Shortcrust pastry tart

cake dessert

Placeholder image

Servings

10 Servings

Prep time

15 Minutes

Cooling Time

25 Minutes

Calories

--- Kcal

Shortcrust pastry

  • 100g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 200g plain flour
  • 3g salt
  • 50g water

Directions

  1. Place the butter, flour and salt in a bowl. Using your fingers, work the ingredients together until they resemble fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter are present. (This process can also be done in a kitchen stand mixer or food processor.)
  2. Add the water a little at a time (or in a steady stream if using a kitchen stand mixer) until it forms a firm but malleable mixture. If you used a food processor earlier, it’d be best to finish this one off by hand.
  3. Move the dough to your benchtop and work into a puck-sized shape. Wrap with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Place the pastry on a piece of baking paper and cover with a second piece of baking paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry into a circle roughly 35cm wide and 3mm thick. Allow the pastry to firm up again in the fridge for at least an hour before lining the tin (if lining the tin immediately, be sure to rest it for at least an hour).
  5. Use a sharp knife to remove any excess trim from the edges of the pastry. Allow the pastry to sit for 15 minutes or so in the freezer for one final rest.
  6. Take one large sheet of aluminium foil and gently press into the edges of the pastry shell, ensuring the sheet is big enough to go over the edge and completely line the tart. Fill it to the brim with uncooked rice, then fold the foil gently back over the top and place into the oven.
  7. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry are a nice medium-golden colour. Remove from the oven and sneak a look under the foil to check the doneness. Cook until the colour is consistent, then allow to cool at room temperature. Remove the foil and rice when cool enough to touch.
  8. Remove one piece of baking paper from the pastry and drape the pastry over your tart tin. You may find this easier to do by using a rolling pin. Remove the other paper on top, then press the pastry into the knuckles of the tart tin using the flats of your fingers.