Easy Butter Shortcrust Pastry for Hand Pies and Pasties

This simple butter shortcrust pastry is perfect for making homemade hand pies, pasties, and rustic savoury bakes. Made with just flour, butter, salt and cold water, this dough comes together quickly and creates a flaky, sturdy pastry that holds fillings beautifully. It’s ideal for savoury hand pies, traditional pasties, and even sweet pastries. This recipe is easy to work with, rolls well, and bakes into a golden, crisp crust.

Ingredients

• 375 g plain flour

• 190 g cold butter, cubed

• Pinch of salt

• 6 - 8 tbsp ice-cold water

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.

2. Rub in the butter

Add the cold cubed butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pieces of butter remaining.

3. Add the water

Gradually add the 6 tablespoons of ice-cold water, mixing gently until the dough just comes together.

4. Chill the dough

Bring the dough together into a ball, flatten slightly into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This helps the butter firm up and makes the pastry easier to roll.

5. Roll and use

Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3–4 mm thick.

This dough is perfect for:

• Hand pies

• Pasties

• Rustic pies

Tips for the Best Pastry

Keep the butter cold for the flakiest texture.

Do not overwork the dough, as this can make the pastry tough.

If the dough becomes soft while working, chill it briefly before rolling again.

Storage

The pastry can be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.