How To Make Perfect Shortcrust by Hand or Machine

Gather the ingredients.

Place 2 cups all-purpose flour , pinch salt , and 8 tablespoons (4-ounces) cold unsalted butter in a large, clean bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough from becoming warm.

Add 4 tablespoons of water to the mixture. Using a cold knife, stir until the dough binds together. Add more cold water a teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too dry. Form the dough into a ball.

Flatten the ball into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for a minimum of 1 hour up to overnight. Use the shortcrust dough in your favorite pie, tart, or quiche recipe.

Place 2 cups all-purpose flour , pinch salt , and 8 tablespoons (4-ounces) cold unsalted butter into the bowl of the processor.

Using only the pulse setting, pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Avoid overmixing. Too much handling can result in hard, dry pastry.

Through the funnel on the top of the processor, slowly add 4 tablespoons of the water a little at a time while pulsing until the mixture begins to clump together. Stop the machine and squeeze the dough. If it holds together, it doesn't need more water.

Flatten the ball into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for a minimum of 1 hour or up to overnight.