Short Crust

This is a formula rather than a method: the book gives proportions and assumes the cook knows the rubbing-in technique. The numbers are the useful part, and they are richer than most modern short crust.

• The ratio8 oz flour to 6 oz butter is three parts fat to four parts flour by weight, against the usual half-fat pastry of 8 oz flour to 4 oz butter. Expect a very tender, crumbly crust that handles more like a sweet pastry than a pie lining.
• FlourPlain (all-purpose) flour, and preferably a lower-protein one. Self-raising flour would double up on the leavening already called for.
• The missing liquidNo water is listed because it was taken for granted. Reckon on 2 to 3 tablespoons of ice water for this quantity, added a spoonful at a time only until the dough coheres; with this much butter it will need less than you expect.
• SaltNone is given, though the butter of the period would often have been salted. With unsalted butter add about a quarter teaspoon of fine salt to the flour.
• The hinge: keep everything coldRub the butter into the flour with fingertips or a pastry blender until it looks like coarse crumbs, and stop before it turns to paste. Butter that softens and blends fully gives a hard, greasy crust rather than a short one. Chill the dough at least 30 minutes before rolling.
• Why baking powderHalf a teaspoon lifts the crust slightly and offsets the toughening effect of handling. It is optional in a rich crust like this and can be left out if you prefer a denser, flakier result.
• OvenThe recipe gives no baking instructions at all. For modern use, 400-425F suits a rich pastry; it colours fast, so check at 15 minutes, and blind-baked cases generally take 15-20 minutes with weights and a further 5 without.
• YieldAbout 14 oz of flour and butter, nearer 15 oz once the water is in: roughly enough to line one 9-inch tart tin, or to make a lid for a deep pie dish, or a dozen or so small tartlet shells.