What Is The Ratio Of Fat To Flour In Shortcrust Pastry?

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

. Shortcrust pastry is easy to make and can be prepared either by hand or with a food processor.

What ratio of fat to flour makes the best pastry?

The most flaky, tender crust comes down to a simple

3:2:1 ratio

of ingredients—flour, fat, water— no actual recipe needed.

What is the usual proportion of fat to flour for rough puff pastry?

Half and half

is a good compromise. You’ll notice a much higher proportion of fat to flour when compared with shortcrust pastry, which usually uses a 1: 2 ratio.

What is the best fat to use in shortcrust pastry?

Butter

is the perfect fat as it provides both shortness and flavour. Many chefs prefer unsalted butter, as it has a fresher, purer flavour, but salted butter can be used in all recipes. You will need to adjust the amount of salt added to the pastry according to the type of butter used.

What are the rules of making shortcrust pastry?

1. Don’t overwork the dough. Roll and handle shortcrust pastry as little as possible as overworking it can produce tough and unpleasant results.
2. Use a metal tart tin. …
3. Don’t stretch. …
4. Repair tears. …
5. Allow a little overhang. …
6. Rest. …
7. Bake it blind. …
8. Watch the colour.

Why is lard used in shortcrust pastry?

The pros:

Lard produces an extremely crisp, flaky crust

. It’s also easy to work with, as its melting point is higher than butter, so it doesn’t soften as quickly while you handle it, or threaten to dissolve into the flour as quickly as butter before baking.

What does shortcrust pastry fat do?

The role of the fat in making a pastry is

to give texture to the final product

. Pastry is made with “shortening “. The fat is rubbed into the flour. The molecules of fat surround the flour particles and exclude water.

What is the ratio of fat to flour for sugar pastry?

It calls for just four ingredients—flour, fat, salt, and water—and the ratio of flour to fat is usually

4-to-1

. Shortcrust pastry is easy to make and can be prepared either by hand or with a food processor. It’s one of the most versatile pastries because it can be used for both savory and sweet dishes.

Why is my puff pastry hard?

Richard’s solution: Tough pastry is very common,

but easily avoidable

. It usually occurs when you’ve been a bit heavy-handed with the water when you’re initially bringing the pastry together (by adding water to the flour and butter), or if you have over-worked the dough and developed the gluten in the flour.

Why do we use strong flour to make puff pastry?

Flour – I usually recommend strong bread flour when making laminated dough. Bread flour has a protein content of 1.5 to 12.5 %, which provides the strong gluten structure needed to trap water vapor as the pastry is baking, thus creating a

nice flaky texture

.

Why is it important to chill the pastry before baking?

It’s important to rest and chill your pastry dough for about half an hour before baking: this

firms up the fat and lets the strands of gluten relax

, both of which will improve the end result.

Why is my shortcrust pastry hard?

If your pastry is hard and tough, this may because

too much liquid was added or the pastry was over-handled

, resulting in the development of gluten. If your pastry is too crumbly and hard to handle, this may be because too much fat was added, it was over-mixed or not enough liquid was added to bind the fat and flour.

Should you add egg to shortcrust pastry?

The three primary ingredients of pastry are fat, flour and water. … One common modification is to

replace most of the water with an egg

to enrich the flavour of a shortcrust pastry and to provide proteins, which help bind it.

Should shortcrust pastry be rested?

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. … If, when you get the pastry out of the fridge after resting and it seems too stiff to roll, don’t let it warm up.

What are the three principles in good pastry?

• Measure the ingredients carefully.
• Use good quality flour. …
• Keep everything as cool as possible otherwise the fat may melt which would spoil the finished dish.
• Introduce as much air as possible during making.
• Allow to relax after making to allow the fat to harden.
• Handle the pastry as little as possible.

What is the function of plain flour in shortcrust pastry?

Flour

provides the structure in baked goods

. Wheat flour contains proteins that interact with each other when mixed with water, forming gluten. It is this elastic gluten framework which stretches to contain the expanding leavening gases during rising. The protein content of a flour affects the strength of a dough.

Why does my shortcrust pastry crack when rolling?

It sounds like it was too cold to roll.

The butter solidifies and the dough will break up when it’s rolled

. … When you unwrap the dough give it a little press with your fingers. If you think it’s likely to crack give the dough a gentle knead to make the surface a little more pliable.

Why is cold water used in shortcrust pastry?

Why do we use cold water in pastry making? – Quora.

Water mixed with flour helps swell the flour granules so they can form gluten

. Water, however, is absorbed at a much slower rates into flour proteins when the temperature is colder. That’s why purists recommend cold ingredients, cold equipment and marble boards.

Is pastry better made with lard or butter?

Lard makes an excellent fat

for a pie crust. … Butter being superior in flavor in most doughs and crusts, does make for a harder fat to work with. It melts quickly, and if not handled correctly, can create a chewy crust rather than flaky. If baked to perfection, butter-based crusts almost always win out.

Why do you put vinegar in a pie crust?

The Theory:

Gluten formation is inhibited in acidic environments

, thus adding vinegar or lemon juice to a pie crust will keep it more tender. The Fact: Gluten formation is actually improved in mildly acidic environments—down to a pH of around 6 or so.

What is the rubbing method used for?

