Masterclass guide to pastry making

Shortcrust

Perfect for pies, quiches, pasties, empanada or tarts, shortcrust can be sweet or savoury.

Homemade shortcrust gives an artisan feel and increases your price point if flavoured with herbs, cheese and seeds, or orange zest and cocoa. Whizz it up in a food processor or by hand, but always rest the pastry in the fridge after lining the tin.

Bake shortcrust blind by lining the pastry case with two sheets of cling film and filling with flour; you can use baking beans and greaseproof paper, but cling film is perfectly safe and gives a smoother finish. Baking blind gives a crisper pastry for raw or wet fillings such as a quiche or tarts, but precooked fillings – for chicken or apple pies, for example – don’t need this step.

Filo

Thin sheets of filo pastry are popular for Middle Eastern baklava and desserts, Eastern European strudels, or as a lower fat pastry alternative for pies and tarts.

Strudel-style filo desserts are a great way to use up leftover fruit, and baking buttery layers of filo between two tins makes an impressive tart case. Keep filo under a damp cloth while you’re cooking to stop it drying out, and always brush with butter or oil to get a crisp, golden finish.

Choux

Elegant, sweet eclair and choux buns or savoury beignets and fritters showcase choux pastry as its best. For a savoury version, Pommes Dauphine is mashed potato mixed with choux and deep fried to create a deliciously decadent appetiser or side.

Choux can be complicated to make as it requires a lot of beating; a hot oven gives the initial lift followed by lower temperatures to dry the pastry out. Ready-made powders such as Choutex are quicker with more consistent results, and you just add water.

Suet

Steamed or boiled sweet and savoury puddings are wrapped in a hearty layer of suet pastry, made with just flour, beef or vegetarian suet, and a dash of water or milk. Use for traditional steak and kidney puddings and dumplings – or try a jam roly poly or Sussex pond pudding with a whole lemon inside for an impressive dessert.

Suet pastry is easy enough to make yourself and is a great way to use up leftover beef suet.

Puff

Buttery layers of puff pastry are the star of sausage rolls, turnovers, tarts, galettes and so many appetisers. There’s no need to bake your own puff pastry as you can buy such excellent quality on the roll or in sheets for both sweet and savoury recipes.

Rough puff or flakey pastry is easier to make as it requires less folds; it’s not as airy as puff but does bring a homemade feel. Full butter puff pastry gives better colour, flavour and finish, especially if you brush it with egg or milk before baking.

Viennoiserie is a type of puff pastry, but it’s yeasted lamination that’s used to make croissants, Danish and other breakfast pastries.

Hot water crust

This is a very traditional pastry for raised pies, gala and pork pies. You mix boiling water, lard, butter and fl our, and shape it into the tin while it’s still warm. Cook it together with meat filling and add jelly once cool.

Don’t make too much hot water crust at once, as you have to work with it while it’s warm. Always line the mould evenly to avoid thick lumps of pastry and season the filling well.