Ever wonder if all the steps involved in pastry are really necessary? Cold butter, rest for 30 minutes, blind bake, rest again…surely you can cheat a little? Absolutely not.

Pastry can be a frustratingly technical and temperamental thing, but once you understand the basics and importance of each step, you’ll be able to nail perfectly golden tart shells every time.

KEEP EVERYTHING COLD

The secret to tender pastry is to keep all the ingredients as cold as possible, both while making the pasty and working with the dough. This is because:

(1) You don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour too much, as this will result in a tough pastry.
(2) You want the butter to be distributed in small solid clumps within the dough. When baked, these little pockets melt and create steam which creates that flakey, crumbly texture we know and love.

Make sure to use fridge-chilled butter and ice-cold water, and work the pastry as little as possible. We highly suggest pulsing everything together in a food processor and only using your hands towards the to quickly press it together – this will stop the butter from melting under the heat of your hands.

Have a look at our Basic Shortcrust Pastry recipe for a starting point.

RESTING

All pastry must be rested before rolling it out. This time is important to allow the gluten in the flour to relax which makes the dough easier to roll out. If you try to roll it out immediately, you’ll probably find that it keeps retracting back on itself, like stretching an elastic band. Whenever this happens, rest your pastry.

Shape the dough into a fat disc shape to make it easier to roll later, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using. If not properly wrapped, the pastry will dry out and crack when rolled.

ROLLING

Roll out the pastry on a well-floured, cool working surface. To avoid sticking, you may also want to flour your rolling pin too. You want to work with the pastry while it’s cold, but if it’s too firm to roll out, you can leave it on your counter for a bit to become more pliable.

Once your pastry is smooth, even and about 3-4mm thick, carefully roll it up around your rolling pin to easily transfer it over your greased pie or tart tin.

Gently mould the pastry into the base and sides of the tin. Sometimes your fingernails can get in the way and damage the pastry, especially when trying to work with a fluted mould, so you can use a small ball of leftover pastry instead to press it into the corners. Depending on the recipe you’re using, you may either leave some pastry overhanging or trim it off. Chill the tart shell in the fridge again to prevent it from shrinking in the oven.

BLIND BAKING

For a nice crispy pie or tart base, blind baking is essential. This is a step where you give the pastry a head start by prebaking it before adding a filling. If you don’t blind bake your pastry, the moisture from the filling will result in soggy, undercooked pastry.

Pierce the base with a fork repeatedly, then line with a piece of greaseproof or baking paper (scrunching the paper first helps it mould into the tart shell without damaging the pastry). Fill with dried beans or pie weights to prevent the pastry base from rising during baking or the sides from slumping.

If you’re making a baked filling, like for apple pie, blind bake the tart shell in a hot preheated (180°C) oven until the pastry is half-baked and still pale in colour. Remove from the oven, set aside the pie weights and fill as per the recipe. For an even crisper pastry, bake on a preheated baking tray.  

For an unbaked filling, like chocolate ganache, remove the pie weights from the blind baked tart shell and return it back to the oven to bake until golden brown and completely cooked through. Allow to cool, then fill.

RECIPES:

Time to put those skills to the test! Have a look at some of these tasty recipes:

• Apple pie
• Cassis plum lattice pie
• Plum frangipane tart
• Summer berry tart
• Dark chocolate & salted caramel tart
• Bruleed lemon tart