A full-proof recipe to make your own sweet shortcrust pastry at home. While it can feel intimidating to make your own pastry from scratch, it really is a simple process. Plus, it feels deeply satisfying and will impress your family and friends.
I've shared so many recipes using Sweet Short Pasty over the years, and usually with pre-made pastry for ease. But I know how capable my readers are and thought it was high time I shared an easy recipe to make your own short pastry from scratch.
Like making Cheese Sauce, the idea of making your own pastry can seem very intimidating at first. But once you break it down, it is extremely simple and very rewarding. You could even test it out in my amazing Lemon Meringue Pie recipe. Or my Shortcrust Apricot Pie recipe.
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Ingredient notes:
- Flour: This recipe just calls for plain flour, no need for high-grade or self-raising.
- Butter: People often ask whether salted or unsalted butter is better for baking. As a general rule of thumb, most bakers will use unsalted butter. However, it really comes down to your preference in taste.
- Salt: If you have used salted butter instead of unsalted, you could reduce the amount of salt to ¼ teaspoon if you prefer.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions to make the dough:
In a bowl or food processor combine dry ingredients and add the cold butter.
Rub in or blitz until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Slowly add your iced water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a knife until the dough starts to come together.
If you are using this sweet short pastry to make a pie, cut off a third of the dough for the top. Shape into 2 balls, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge.
Step by step instructions to make a fruit pie:
To make a simple fruit pie, follow these instructions below. You can fill your pie with any of your favourite fruit including stewed apples, apricots or berries.
Once chilled, take the larger of the two balls to make the base of a pie. Using a rolling pin, roll out on a a floured bench until you have large enough circle to cover the base and sides of your tin.
Using your rolling pin, gently transfer the pastry from the bench to your greased pie dish. Press the pastry into the base and sides then trim the edges off. Place your pre-made filling into the pie.
With the remaining ball of dough, roll out a top for the pie and gently place on top. Use an egg wash to seal the pastry together at the edges and pinch shut. Use leftover pastry to decorate the top. Bake at 200°C for 50 minutes or until golden on top.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes! Sweet short pastry freezes really well. Whether you have leftovers or you made more than you needed on purpose, you can easily freeze this pastry. For a guide on how to do this, see the Storage section below.
Sweet short pastry is a lovely base for pies and tarts. For more inspiration, check out these recipes for Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Banoffee Tarts, and Caramel Apple Pie.
Storage:
Uncooked, sweet short pastry can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days before cooking it. This can help to ease the load if you have lots of food to prepare in one day. Simply roll the pastry into a ball, or a flat disk, and ensure you cover it well with cling film.
As mentioned above, sweet short pastry can be frozen. Take your ball, or disk of pastry and make sure you double wrap it in cling film, then place it in a snap lock bag before placing in the freezer. This helps to prevents freezer burn. To defrost the pastry, simply leave it in the fridge overnight, then place it on the bench for an hour before using it. This helps to bring it to room temperature and makes it malleable for shaping.
Top tips:
When making pies, either sweet or savoury, ensure you allow your filling to cool slightly before placing on the pastry. If the filling is too hot, it can make the pastry soggy and prevent it from cooking properly.
Related Recipes:
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Sweet Short Pastry
An easy recipe for short sweet pastry made from basic pantry staples. Perfect for pies and tarts.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 225g butter cold diced
- ¼ cup iced water (approximately)
Instructions
- In a bowl or food processor combine dry ingredients and add the cold butter. Rub in or blitz until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Slowly add your iced water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a knife until the dough starts to come together. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in cling film, then chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
- To make a closed pie with a top, divide the dough into one third for the top and two thirds for the base and sides.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 246Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 239mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
Maureen says
I cant find where it tells you the oven temperature or how long to cook the closed apple pie for
VJ cooks says
Hi Maureen, these pics are actually from an Apricot pie recipe (but you could also use apples) - here's the link to the recipe https://vjcooks.com/apricot-shortcrust-pie/