You may have tried other pastry recipes, but can you whizz any of them up in less time than it takes to make a pot of tea? This shortcrust pastry recipe costs about half the price of shop-bought, too, using fridge and storecupboard ingredients.
Put the flour into the food processor. Add a pinch of salt, along with the butter and lard. Pulse briefly until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs - don't over-mix, otherwise the finished pastry will be tough. Add cold water, 1tbsp at a time, and pulse until the mixture just comes together.
Step 2
Turn pastry on to a floured worksurface (a cool marble slab is ideal) and gently bring the mixture together with your hands to form a ball. Flatten slightly, wrap in cling-film and chill for 30min. This will help the pastry relax, which makes it easier to roll and less likely to shrink during baking.
Step 3
Lightly dust your worksurface and rolling pin with flour. Roll the pastry into a 30.5cm (12in) circle, turning it 90° a few times to keep it circular. Lift half over the rolling pin, put into the flan tin, then press gently into the base and sides. Trim edges carefully. Press the pastry edge above the rim by 5mm (1⁄4in), then prick the base all over with a fork. Chill for 20min in the freezer.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) mark 4. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper 5cm (2in) larger than the tin and sit it inside. Tip in enough ceramic baking beans, dried beans or rice to cover the base, then ease into the edges to stop the pastry bubbling up during cooking. Bake for 15min.
Step 5
Carefully remove the paper and baking beans. Brush the hot pastry with a little beaten egg to seal it and prevent any filling leaking through when you pour it into the case. Return to the oven for 5-10min until dry and pale golden. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack. This technique is called baking blind.
Try these other shortcrust pastry recipes by the Good Housekeeping cookery team:
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
