Guide to making chocolate shortcrust pastry

All you need are five ingredients (and a hidden ingredient) for this very easy recipe of shortcrust pastry. Shortcrust pastries are used as a base for sweet tarts, and a savoury version is also made, serving as a quiche. In this guide, I demonstrate how to make a chocolate shortcrust. Fill in chocolate or raspberry or strawberry flavours for a brilliant dessert. The secret ingredient for the dough? It’s a pinch of salt for that extra touch of flavour!

Ingredients

187 1/2 gms butter

87 1/2 gms sieved icing sugar

10 gms cocoa powder

250 gms T45 flour (finely ground flour with less gluten), or just all-purpose flour

A pinch of salt

25 gms beaten egg

Method

1. To make in a food processor, add butter to the mixer bowl with a paddle attachment, followed by sieved icing sugar. Mix in a slow speed setting to incorporate butter and sugar together.

2. Mix cocoa and flour together. Add one half of the mixture to the butter and mix gently until well incorporated. Then add the second half. Stop the mixer time to time and scrape the bottom of your bowl so flour stuck at the bottom doesn’t create lumps.

3. Add the beaten egg to bind all the ingredients together.

4. Scrape the mixture off the paddle and the bottom of the bowl. This is your shortcrust dough. Mix all the ingredients until all the lumps of butter are mixed in. Rest in a chiller until solid for 20 minutes to an hour.

5. Dough is now workable. Take a piece of dough and roll it out. Then put greaseproof baking paper over and press the dough till desired thickness.

6. Cut out strips to make the edges of the round moulds, then place into moulds. Cut out circles for the base. Place cling film over, leaving the edges hanging out. Fill the pastry up with rice, cover with cling film, and bake in the oven, 160C for 20 minutes.

7. Remove from oven, leave rice to cool down so the crust firms up, then remove and pipe in your desired filling!

Tip: You don’t need a food processor to make shortcrust pastry. Just mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl and knead until all ingredients bind together into a dough. Just ensure your butter is at room temperature if kneading by hand!

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