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Making pastry

Tips on pastry-making

Hand method

If you are using the hand method to make your pastry, then make sure your fingertips are as cool as possible. Hot hands do not a good pastry make. The hand method can be a bit laborious but if you do have time on your side, it can be rather enjoyable and relaxing.

Food processor method

If you’re short of time and have a food processor I would recommend using it. With this method you don’t need to worry about hot hands! Steps on how to use the food processor can be found for savoury and sweet shortcrust. It is not suitable for puff, suet or hot water crust pastries.

The right pastry for the right recipe

Pastries using butter as the main fat should only be used for recipes that require a short time to bake as butter has a lower melting point than other fats. If your filling requires longer to cook and asks for a shortcrust pastry, it is advisable to use lard or vegetable shortening instead of butter as these have a higher melting point. If you want to bake the pastry for longer than possible for an all-butter shortcrust, but you want to maintain a buttery taste then a mixture of butter and lard or shortening will work well. If a pie requires a raw meat filling, then only hot water crust will do. The method of adding hot lard and water to the flour creates a much tougher pastry suitable for baking pies requiring well over an hour to cook the meat (e.g. Melton Mowbray Pork Pie or Yorkshire Pork Pie).

Vegetarians and Vegans

Obviously using lard in pastry is not possible for vegetarians or vegans so if a recipe’s ingredients include lard just replace it with vegetarian shortening such as Trex or Crisco. Vegans can replace recipes requiring butter with a dairy-free butter such as Vegan Gold. If making a suet crust just replace the beef suet with vegetable suet.

Blind baking

Many of the fillings for tarts are rather wet (e.g. custard tarts) and if placed over uncooked pastry will result in the dreaded ‘soggy bottom’. It is therefore necessary to ensure the pastry is cooked through before adding the filling. This requires ‘blind baking’ the pastry. However, many of the recipes with ‘wet’ fillings use rough puff pastry. This is much more waterproof than shortcrust so when using rough puff there’s no need to blind bake.

Equipment

  • Sieve
  • Large bowl or food processor
  • Clingfilm
  • Clean work surface, preferably marble
  • Rolling pin
  • Pastry brush
  • Greaseproof paper
  • Baking beans
  • Tart cutters
  • Tart tins
  • Cake tins
  • Pie dishes
  • Pork pie dollies


Shortcrust pastry

Hand method

  • Step 1

    Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.

  • Step 2

    Chop ice cold fat(s) into small cubes and add to the flour.

  • Step 3

    Using cool fingertips rub the fat(s) into the flour bringing your hands up to get air into the mixture.

  • Step 4

    Add a splash of cold water to an egg yolk.

  • Step 5

    Whisk the egg yolk with the cold water.

  • Step 6

    Pour into the pastry and using your hands bring the mixture together to form a dough.

  • Step 7

    Place on a work surface and form into a ball.

  • Step 8

    Wrap in clingfilm (and place in the fridge for half an hour).

  • Step 9

    Lightly flour the work surface.

  • Step 10

    Unwrap the pastry and place on the work surface.

  • Step 11

    Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour.

  • Step 12

    Roll the pastry to the required thickness turning the pastry round as you go to create a shape as round as possible.

  • Step 13

    Line the pie tin with the pastry leaving at least a centimetre overhang.

  • Step 14

    Place pie top over the base and filling.

  • Step 15

    Crimp the edges with fingers OR...

  • Step 16

    ... crimp the edges with the handle of a wooden spoon.

  • Step 17

    Trim the edges.

  • Step 18

    Make a hole in the middle.

  • Step 19

    Cut out shapes from the trimmings.

  • Step 20

    Decorate the shapes.

  • Step 21

    Whisk an egg in a cup to make eggwash.

  • Step 22

    Use your finger to coat the underside of the shapes with eggwash.

  • Step 23

    Place the shapes on the pie.

  • Step 24

    Eggwash the top of the pie.

  • Step 25

    Place the pie in the oven for the specified time.

  • Step 26

    Allow the pie to cool a little before removing from the tin and placing on a serving dish.

Food processor method

  • Step 1

    Attach the metal blade to the food processor.

  • Step 2

    Sift the flour and salt into the bowl of the food processor.

  • Step 3

    Chop ice cold fat(s) into small cubes and add to the flour.

  • Step 4

    Turn the processor on and whizz for a minute or two. Switch off.

