Making Shortcrust Pastry for Savoury Pies

By Drying Homegrown Herbs for Winter Cooking
Comments 35
31 Aug 2026

Making Shortcrust Pastry for Savoury Pies

What Makes a Proper Savoury Shortcrust

Shortcrust is the quiet workhorse of the British kitchen. It holds a steak and ale filling, cradles a bacon and egg tart, and lines the base of a cheese and onion pie without ever demanding attention. Good shortcrust is not meant to shout: it should be thin, crisp and faintly crumbly, with a clean buttery flavour that lets the filling lead.

All of that comes down to two things — temperature and restraint. If the fat melts into the flour before the pastry reaches the oven, you are already heading towards something tough and shrunken rather than short and tender. Keep everything cold, work quickly, and handle the dough as little as you can get away with.

The Ingredients That Genuinely Matter

You need very little, but each element has a job. The classic ratio is half fat to flour by weight, which for a standard pie that serves six means 250g of plain flour to 125g of fat.

Plain flour — not strong bread flour, which develops gluten and turns pastry chewy, and not self-raising, which makes it puff and crack.
Unsalted butter — cold from the fridge, cut into small cubes. For a slightly shorter, more traditional crumb, replace 25g of the butter with lard or white vegetable fat.
Fine salt — a generous pinch. Savoury pastry without salt tastes flat no matter how good the filling is.
Iced water — two to three tablespoons, with a couple of ice cubes left in the jug. Warm water softens the fat and starts the gluten working.

Everything should be measured before you begin. Once your fingertips are coated in flour, you will not want to be hunting for the scales.

Bringing the Dough Together

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and toss it through the flour so every piece is coated — this small step helps keep the fat separate from the water.

Now rub the butter in. Lift handfuls of flour and fat and rub them between your fingertips, letting everything fall back into the bowl. Work lightly and keep your palms out of it; warm hands make greasy pastry. Stop when the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, with a few pea-sized lumps still visible. Those flecks of butter are what give shortcrust its flaky shortness.

Sprinkle over two tablespoons of the iced water and stir with a round-bladed knife, cutting through the mixture rather than stirring it. Add the last tablespoon only if there are dry patches that will not come together. Then gather the dough into a ball with cool hands — press, do not knead. Kneading develops gluten, and gluten is the enemy here.

Flatten the ball into a disc about 2cm thick, wrap it loosely and put it in the fridge.

Rest and Roll — the Bit Most People Rush

Resting is not optional. Thirty minutes in the fridge lets the gluten relax so the pastry will not shrink back in the tin, and lets the fat firm up again after the warmth of your hands. It also makes the dough far easier to roll. You can rest it for up to two days, or freeze it for a month.

Roll on a lightly floured surface, dusting the rolling pin rather than the pastry. Start in the middle and roll outwards, giving the dough a quarter turn after each pass to keep it from sticking and to keep the thickness even. Aim for about 3mm — thin enough to be crisp but sturdy enough to lift.

To line the tin, roll the pastry loosely over the pin and unroll it across the tin, or fold it into quarters and unfold it in place. Ease it gently into the corners with a small ball of spare pastry. Never stretch it, or it will creep back during baking.

Blind Baking for a Crisp Base

For a wet filling, a short blind bake is the difference between a crisp base and a soggy one. Prick the base all over with a fork, then chill the lined tin for another fifteen minutes. Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans or dry rice.

Bake at 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6) for twenty minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further five to ten minutes until the base looks dry and faintly golden. Brush the hot pastry with beaten egg or milk while it is still warm — this seals the surface and forms a waterproof layer against the filling. Let it cool slightly before you pour anything in.

A Few Fixes for Common Faults

If the pastry crumbles when you roll it, it needs a few drops more water — add them sparingly, bring it together and rest it again. If it shrinks in the tin, it was stretched or not rested. If it tastes heavy rather than short, the fat was too warm or worked in too thoroughly.

And if it tears as you lift it, do not panic. Shortcrust is forgiving. Press a patch of spare pastry over the split, smooth the join with a floured finger and carry on. Nobody at the table will ever know.

Home Baking

Knitting a Simple Ribbed Scarf for Beginners

Soda bread uses buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda instead of yeast. It comes together quickly and bakes in under an hour.

Previous Post At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium.

Next Post Dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentiu deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores

5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

Jenny Watson

Hi! beautiful people. I`m an authtor of this blog. Read our post - stay with us

Instagram

How We Can
Help You!

Seville oranges arrive in winter and make bitter, bright marmalade. Slice peel finely, simmer with sugar and test set on a cold plate.

section heading hidden

Our Latest News

Baking Soda Bread on a Weekday Morning

Making Seville Orange Marmalade in Winter

Pickling Onions for a Traditional Ploughman's Lunch

Contact Us

Article