I was in a boutique deli shop in the Cotswolds this weekend and was delighted to see some lovely vegan basics being stocked along side non-vegan groceries. One thing I did notice was a vegan shortcrust pastry mix of the ‘just add water’ variety. Great to see a vegan option on the shelf, but I couldn’t help thinking of why you would buy a ready made mix when vegan shortcrust pastry is simplicity in itself.
The maker of many a delicious dessert or scrumptious savoury. If you can master a shortcrust pastry recipe it opens up so many recipe combinations and who needs a ready made packet mix!
There is no real secret to making vegan shortcrust – it’s just the same as regular shortcrust- simply swap out the butter for a vegan substitute.
This is a generic pastry recipe that can be used for sweet or savoury dishes. Double or triple the ingredient volumes depending on how much you need. The stated volumes below make a modest amount.
Ingredients:
125g plain flour
55g vegan butter/margarine
Pinch of salt
Some ice cold water
Simple Ingredients
A note on the ingredients- I typically use Vitalite vegan margarine for pastry as it’s widely available and I always have some in my fridge. However, I find that Vitalite melts quickly and doesn’t have the robustness of vegan butter such as Earth Balance. Unfortunately I have only ever found Earth Balance butter in Germany outside the U.S, although finger’s crossed for it to make an appearance in UK Whole Food stores soon!
Also, when it comes to the water, you really need to use your eye when adding this – roughly 3-4 tbsp will do the trick but more may be needed.
Methodology:
Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl.
Add the butter in small lumps to the flour and add the salt.
Rub the butter into the flour until you get a breadcrumb consistency.
Add the water, a little at a time and stir with a knife until it comes together to form a dough.
Wrap the dough in cling film and store in the fridge for at least 20mins. This helps to rechill the butter.
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