Sweet shortcrust pastry: as easy as (mince) pie
There’s no mystery to making light, buttery and melt-in-the-mouth sweet shortcrust pastry at home. So much better then any ready-made pastry in the shops, if you haven’t made it before, you might be surprised how easy it is.
I think this sweet shortcrust pastry makes the best mince pies ever, especially if you’ve made your own mincemeat too.
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As I wrote in my post about Homemade Christmas Mincemeat, shop-bought mince pies don’t come close to those you can make yourself. And, from my experience, that applies whether they’re labelled The Best, The Finest, Luxury or anything else.
With an estimated twenty percent (that’s 74 million!) of all shop-bought mince pies being thrown away, I think it’s time that Britain fell in love again with a proper, homemade mince pie.
Homemade pastry is easy!
There’s no doubt that complex pastry work is a highly developed skill. But many of us have been hoodwinked into thinking even simple shortcrust pastry is too complicated and time-consuming to make at home.
I was so disappointed to see a winner from a certain TV baking competition, now with their own show, using shop-bought pastry and encouraging others to do the same. What a wasted opportunity! If only they’d shown that shortcrust pastry is really simple and quick to make. And even faster with a food processor.
I don’t make pastry very often, so I’m certainly no expert. But I timed how long it took me to make a batch of sweet shortcrust pastry. It was just 6 minutes. That included gathering the ingredients, weighing them, whizzing up the dough in a food processor and squishing it into a ball.
And for those 6 minutes, you get a quality product. Made with just flour, butter, sugar, a pinch of salt and a little water.
Save money & say no to palm oil
Of course, you can sometimes find quality shop-bought pastry. But a quick comparison online showed that I’d have to spend £4.54 to buy the amount of all butter pastry made in this recipe. However, even from a ‘high end’ supermarket (and not buying the cheapest brands either) the ingredients would cost me only £1.88.
And don’t even think about buying shortcrust pastry that doesn’t mention butter on the packet. For the amount made here, you’d pay around £1.79 for a flavourless mess of flour and margarine made with palm oil or some miscellaneous vegetable oil.
Even where cost isn’t an issue though, I’d love more people to have the satisfaction of simply creating something from scratch they can be proud of. And you’ll certainly be proud of these mince pies. I’ve even known people who say they don’t like mince pies absolutely love these.
The mincemeat
Ideally, you’ll have your Homemade Christmas Mincemeat ready. If not, you’ve still time if you’re reading this 2-3 weeks before Christmas. Mincemeat is dead easy to make so do take a look at the recipe.
Like many people, I used to buy a jar of mincemeat and just make my own pastry. I still think that’s better than buying mince pies. I’d say buy the best mincemeat you can afford and avoid those that contain palm oil. And put a note in your diary to get your own mincemeat started next Autumn.
Before filling the mince pies, I sometimes put the jar of mincemeat, minus its lid, in the microwave for a few seconds. This melts the suet in my homemade mincemeat and makes it easier to spoon the from the jar.
Making sweet shortcrust pastry
For this pastry, you can forget the notion that everything needs to be kept cool. In fact, you don’t even need to chill this one before use.
For standard pastry with a 50:50 fat to flour ratio, I always pop it in the fridge, wrapped in cling film, for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. This makes it easier to work with. But with this extra-buttery pastry, the heat from your hands makes the dough very pliable and I don’t rest it at all.
In the detailed recipe at the end of the post, I’ve given instructions for using a food processor or for making the sweet shortcrust pastry by hand.
When rolling out this pastry, I like to work with a half or third at a time. I keep the rest under clingfilm or an upturned bowl so it doesn’t dry out. Keep your work top and rolling pin floured, but only use enough to stop the dough sticking.
Depending on how thick you roll your pastry and the depth of your baking trays, you should get between 12-18 mince pies from this recipe, using one standard sized jar of mincemeat.
After a bit of an egg wash and a sprinkle of sugar, I put the mince pies in the oven to bake for around 20 minutes.
REMOVING THE MINCE PIES FROM THE TIN
When they’re done, take the baking tray from the oven BUT DON’T TRY TO REMOVE THE MINCE PIES FROM THE TIN YET!
I’m sorry for shouting. But if you’re a bit too eager (and who wouldn’t be, with the lovely smell of spices, fruit and hot pastry filling the kitchen?) then you’ll find it impossible to remove the mince pies without breaking up the delicate pastry. Remember: you’ve just submitted a load of butter to intense heat. Give it a chance to cool and let the pastry to firm up.
Leave the mince pies for about 10 minutes. Next, carefully loosen a little with a round bladed knife, then rotate each mince pie before lifting it out onto a cooling tray.
At this point it’s perfectly acceptable to eat one immediately (cook’s prerogative).
STORING & SERVING
I make several batches of mince pies each year and, if we can resist eating them within a couple of days, I put them in the freezer. That means they’re always ready for a quick treat over Christmas or offer to guests. They take less than a minute to defrost and heat in the microwave.
To serve, dust with icing sugar and have a nice little glass of something on the side.
Try making your own mincemeat, sweet shortcrust pastry and mince pies, and I’m willing to bet you’ll never go back to shop-bought.
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry for Mince Pies
This delicious melt in the mouth pastry that's so easy to make and work with means the best mince pies ever.
Ingredients
- 350 g plain flour plus extra for flouring work surface
- pinch salt
- 225 g cold butter cut into cubes
- 100 g golden caster sugar plus extra for sprinkling
- 2-4 tbsp water
- 1 jar mincemeat preferably homemade
- 1 egg, beaten for brushing tops
- icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4
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If using a food processor: process the flour, salt and butter until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add sugar and process briefly to combine. With the motor running, add enough water to start bringing the dough together .
Without a food processor: put the flour and salt in a large bowl and, using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, then use a rounded knife or similar to stir in 2 tbsp of the water to start bringing the dough together. Add more water if needed.
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When the dough has almost come together, tip it onto a floured surface and lightly knead it into a smooth ball.
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Working with half of the dough at a time (keep the remainder covered), roll on a floured surface to approximately 2-3mm thick and cut out bases and tops for the mince pies.
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Place the pastry bottoms in a 12-holed baking tray, fill with mincemeat (see Recipe Notes for tip), brush the edges of the pastry with water and put the lids on, pressing down the edges.
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Brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle over a litttle sugar.
If your lids will cover the whole of the pie (rather than being a star shape, for example), prick two holes in the top with a skewer or cocktail stick to allow steam to escape.
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Put in the preheated oven and bake until the pastry is cooked and browned (approx 12-20 minutes)
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Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the pastry to firm up.
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Remove mince pies from the baking tray with a round ended knife, twisting to loosen if necessary, and put on a wire rack.
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Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Cool completely before storing for 3-4 days or freezing.
Reheat for a few seconds in a microwave or a few minutes in a low oven.
Recipe Notes
Recipe for Homemade Christmas Mincemeat
Tip: If your mincemeat is quite firm, heat the jar (with the lid off) in the microwave for a few seconds. This will melt the suet and make it easier to spoon into the pastry cases. Can also be done in a low oven for a few minutes.
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