BEST basic shortcrust pastry recipe that can be made for sweet or savoury bakes. Easy to make and handle, this pastry recipe will produce crisp, short gluten free shortcrust every time. Optional dairy free.
1largeeggUK large (Canadian ‘Extra Large’; Australian ‘Jumbo’; and US ‘Extra or Very Large’)
2tbspvery cold water(up to 2½ if more needed)
Instructions
Weigh the flours, xanthan gum and salt (or sugar) into a large bowl and mix together until evenly combined.
Add the butter and lard/Trex (both cut into very small cubes) to the bowl.
Chill the bowl with the ingredients for about half hour, before rubbing the fat the into the flour mixture using finger tips, until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. (See Main BLOG POST for tips).
In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tbsp of very cold water and then pour into the crumb mixture.
Stir the wet ingredients into the crumb mixture using a table knife until it begins to clump together.
At this stage, set the dough aside (at room temperature unless in a very warm room/climate, in which case, refrigerate) to rest for 10 to 20 minutes. This will enable the dough to fully absorb the liquid.
Once 'rested', start to bring the dough together with hands. If the dough feels very dry, add a little more very cold water (a tiny bit at a time) and work it into the dough with the knife. If it feels very sticky, add a tiny sprinkle more flour and work through with hands.
Bring the mixture together and press into a ball.
If not using immediately, wrap and refrigerate. And when ready to use, take from the fridge, bring to room temperature and knead very lightly to enable it to become 'rollable'.
Notes
* Note: nutritional information is an estimate & may vary according to portion size/ingredient variants.Gluten Free Alchemist Flour Blend B can be found on the GFA Flours & Flour BlendingPage. If using an alternative flour (particularly one which is heavily rice-based), the texture will be different and more liquid may be required.
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