Savoury or Sweet Pastry

I like this recipe as it's very adaptable. It's a cross between a flaky & shortcrust pastry. I rarely buy store pastry anymore. For me, this recipe makes enough for 3 crusts (ie. one bottom, one top and one for the freezer). However, it all depends on the pie dish you use and how thinly you roll it out.

3 cups plain flour

250g unsalted butter (very cold) cut into small cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup ice cold water (you probably won't use it all)

Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. It's OK to have a few larger pieces still in it. Doesn't have to be perfect. Toss the salt through.

Slowly add a couple of tablespoons of water at a time to the flour / butter mixture. Gently stir together until the pastry just combines. Pull pastry into a tight ball and allow to rest in the fridge covered in glad wrap for 30 mins.

How much water you need to add depends on the humidity in the air. If you don't feel comfortable doing it by hand, you can do this in a food processor and slowly add the water through the spout until the pastry forms a ball.

When making a pie, I always blind bake the bottom crust before adding the filling. I find it's the only way to stop the bottom being soggy. Just line the pastry with baking paper and fill with grains (I use lentils). Bake in the oven for about 15 mins, remove from oven and remove paper/grains. Put pastry back in oven to brown a little for about 10 mins. Cool and continue with your filling / top pastry.

For a sweet pastry:-

Once the flour & butter is rubbed in, before adding the water, add 1/2 cup castor sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 egg yolk to the mix.