as possible, work the sugar and butter or margarine into the flour with the egg, and as quickly as possible knead all ingredients together using only your fingertips to obtain a very smooth dough. It is important that your fingers are as cool as possible, and on no account should you overwork the dough or it will become crumbly and tough.
Form the prepared dough into a ball, wrap in foil or cling film and leave to stand in the refrigerator. It is essential to wrap the dough to prevent it from drying out. It is also important to note that the higher the fat content in relation to the other ingredients, the longer the pastry should stand in the refrigerator.
Pre-heat the oven to moderately hot, gas mark 6, 200C, and place the oven shelf in the right position.
When it's time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and knead it gently. Sprinkle the board and rolling pin lightly with flour and roll out the pastry. Take care that too much flour isn't added when rolling or shaping it as this will alter the proportion and texture of the pastry. If the dough becomes too soft, you can put it back in the refrigerator to firm up again. Flan and tartlet cases are sometimes baked blind. In this case, they should be pricked at close intervals with a fork before baking to prevent the pastry rising or bubbles forming. The flan case is then lined with greaseproof or wax paper or foil and filled with dried beans. The pastry is baked blind for 10-15 minutes, and then the beans removed. At this stage, the pastry can either be returned to the oven to finish cooking for a further 10-15 minutes, or a filling is added and then cooking is continued. Freshly baked pastry breaks easily. Therefore, it should always be left cool for a few minutes before carefully turned out of the tin or lifted from the baking tray with a pallete knife. Pastry should not be left in the tin or tray until completely cool, or the fat from the pastry will set and make it difficult to remove.
Short crust pastry can also be made using another method: sift the flour on to a pastry board, form a well in the centre and pour in the egg and the sugar. Spread the flaked butter around the flour border and with hands as cool as possible work all the ingredients quickly to obtain a smooth dough. This method requires a certain amount of skill.
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