What is the best fat to use for shortcrust pastry?

What is the best fat to use for shortcrust pastry?

The best fat for pastry-making Unless you don’t eat dairy, we recommend butter for flavour and texture. You can also try a 50/50 split between butter and lard, which works well for savoury recipes like quiches. Make sure your butter is really cold when you rub it in to the flour.

What is the ratio of fat to flour in shortcrust pastry?

4-to-1
Shortcrust pastry dough is a simple recipe used for pies, tarts, and quiche. It calls for just four ingredients—flour, fat, salt, and water—and the ratio of flour to fat is usually 4-to-1.

Can I use lard instead of shortening for pie crust?

Lard: If it doesn’t make you squeamish, lard makes an incredible pastry crust. It chills nicely and doesn’t break down under heat as quickly as butter. Shortening: The fat of choice for pie baking in the fifties and sixties, shortening has a very high melting point, which makes it very easy to mix into pie crust.

How long can you rest shortcrust pastry?

RULE #7 Rest the pastry Putting the dough back in the fridge to rest for any time longer than 15 minutes – but ideally at least 30 minutes – allows the gluten to relax and allows the pastry to chill. Cool and relaxed pastry is far more likely to hold its shape when cooking.

Why is lard good for shortcrust pastry?

Using as little liquid as possible to bind the dough also helps to achieve a tender crumb. Shortcrust is traditionally made with a combination of lard and butter. Lard lends a superior shortness but lacks the flavour of butter, so we generally use all butter.

What is the best type of flour to use in shortcrust pastry?

That’s why softer flour with lesser protein will increase your chances of making a shortcrust pastry that is crumbly rather than tough. Ordinary plain flour is fine.

How long does shortcrust pastry take to cook?

Set the oven to 180° C and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to minutes to 20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes as it’s easy to burn the edges from cooking for too long.

Is it better to use lard or shortening?

In savory applications, it’s fine to use unrefined lard that still has a porky flavor. Lard actually has less trans fat than shortening and less saturated fat than butter. While it will never have a health food halo, it certainly doesn’t live up to its bad reputation.

Can lard be used as a substitute for shortening?

You might not think to reach for lard often, but it is actually a great substitute for shortening. It is best used in recipes that can go savory, like biscuits, cornbread, savory scones, or pot pie.

Can you rest shortcrust pastry overnight?

The good news is that as long as the dough is left in the fridge it should keep for 24 hours. Yeasted doughs (including ones with egg in) can be left to rest and rise overnight in the fridge as the cooler temperature slows down the action of the yeast, causing the dough to rise more slowly.

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