  • Step 5

    Beat an egg yolk with a splash of cold water.

  • Step 6

    Pour the egg mixture into the processor via the lid opening.

  • Step 7

    Turn the processor on and process until the pastry forms a ball. This should take a few minutes. If it is still not forming a ball add a little water.

  • Step 8

    Remove the pastry ball from the processor and place on the worktop.

  • Step 8a

    Wrap with clingfilm and place in the fridge.
    Continue from step 9 of the hand method.

  • Step 9

    Lightly flour the work surface.

  • Step 10

    Unwrap the pastry and place on the work surface.

  • Step 11

    Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour.

  • Step 12

    Roll the pastry to the required thickness turning the pastry round as you go to create a shape as round as possible.

  • Step 13

    Line the pie tin with the pastry leaving at least a centimetre overhang.

  • Step 14

    Place pie top over the base and filling.

  • Step 15

    Crimp the edges with fingers OR...

  • Step 16

    ... crimp the edges with the handle of a wooden spoon.

  • Step 17

    Trim the edges.

  • Step 18

    Make a hole in the middle.

  • Step 19

    Cut out shapes from the trimmings.

  • Step 20

    Decorate the shapes.

  • Step 21

    Whisk an egg in a cup to make eggwash.

  • Step 22

    Use your finger to coat the underside of the shapes with eggwash.

  • Step 23

    Place the shapes on the pie.

  • Step 24

    Eggwash the top of the pie.

  • Step 25

    Place the pie in the oven for the specified time.

  • Step 26

    Allow the pie to cool a little before removing from the tin and placing on a serving dish.

Sweet pastry

Hand method

  • Step 1

    Place the softened butter and icing sugar in the bowl.

  • Step 2

    Use an electric whisk and whisk until you have a smooth paste.

  • Step 3

    Add an egg.

  • Step 4

    Whisk in the egg thoroughly.

  • Step 5

    Sift in the flour.

  • Step 6

    Fold the flour into the sweet paste until fully incorporated. Use your hands to form a ball.

  • Step 7

    Place a piece of greaseproof paper on the board and place the dough on top of it.

  • Step 8

    Place another piece of greaseproof paper on top of the dough.

  • Step 9

    Roll to a flat disc of about 3mm thickness and place in the fridge for half an hour.

  • Step 10

    After half an hour, remove from the fridge and peel the upper sheet of greaseproof paper from the pastry.

  • Step 11

    Line the tart tin with the pastry and remove the other piece of greaseproof paper.

  • Step 12

    Trim the edges and prick with a fork. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes, then blind bake.

Food processor method

  • Step 1

    Attach the metal blade to the food processor.

  • Step 2

    Place the icing sugar in the processor bowl.

  • Step 3

    Add the softened butter.

  • Step 4

    Turn processor on and whizz to a smooth paste.

  • Step 5

    Whisk an egg in a cup by hand, then pour into the food processor and whizz until fully incorporated.

  • Step 6

    Sift in the flour and process.

  • Step 6a

    Scoop out the pastry from the processor bowl.

    The remaining steps are identical to those of the Steps 7–12 of the "hand" method, above.

  • Step 7

    Place a piece of greaseproof paper on the board and place the dough on top of it.

  • Step 8

    Place another piece of greaseproof paper on top of the dough.

  • Step 9

    Roll to a flat disc of about 3mm thickness and place in the fridge for half an hour.

  • Step 10

    After half an hour, remove from the fridge and peel the upper sheet of greaseproof paper from the pastry.

  • Step 11

    Line the tart tin with the pastry and remove the other piece of greaseproof paper.

  • Step 12

    Trim the edges and prick with a fork. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes, then blind bake.

Rough puff pastry

Hand method only

  • Step 1

    Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.

  • Step 2

    Grate ice cold butter into the flour (or chop the butter into very small chunks).

  • Step 3

    Gently stir the grated (or chunked) butter into the flour so all the butter is coated with the flour.

  • Step 4

    Pour in the water.

  • Step 5

    Mix until you have a firm but lumpy dough.

  • Step 6

    Place the dough on a work surface.

  • Step 7

    Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for half an hour.

  • Step 8

    Lightly flour the work surface.

  • Step 9

    Unwrap the pastry and place on the work surface.

  • Step 10

    Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour.

