Vegan Shortcrust Pastry 101: Helpful Tips and Recipes to Bake Now
The first step is always the hardest – to make it at least a little easier for you if you want to switch to a vegan diet, we've written a few articles on the basics. They are about how to get the nutrients you need when being vegan, non-vegan ingredients to look out for, and vegan pantry essentials. Find all our articles here.
Shortcrust pastry is one of the most effortless baking basics and will be your faithful companion for cookies, sheet cakes, or hearty quiches. But despite its simplicity, we're dealing with a quite delicate matter here that requires to follow a few rules. Nothing to worry, though – we got you covered with this article. You can do it!
After reading this article, you will bake shortcrust pastry like a pro – from tartelette to apple pie. Plus, you'll also know the shortcrust pastry recipe already by heart, we promise! The only thing you have to remember is 3-2-1: 300 g flour, 200 g vegan butter, 100 g sugar. Let's go!
Basic vegan short-crust Pastry
Ingredients
- 300 g (2.5 cups) flour
- 200 g (1.75 sticks) vegan butter
- 100 g (0.5 cup) sugar
- if needed, cold water
Instructions
Add flour, sugar and salt to a bowl and stir to combine. Add diced cold butter on top and start kneading with cold hands. Then add ice cold water and knead until a smooth dough forms.
Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3 Secrets of Shortcrust Pastry
1. Shortcrust pastry loves the cold:
To prepare a shortcrust pastry in the best possible way, it’s essential to use cold ingredients, such as the vegan butter. It should only be used straight from the fridge - yep, this means that it shouldn’t be weighed before and then sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. This dough also requires fast preparation. The longer you knead the dough, the warmer it will get. Also, make sure to quickly rinse your hands under cold water before kneading the ingredients into a smooth dough. If the mixture still gets a bit crumbly, just add some water (which should be cold, of course). Do you think we’re exaggerating? No way! Your shortcrust pastry will be eternally grateful if you follow these rules (that is until you’ve eaten it). Once all ingredients are combined into a smooth dough, let’s transfer it directly into the fridge and don’t get impatient. We know it’s hard, but please wait the given resting time in a recipe. If desired, you can also refrigerate your cookies right before baking for approx. 30 minutes. To avoid the dough cracking biscuits while baking, you can put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes before baking. This way, they won’t spread in the oven.
2. How to avoid sticky dough:
Once the dough has rested long enough in the fridge, it’s time for rolling it out. This is when you’ll quickly notice the difference between chilled and too warm shortcrust pastry. The latter will not be as smooth, and it’s harder to roll it out nicely. But to be on the very safe side (even with well-chilled dough), it’s best to roll out the dough in between to silicone baking mats, or sheets of parchment paper. This way, it won’t stick either on the working surface or on the rolling pin. Plus, this way, you can also easily transport the dough into a baking sheet or so.
3. How to prepare shortcrust pastry ahead (and freeze it!):
Since shortcrust pastry loves the cold, you can prepare it easily ahead of time, and even freeze it. Wrapped in plastic wrap, it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or store it in the freezer for several weeks! Just think about Christmas baking in a much more relaxed way, thanks to this! Before using frozen shortcrust pastry, it’s best to defrost it in the fridge overnight.
