DIY pastry - to make or to buy? - Food Blog

Good Food Blog

What is RSS?

DIY pastry - to make or to buy?

Posted at 12:02PM, 26 November 2012 by Caroline Hire - Food editor, bbcgoodfood.com

Is it always worth making your favourites from scratch? Our DIY series puts shop-bought and homemade to the test - this week, pastry...

In our grandmother's generation, pastry making was a basic cooking skill - essential for many traditional British dishes. These days, making your own pastry is often considered the domain of the domestic goddess - it takes skill, time and a sprinkling of magic, doesn't it?

In reality, making pastry is really very simple. The quantities are set, half fat to flour and as many teaspoons of water as there are ounces of flour. Ok, so if you work in grams you may need to follow a recipe but with three basic ingredients - probably ones you always have in your storecupboard - you can rustle some up.

The technique
To make basic shortcrust pastry, you simply rub cubed butter (from the fridge) into the flour, using your fingertips until it has a breadcrumb-like consistency. You want to keep the mixture cool so you can always run your hands under the cold tap before you start. Make a well in the middle and add the water, then mix it to a firm dough. Don't overwork it and only add as much water as you need. If you add too much the pastry can become quite hard when cooked. The less water, the more deliciously crumbly it is.

If you have a food processor, it's even easier. Just blitz the flour and butter to breadcrumbs, then pulse in the water until it balls together into a dough.

Tip
It's best to rest your pastry by wrapping it in clingfilm and popping it in the fridge after you've made it and again once you've rolled it out. This stops it from shrinking down the sides when you cook it.

The taste
This recipe for pastry is delicious and the resulting quiche was mouthwatering with lovely crumbly pastry. Whether I could have spotted a shop-bought pastry I'm not sure but I got a great deal of satisfaction knowing the whole tart was my own creation.

Costs
500g shop-bought pastry: £1.10
Homemade pastry: £0.94

The verdict:
It's certainly cheaper to make your own pastry and I like the fact that most times, I'll have the ingredients to hand, no need for a special trip to the shops. There are so many different types of pastry and once you've mastered the basic technique it gives you the freedom to try others: adding an egg, sugar or some cheese for example.

A note on puff pastry: unfortunately I feel this is one pastry it is better to buy unless you're blessed with an inordinate amount of skill and time. It seems machines really can do this better - but you can't win them all!

Fancy having a go at making your own? Try one of our homemade pastry recipes:
Basic shortcrust recipe
Sticky onion & cheddar quiche
Apricot tart with brown sugar & cinnamon pastry
How to make pastry video

What are your top tips for making pastry? Do you prefer making your own or buying it in?

Comments

JANET

27 November 2012, 7:18PM
JANET

I always used to have problems with pastry until I stopped "messing around with it too much" - the quicker the better. Always make more than I need (with an egg like my mother always does) and store the excess in the fridge or freezer - handy for making a quick tartlette or two for starters, lunch dish etc.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
welsh lass

30 November 2012, 5:33PM
welsh lass

Always magimix for pastry now no handling - no over working so quick. I add egg too instead of water I find this makes it bond better and its delicious. I do buy pastry but be warned read the ingredients first some are packed full of palm oils and nasty stuff against 'all butter'. Ideal for en-croutes, sausage rolls etc. You can taste the difference.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
TheSkatingChef

30 November 2012, 6:14PM
TheSkatingChef

I always make my pastry because not only id it cheaper but is better tasting and very satisfying. I even make my own puff pastry as its not as hard a people think especially in englands cold climate. Give it a try. I garantee its worth it.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
AnnaG

2 December 2012, 4:45PM
AnnaG

I use bought for convenience, and home made for 'special' treats. Home made is definitely better, although I haven't tried using a mixer, might try that.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Flick

3 December 2012, 10:59AM
Flick

I have started using Spelt flour for my shortcrust pastry, this will be more expensive than shop bought but the result is well worth the extra expense. Try 3 parts white spelt to1part wholegrain. Making pastry by hand, I find therapeutic but it has to be made with love â�º

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
gnatty

13 January, 9:33PM
gnatty

Got to agree homemade is so easy - especially as it so easy to make too much (so some for something else another time or for making leftovers into a great pie...) But i haven't the patience for making puff - it's easier to buy good puff pastry and freeze it if needed!!

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons to sign up:

You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.
You can add your own recipes to this site for others to try; plus, rate and make comments on recipes, and share your views on our blog.
You can sign up for our weekly newsletter (sent out on Wednesdays) - it's packed with recipes, special offers and competitions.