Shortcrust pastry

Method

1. Sieve the flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Add the butter to the flour, then rub everything together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon cold water. Mix it in with your hands, squeezing the crumbs together with your fingers. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
3. Turn the dough onto a sheet of baking paper and shape it into a ball. Top cooks wrap the pastry in cling film and chill it for 20 minutes before rolling, but if you haven’t the time, just roll it as suggested in the recipes and chill for about 15 minutes before cooking. This makes the shortcrust pastry light in texture and less likely to shrink during cooking.