Shortcrust pastry is suitable not only for making desserts, unleavened dough will perfectly serve as a basis for open meat and vegetable pies. How to make good shortcrust pastry?
– To prepare shortcrust pastry, take flour, which contains little gluten, or dilute the dough with starch – this will help to make the dough more crumbly.
– Do not skimp on fat – take good butter, margarine or a spread will give the dough an unpleasant aftertaste and risk completely ruining it.
– The dough oil should not be overheated or, on the contrary, too cold.
– Put the ingredients strictly according to the recipe, otherwise the dough will either turn out too tight, or it will crumble from any touch.
– Another secret of crumbly dough is to use only yolks when cooking.
– Roll out a layer of dough of the same thickness so that it bakes evenly.
– Before baking the dough, it is advisable to lie in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes – this reduces the likelihood that it will crack during cooking.
– If you knead shortbread dough for a long time, it loses its elasticity and softness.
– Before cooking, you can freeze the dough already laid out in the form – this will prevent the sides from sliding off.
– Bake shortbread dough at a temperature not lower than 200 degrees.
Basic shortcrust pastry recipe
Take 2 cups flour, 200 grams of butter, half a cup of sugar, and 1 egg. Mix flour with sugar, add butter with softened pieces and grind. At the very end, add the egg and knead the dough with your hands.