Short Crust Pastry for Tarts

Posted for ZWT6 to be made with Quarktorte.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8

Ingredients

• 300  g plain white flour (no self-raising flour)
• 1  teaspoon salt (you can add 1/2 Tsp more if you like to taste the salt)
• 150  g unsalted butter (or 100 g unsalted butter and 50 g lard)
•  water

Directions

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl/bassin.
2. Add butter and rub between the fingers until the mixture is flaky.
3. Pour in water, gradually, while continuously cutting and stirring with a knife. Stop adding water when the dough is stiff. It should not be sticky or wet. Gather up into a soft ball.
4. Dust your working area and rolling pin with flour and shape the pastry by rolling away from you and always turning the pastry around in order to achieve a round shape.
5. Remarks:
6. Always lift the flour out of the bowl while rubbing; it makes the butter/flour mixture airy.
7. Be careful not to add too much water as the pastry should not be stick to the touch.
8. While mixing the water to the flour/butter mixture never work the pastry like a bread dough, otherwise you would end up with a stiff, hard and elastic pastry.