LIFE OF PIE

FLAKY SHORTCRUST PASTRY

Makes 700g (see below)

225g unsalted butter, chilled
350g plain flour
1 tsp fine salt
120g chilled water

Wholemeal variation

225g unsalted butter, chilled
250g wholemeal (whole-wheat) or spelt flour
100g plain flour
1 tsp fine salt
140g chilled water

Whole rye variation

225g unsalted butter, chilled
180g rye flour or wholegrain rye flour
170g plain flour
1 tsp fine salt
140g chilled water

1. Cut butter into 1cm cubes and chill it in the freezer while you weigh up the rest of your ingredients. Put flour and salt in a mound on your kitchen bench and scatter chilled butter cubes over the top. Use a rolling pin to roll butter into flour, gathering flour back into the middle as you go with a dough scraper or spatula. Keep rolling until the mixture is crumbly with shards of butter the size of rolled oats still visible

2. Make a well in the middle and add chilled water. Use a dough scraper or knife to gently cut flour into the water, gathering up any leaks as you do, until you have an even crumbly texture. Use your fingertips to gently push it all together into a rough dough with a slightly sticky texture. If it feels dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until there are no floury bits left.

3. Roll out or press the dough into a rectangle 2–3cm thick (exact dimensions are not important). Fold one-third of the dough into the middle, then the other third over the top of that, as if folding a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll