A true kitchen staple that you can make with your sourdough discard
Sourdough shortcrust pastry is such a versatile staple in our home. We use it for everything, from making custard tarts to apple pies and chicken pot pie to quiche Lorraine. The sourdough shortcrust pastry is perfect for any dish you want to make because it makes a deliciously flaky and crispy crust.
Shortcrust pastry in general whether plain or sourdough is such a staple in a from-scratch kitchen. Especially if you like baking pies, tarts, quiches or any other recipe that calls for regular shortcrust pastry. And since we love good food, but we also require it to be nourishing food. We use a lot of sourdough shortcrust pastry in our kitchen. Our aim is to fill our kitchen and our bellies with food that is delicious as well as nourishing. Like one of our favourite recipes, sourdough crepes filled with honey-sweetened whipped cream.
If you’ve never made shortcrust before, don’t worry, it really is easier than you might think. It was one of my daughter’s first recipes she made regularly, and still to this day, she always rubs in the butter for me. She loves rubbing in the butter, which makes the use of a food processor completely unnecessary. Although if you prefer to use a food processor, the recipe will work just as well.
If you have made shortcrust pastry before, you might like to read through the tips and see if there is anything of use in there for you. And if you’ve never made sourdough shortcrust before, I highly recommend you try. It is much more crispy and flavourful than regular shortcrust pastry. Or at least that is my humble opinion.
Why is sourdough so good for you?
We try to make every grain product that we produce in our home with sourdough. Because sourdough makes grain products more nourishing and nutritious. This is because the lactic acid bacteria in the sourdough starter break down the Phytic acid that prevents the grain’s nutrients from being absorbed by your digestive tract. Thereby making the digestion of grain easier and thus preventing any digestive issues.
A lot of people who are gluten sensitive also report that they have no problem with digesting sourdough bread. Although consuming sourdough bread is still not advisable for people with celiac disease.
This is because during the long fermenting process that sourdough bread or in this case the shortcrust pastry goes through, the gluten is also broken down. There is even evidence that sourdough products are less likely to spike blood sugar levels. If you don’t have your own sourdough starter yet you can read how to make your own sourdough starter here.
Tips for making flakier shortcrust pastry
Shortcrust pastry is so delicious because of its flakiness. Which is achieved because of the little layers of butter that are in the dough. And the best way to create those little layers is by making sure that the butter is cold while it is being rubbed into the flour.
Keep it cold
To make sure that everything is as cold as possible. Ensure that you have fridge temperature butter, keep cold hands and rest your dough in the fridge. On warm days you could even put your bowl in the fridge beforehand to ensure that even your bowl stays cold. And if at any moment you feel that your butter or shortcrust pastry might be getting a bit too warm, just pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes or so. This will ensure that your crust will be as flaky and crispy as possible with all those delicious tiny buttery layers.
Try to work quickly
This is not a moment to enjoy the feel of flour and butter on your hands and get sucked up into the moment. If you want flakier shortcrust, you will want to keep in mind to work a bit more quickly. The longer you work it, the more you develop the gluten in the dough. Which will result in a chewy dough that will often shrink in the oven. So keep your work to a minimum for light and crumbly shortcrust pastry.
Leave it in the fridge
To ensure that the gluten in the dough can relax, leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. But if you want it to ferment for longer you can leave it in the fridge overnight. It is often recommended to store shortcrust pastry in the fridge for no more than 3 days before using it. Although, I often keep mine in the fridge for about a week, and it still looks good and tastes good when baked. Because the lactic acid bacteria in the sourdough will keep the dough fresh for longer.
Blind baking
Some recipes won’t need the shortcrust pastry to be blind baked but most will. If the filling of your pie needs to be baked for the same amount of time as your crust then you can skip the blind baking step. But for dishes like tarts or quiches, where often there is a liquid filling or the filling needs less baking time than the crust, blind baking is recommended. It will ensure a crispier and flakier crust and prevents the dreaded soggy bottom. To blind bake simply cover your pastry with some baking parchment and fill with some dried beans. Then bake for 10 to 15 minutes or however long your recipe states.
And above all else, don’t forget that even if you skip all these steps and make a great big mess. You will still have created something delicious, and it will feed and nourish you and your family all the same.
Making sweet, plain or savoury shortcrust pastry
This recipe is a wonderful all-round recipe, that can be used for sweet and savoury recipes alike. But in case you prefer a shortcrust pastry crust that has a hint of sweetness or a savoury bite to it, you can alter the recipe slightly to suit your taste.
If you want a slightly sweetened sourdough shortcrust pastry crust you can add a tablespoon of honey or demerara sugar. You can also opt to add an egg yolk to your crust for some added richness and a fuller flavour which works well in sweetened shortcrust. A sweetened shortcrust pastry is especially delicious when paired with some fruit. Especially when that fruit might be a bit less sweet or even a bit tart. In which case, the sweetness of the pastry balances out the tartness of the fruit.