  • Step 11

    Roll the pastry to a rectangle, three times long as it is wide. The pastry should have a marbled effect from the lumps of butter.

  • Step 12

    Fold the top third down to the centre.

  • Step 13

    Fold the bottom third over that.

  • Step 14

    Give the pastry a quarter turn.

  • Step 15

    Roll out to the same size rectangle as before. 

    Repeat the folding in Steps 12,13 and 14 three more times.  

    As you continue to fold and roll out the pastry, the marbling will disappear.

  • Step 16

    Give the pastry a final fold, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for half an hour.

  • Step 17

    Take out of the fridge and roll out to the desired thickness. Continue to follow your recipe.

Suet crust pastry

Hand method only

  • Step 1

    Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.

  • Step 2

    Add the suet.

  • Step 3

    Stir in the suet thoroughly.

  • Step 4

    Add enough cold water to form a soft, elastic dough that leaves the bowl cleanly.

  • Step 5

    Lightly flour the work surface.

  • Step 6

    Place the pastry on the work surface and knead for a couple of minutes.

  • Step 7

    Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour.

  • Step 8

    Roll the pastry out to the desired thickness and continue to follow your recipe (there’s no need to chill the pastry before rolling out).

Hot water crust pastry

Hand method only

  • Step 1

    Place the lard and water in a small saucepan.

  • Step 2

    Heat until the lard has melted.

  • Step 3

    Sift the flour, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl.

  • Step 4

    Pour in the warm lard and water mixture.

  • Step 5

    Use a wooden spoon to stir the lard and water mixture into the flour.

  • Step 6

    Finish mixing the dough with your hands.

  • Step 7

    Knead for a few minutes and form into a ball. Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for half an hour.

  • Step 8

    If using a metal mould

    Roll the pastry out to the required thickness and size.

  • Step 9

    If using a metal mould

    Carefully line the mould with the pastry.

  • Step 10

    If using a metal mould

    Place the filling in the pastry-lined mould.

  • Step 11

    If using a metal mould

    Place the pastry lid on the top and crimp, either with your fingers or the handle of a rolling pin.

  • Step 12

    If using a metal mould

    Make a hole in the middle and roll up a small piece of kitchen foil to act as a funnel which is placed in the hole to prevent the filling seeping out onto the top of the pie. Decorate the top of the pie.

  • Step 13

    If using a metal mould

    Use a beaten egg to glaze the pie.

  • Step 14

    For hand-raised pies

    Oil a jar or dolly and cover with clingfilm. Place in the centre of the dough and use your hands to raise it up around the jar.

  • Step 15

    For hand-raised pies

    Trim round the top of the pastry and remove the jar leaving the clingfilm inside the raised pie.

  • Step 16

    For hand-raised pies

    Carefully remove the clingfilm from the raised pie.

  • Step 17

    For hand-raised pies

    Place the filling in the raised pastry.

  • Step 18

    For hand-raised and moulded pies

    Place the ‘lid’ on top of the pie.

  • Step 19

    For hand-raised and moulded pies

    Crimp round the edges to secure.

  • Step 20

    For hand-raised pies

    Once the pie is finished place in the fridge for 2 hours to firm up.

  • Step 21

    Remove from the fridge and place on a greased baking sheet. Make a small hole in the centre. Roll up a small piece of kitchen foil to make a funnel and place it in the centre hole. Use beaten egg to glaze the pie on the top and round the sides. Then place in the oven for the required cooking time.

Blind baking

  • Step 1

    Remove the pastry case from the fridge where it has been chilling.

  • Step 2

    Crumple up a piece of greaseproof paper into a ball.

  • Step 3

    Unwrap the paper and flatten out.

  • Step 4

    Place the paper over the pastry and trim round the edges.

  • Step 5

    Fill with baking beans and place in the oven for 10 minutes.

  • Step 6

    If blind baking tarts you will need small pieces of greaseproof paper and enough beans to fill each tart.

  • Step 7

    Remove from the oven and gather the greaseproof paper at the edges and remove (along with the baking beans) from the pastry.

  • Step 8

    Beat an egg.

  • Step 9

    Brush the pastry with the beaten egg.

  • Step 10

    Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes (or whatever your recipe says) or until the pastry is cooked and the egg wash is dry. Continue with your recipe.
© Dr Caroline Gordon 
2025
Illustrations by Chichi Parish