Savoury Shortcrust Pastry
Savoury shortcrust differs from sweet by more than the missing sugar: without it the pastry is less crumbly and stands up to a wet filling, which is why quiche and tartlets are built on it. Use real butter — margarine leaves a flat taste that savoury baking has nothing to hide behind. And add only enough water for the dough to gather: extra water means a tough shell.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 330 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Two tablespoons of buttermilk powder or dry milk in the flour make the pastry more tender. The water stays the same.
Makes: About 620 g of pastry, two 24 cm shells
Shopping list
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Method
Oven
200 °C · top and bottom heat, no fan
With a fan: 180 °C
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Step 1: Mix flour and salt
Tip the flour and salt into a wide bowl and stir. Take a bigger bowl than seems necessary: this dough is mixed with a lifting motion, and a tight bowl makes that awkward.
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Step 2: Rub in the butter
Add the cold diced butter and rub it in with your fingertips to crumbs that still hold pea-sized pieces. Those pieces are what make it flaky.
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Step 3: Add the water
Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, mixing after each. It is ready when a squeezed handful holds together instead of falling apart.
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Step 4: Divide and chill
Halve it, flatten into discs, wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. If it has been in longer, give it 10 minutes at room temperature first.
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Step 5: Line the tin
Roll to 3 mm and lift into a 24 cm tin, pressing it well into the base and sides. Trim the overhang and prick the base with a fork.
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Step 6: Blind bake
Line with paper, fill with weights and bake at 200 °C for 20 minutes. Take the weights out and give it 10 minutes more, until the base is dry and pale gold.
Tips & variations
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Tip
For a very liquid quiche filling, brush the hot shell with beaten egg white and return it to the oven for 2 minutes. The film keeps the base dry.
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Swap
Two tablespoons of buttermilk powder or dry milk in the flour make the pastry more tender. The water stays the same.
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Tip
Do not work the dough smooth. Visible pieces of butter are the mark of proper shortcrust; an even paste gives a dense shell.
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Storage
Raw pastry keeps two days in the fridge and three months frozen. A baked shell keeps a day and reheats well.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 330 kcal | 2,640 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g | 40 g |
| Fat | 23 g | 184 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g | 208 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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