Plain short crust pastry

You will need:

4oz. plain flour pinch salt
2oz. mixed fats (equal quantities butter, margarine and vegetable fat)
2tablespoons milk OR water to mix

Process:

1.   Sift together the flour and salt into a basin. Measure  the fats and mix until soft and blended.  Add all at once to the flour

2.   Using the tips of the finger ( the coolest part of the hands) gently break the fat into small lumps, then rub into the flour in order to blend the two together very finely and thoroughly.  To ‘rub in’ means to pick up small handfuls of the mixture and rub very lightly with the thumbs so that the mixture falls back through the fingers into the basin. The action not only blends together the fat and the flour but also incorporates air which eventually results in a light pastry. It is equally important not to over mix the pastry at any stage, and rubbing in should stop when the mixture looks crumbly.

3.   Add the liquid, all at once, into the centre of the mixture.  Blend using a fork, until the mixture clings together into a ball, leaving the sides of the basin clean.  Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to make smooth fairy stiff dough.

4.   Set the pastry aside to rest for 10 minutes before baking in oven (baking time click here).