Shortcrust pastry

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Shortcrust pastry is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart or a pie. It does not puff up during baking because it usually contains no raising agent. It is possible to make short crust pastry with self-raising flour, however, and one suggestion for the 'perfect' pastry is 8oz self-raising flour, 3oz margarine and 2 oz lard.

It is based on a 'half-fat-to-flour' ratio. Fat (lard, butter or full-fat margerine) is rubbed into plain flour to create a loose mixture that is then bound using a small amount of water, and rolled out, then shaped and placed to create the top or bottom of a flan or pie.

Sweetcrust pastry is made with the addition of sugar, which sweetens the mix and retards the gluten strands, creating a pastry that breaks up easily in the mouth.

In both sweetcrust and shortcrust pastry, care must be taken not to overmix the dough. Overworking elongates the gluten strands in the dough, creating a product that is chewy, as opposed to 'short', or light and crumbly.