The shortcrust pastry is traditionally used in France for both savoury and for a number of sweet tarts. You can prepare a batch and use over the week or even freeze. Unlike puff pastry, shortcrust pastry is rather rapid to make.
These steps will guide you through the preparation of the pastry. The quantities are for one tart, about 20 cm wide.
Tip: If you have remaining trimmings, you can put them together, reroll the pastry and make small one, maybe two small tartlets. Another use, is to spread them with brown sugar or jam and bake:  then for the children’s snack.
Ingredients:
- 50 g of butter softened
- 100 g of plain flour
- some cold water (about 1/4 glass – see recipe)
Method:
- Place softened butter cut in cubes and flour together in a bowl.Â
2. Rub the soft butter and the flour together until all of the butter sticks to the flour.
3. Add water little at the time to obtain an homogenized ball.  If you put too much water, add 1 teaspoon of flour at the time
4. Rest for at least half an hour at room temperature before using.
Tip: if your butter is hard (from the fridge), cut the butter in small cubes and let to soften on top of the flour.
Tip: you can prepare the pastry ahead of time, wrap it and place in the fridge.  Remove from the fridge  1/2 h to an hour before using.
5.  When using, roll on a rolling mat, baking paper or directly on the work bench. Dust slightly the rolling area with flour to prevent sticking.
6. Use the rolling pin to transfer the pastry (roll it around the rolling pin, lift, transfer), then after placing use the rolling pin again to do the trimming (see photo).
