Pastry basics

Tips that'll have you feeling more confident about tarts and pies

* When working with pastry, all of your ingredients should be chilled, but make sure the butter is soft enough to be quickly worked into the flour.

* If you don’t know how much pastry you need to line a tart tin, subtract 2in from the diameter to find the amount of flour, in ounces, that you’ll need. Then use half that amount of butter. For example, for an 8in tin, you’ll need 6oz plain flour and 3oz butter.

* Sift the flour well before rubbing in the flour.

* Don’t overwork the fat into the flour or the pastry will be tough.

* Be sure to add just the right amount of liquid: too much and the pastry will be tough and hard to roll; too little and it will be crumbly and fall apart.

* Roll out on a marble slab if you have one to keep the pastry cool.

* Handle pastry as little as possible when making and rolling out to avoid making it tough.

* Chill the pastry after making and after rolling to stop it shrinking.

* Shape pastry into a circle or rectangle, depending on your recipe,
before chilling – it makes it easier to roll.

* Place tart tins on preheated baking tray in the oven to crisp the base.

* Serve tarts and pies warm for best texture and flavour of pastry.

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