Irish Shortcrust Pastry
A buttery, crumbly pastry base ready for sweet or savory pies and tarts.
Dietary
Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Nut free, Halal, Kosher
Allergens
Dairy, Eggs, Wheat
This shortcrust comes together with cold butter rubbed into flour for a tender, flaky texture that holds its shape when baked. It suits both sweet fillings like apple tart and savory dishes like meat pie, and chilling the dough before rolling keeps it crisp and easy to handle.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 egg, cold
- 3 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
Method
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.
-
Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingertips or a pastry cutter to rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
-
In a small bowl, beat the egg with the ice water, then drizzle over the flour mixture, tossing gently with a fork until the dough just begins to clump together.
-
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently gather it into a ball, adding a few extra drops of ice water if it feels too dry. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate.
-
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness.
-
Transfer the rolled dough to a 9-inch pie pan or tart tin, pressing it gently into the bottom and sides, then trim and crimp the edges as desired. Chill again briefly before filling and baking according to your recipe.
Rate this recipe
Irish Shortcrust Pastry
This shortcrust comes together with cold butter rubbed into flour for a tender, flaky texture that holds its shape when baked. It suits both sweet fillings like apple tart and savory dishes like meat pie, and chilling the dough before rolling keeps it crisp and easy to handle.
45 min 1 (9-inch) pie crust 245 cal
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 egg, cold
- 3 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
Method
- 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.
- 2
Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingertips or a pastry cutter to rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
- 3
In a small bowl, beat the egg with the ice water, then drizzle over the flour mixture, tossing gently with a fork until the dough just begins to clump together.
- 4
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently gather it into a ball, adding a few extra drops of ice water if it feels too dry. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate.
- 5
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness.
- 6
Transfer the rolled dough to a 9-inch pie pan or tart tin, pressing it gently into the bottom and sides, then trim and crimp the edges as desired. Chill again briefly before filling and baking according to your recipe.