Helps add a crumbly texture. Binds ingredients. ‘Rubbing in’ is a technique where

flour is rubbed into a fat to make dishes such as short crust pastry, crumbles and scones

. -Using your fingertips, rub the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (fine or coarse, depending on the recipe).

What filling is traditionally used in pastry?

Pastry cream

: Confectioner’s custard. An egg- and flour-thickened custard made with sweetened milk flavored with vanilla. It is traditionally used as a filling for flans, cakes, pastries, tarts, etc. The flour prevents the egg from curdling.

How do you make all purpose flour into plain flour?

Just

add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz

/1 cup plain flour. Sift the flour and baking powder together into a bowl before using, to make sure the baking powder is thoroughly distributed (or you can put both ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together).

How do you make tender and flaky pastry?

The

pastry or cake flour

keeps the pastry dough tender, and the vinegar strengthens the gluten and adds elasticity. This pastry dough has more salt than most. Kosher salt is coarser than table salt. If you are using table salt instead, cut the amount of salt in half.

What are the faults in pastry making?

• Pastry is soft and sticky and difficult to handle. …
• Cooked pastry is dry and crumbly. …
• Cooked pastry is hard and tough. …
• Pastry is soft and oily when cooked. …
• Pastry shrinks when it is cooking. …
• Pastry is soft and crumbly. …
• Pastry blisters.

How do you keep your bottom pastry from getting soggy?

1. Use less water. Use the liquid amount as a guideline and sprinkle it on a tablespoon at a time just until your dough comes together. …
2. Blind-bake your crust. …
3. Fight the puff a better way. …
4. Egg wash. …
5. Seal your crust with chocolate. …
6. Drain the fruit. …
7. Use thickeners.

Can you use margarine instead of butter for puff pastry?

Puff pastry contains a lot of fat, it needs the fat to form all those layers. A commonly used fat is butter, but

margarine (the hard one, not spreadable margarine)

is a good alternative. The fat content in puff pastry is at least half the weight of the flour, but the ratio of flour to fat can be as high as 1:1.

What is the best flour to use for puff pastry?

Quick puff pastry will be shaggy and rough looking dough at first, but the more you roll the dough out, the better looking it will be.

Bread flour and all-purpose flour

are both used in this recipe to ensure flaky layers. Keep work surface and rolling pin well-floured to make sure dough does not stick.

What are the two raising agents in shortcrust pastry?

Shortcrust pastry is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart or pie. It does not puff up during baking because it usually contains no leavening agent. It is possible to make shortcrust pastry with

self-raising flour

, however.

Why is my shortcrust pastry hard when cooked?

Shortcrust. Hard and/or tough pastry: Usually occurs

due to too much liquid and too much flour when rolling out

, too little fat, over-handling or insufficient rubbing in. … Brushing the pastry base with a little egg white helps but the best solution is to use a metal tart plate (enamel) or an ovenproof glass dish.

What happens if you use bread flour for pastry?

Using bread flour to make a cake will result in a

chewy and dense product

. Bread flour has a higher protein level compared to cake flour, so it’s going to produce more gluten. If you use it, the light and airy texture of a traditional cake will not be present without adding yeast.

Why do we rub butter into flour?

Why? When cold butter is rubbed into the flour,

it creates flaky pockets of flavour

(which soft, room temperature butter can’t do). Once the cold butter and liquid (e.g milk) hits the oven, the water in the butter and cold liquid begins evaporating.

What are the two most common fats to make pie crust?

Oil and margarine

are the two most common fats used to make pie crust.

What is the reason for putting air holes on top of the top pastry?

Pie vents

open the top layer of a double-crust pie to allow the steam produced when the pie bakes to escape

. Obviously, you don’t have to worry about them if you’re baking a single crust pie or making an unbaked pie such as a cream or chiffon pie.

How will using too much flour affect the quality of pastry?

Overmixing allows the gluten in the flour to develop into elastic strands, which creates a gummy texture, and since fat prevents the gluten from forming, too little will allow the elastic strands to form. Likewise, using too much

flour changes the flour-to-fat ratio

, leading to the same problem.

Can I use self raising flour instead of plain flour for pastry?

It works every time – I have never had a hard, dry, tasteless pastry when using self raising, but I have had some failures when using plain. For a basic shortcrust pastry you will need: 2 Cups (8 oz, 225g) self-rising flour (self raising) or all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder.

What happens if you use self raising flour instead of plain flour in pastry?

In some cases, this is true and self-rising flour is a convenient alternative to regular flour, but that is not always the case. Because self-rising flour

contains added leavening agents using it incorrectly can throw off the texture and flavor of your baked goods

.

Why does my pie crust not cooked on the bottom?

Custard and cream pies: a different solution

Prebaking — baking the pie crust before adding the filling — is your answer. Bake your crust, add the filling, and bake until the filling is done. I promise you, the crust won’t burn on the bottom;

the filling will insulate it

.

Should butter be cold for pastry?

When it comes to pie dough,

keeping the butter as cold as possible

is the key to achieving that gold-medal worthy flakiness. Once you’ve rolled out and folded your pie dough, those distinct bits of butter will steam as the dough bakes, creating the pockets of air that puff up into distinct layers.

What temperature should your butter be when working with pastry?

So pay attention to its texture: when gently pressing the butter with your finger, it should easily leave an indentation. If you want to use a thermometer, the ideal temperature is

68°F to 72oF

.