Short Crust Pastry

The other day I made a Lemon Tart, but first I had to make some short crust pastry to use for the base.  This is a very basic recipe, you can make a richer pastry by adding in eggs and sugar.

2 cups plain flour
3 tablespoons caster sugar
150g cold butter, chopped
2-3 tablespoons iced water

Process the flour, sugar, and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  While the motor is running, add just enough iced water to the mixture so that it forms a smooth dough and process until just combined.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface until it is 2-3 mm thick (or desired thickness for your recipe) and line the tart tin (this recipe makes enough pastry to sufficiently line a 26cm tart tin).
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Place a piece of baking paper over the pastry and fill with baking weights or uncooked rice or beans.  Bake for 10 minutes then remove the weights.  Bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
Spoon in your desired filling and bake as your recipe indicates.

Some notes…
The first time I made this pastry I found it shrunk away from the edges of the pie dish and didn’t crisp up as much as I would have liked.  I think this happened because I added too much water.  There are other factors that can cause your pastry to shrink, so here are just a few pointers to keep in mind when making your pastry:
- You need to keep the pastry cold – use ice water and make sure your pastry rests in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.  Placing the tin coated with the pastry back into the fridge before baking for a bit is a good idea too :)
- You could leave an extra 1–2 cm of pastry above the top of the tin and cut this off once you have baked it.
- Only use as much water that is needed to combine your mixture together.