When making a savoury dish. It is sometimes nice when you can combine the flavours of the filling with the shortcrust base. For example, when you’re making a chicken pot pie, with sourdough shortcrust pastry, and you add some thyme to the shortcrust pastry. You can essentially add whatever herbs or spices you prefer to your shortcrust pastry. Although when you add them will make a difference in the final pastry. Spices are best mixed into the plain flour before you add anything else. Whereas herbs I find are best added after the butter has been rubbed in, the same goes for cheese or small bacon bits.
How to make sourdough discard shortcrust pastry
A flaky and flavourful pie crust that can be used for a variety of dishes like savoury pies for dinner or delicate tarts filled with custard or fruit.
If you prefer a longer fermentation time for your sourdough, you can make it the day before and leave it to ferment in the fridge overnight.
Makes: 425 gr shortcrust dough (1 pie or 2 tarts)
Prep: 10 min
Resting time: 20 min
Fermenting (optional): 12 hours
Ingredients:
- 200 gr plain flour
- 125 gr butter
- 100 gr sourdough starter discard
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Preparation:
Add the plain flour to a medium sized bowl and mix with a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter.
Cube the butter, then add to the bowl with flour and rub the butter into the flour until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Try to work as quickly as you can, to ensure that the butter stays as cold as possible.
You can rub the butter into the flour by rubbing the butter inbetween your fingers.
You can also use a dough cutter to cut the butter into smaller and smaller pieces until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
If you have access to a food processor, you can use it to rub in the butter quickly and easily. Simply add the flour and salt to the food processor and add the cubed butter to the food processor. Then blitz the mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the sourdough discard to the flour and butter mixture, then mix until it comes together. You can lightly knead it for a second or two but try not to over-knead or mix or it will result in a chewy crust.
If you find the dough is a bit too sticky add a sprinkling of flour. If you find it is a bit too dry, you can add a little bit of extra sourdough discard or a drop of water. It should end up being a nice smooth dough.
Leave it covered in the fridge, either wrapped in a beeswax wrap or in a closed container. This will prevent any dehydration of the shortcrust dough, ensuring it stays smooth and supple.
Now it is ready to use in whatever recipe calls for shortcrust pastry.
If you want to blind bake your shortcrust pastry, a good rule of thumb is to bake it at 200C or 390F. Cover it with baking parchment and fill it with dried beans or baking weights. Then bake for 10 to 15 minutes covered and another 5 minutes uncovered. Or just follow your recipe’s instructions.
If you want to store it for longer, you can store it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Although personally, I have stored mine for longer than that. Since the lactic acid bacteria in the sourdough shortcrust pastry keep it fresher for longer.
What is your favourite shortcrust pastry dish?
My favourite shortcrust pastry dish must be the apple pie. It is such a classic and never gets boring since there are so many variations that you could make. My mum would always make us a traditional Dutch apple pie, an old friend of mine would make her classic English apple pie with custard, and I often enjoy a good apple crumble pie. All made with the kitchen staple that is shortcrust pastry. Which, when made with your sourdough discard, will be even more nourishing and delicious.
Let me know in the comments what your favourite shortcrust pastry dish is. Or send me a DM on Instagram, because I would love to know what your all-time favourite dish is.
If you want to try out some recipes with your sourdough shortcrust pastry, then why not try:
- Apple crumble pie, healthy & honey-sweetened
- Easy chicken & leek pie with sourdough discard crust
- Vegetable and roast beef pie recipe
- Comforting cheesy cauliflower pie
- Gravy pie filled with mince and mushrooms
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Sourdough shortcrust pastry a kitchen staple
Ingredients
- 200 gr plain flour
- 125 gr butter
- 100 gr sourdough starter discard
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add the plain flour to a medium sized bowl and mix with a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter.
- Cube the butter, then add to the bowl with flour and rub the butter into the flour until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Try to work as quickly as you can, to ensure that the butter stays as cold as possible. You can rub the butter into the flour by rubbing the butter inbetween your fingers. You can also use a dough cutter to cut the butter into smaller and smaller pieces until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. If you have access to a food processor, you can use it to rub in the butter quickly and easily. Simply add the flour and salt to the food processor and add the cubed butter to the food processor. Then blitz the mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Add the sourdough discard to the flour and butter mixture, then mix until it comes together. You can lightly knead it for a second or two but try not to over-knead or mix or it will result in a chewy crust.
- If you find the dough is a bit too sticky add a sprinkling of flour. If you find it is a bit too dry, you can add a little bit of extra sourdough discard or a drop of water. It should end up being a nice smooth dough.
- Leave it covered in the fridge, either wrapped in a beeswax wrap or in a closed container. This will prevent any dehydration of the shortcrust dough, ensuring it stays smooth and supple.
Storing & blind baking
- If you want to blind bake your shortcrust pastry, a good rule of thumb is to bake it at 200C or 390F. Cover it with baking parchment and fill it with dried beans or baking weights. Then bake for 10 to 15 minutes covered and another 5 minutes uncovered. Or just follow your recipe's instructions.
- If you want to store it for longer, you can store it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Although personally, I have stored mine for longer than that. Since the lactic acid bacteria in the sourdough shortcrust pastry keep it fresher for longer.
