How do I stop my pastry shrinking?
So I line a flan tin with shortcut pastry. It's quite a nice deep pan (sides are maybe 2 to 3 cm) so it looks like there's going to be plenty of room for a filling.
But after 20 mins baking blind, I get the pastry out. The sides have shrunk right down to about 0.5cm in height. Almost no usable depth for a filling.
Is there anyway to stop the pastry shrinking like this?
Best Answer
This has happened to me on occasion when I got lazy and tried to skip steps. My pastry walls were melting and sliding down the pan before they were able to set.
There are several best-practices that will help solve this:
- Keep your dough chilled. If the dough is warm or if it is built into a warm pan it will melt in the oven before it has a chance to set.
- Make a better lip (if there is one). A more substantial edge around the pastry will give some physical support to prevent falling.
- Use foil and pie weights to reinforce the structure during the beginning of baking.
Pictures about "How do I stop my pastry shrinking?"
Quick Answer about "How do I stop my pastry shrinking?"
How do you keep shortcrust pastry from shrinking?
When blind baking, line the pastry with baking paper and fill to the brim with baking beans/uncooked rice, which will support the sides of the pastry and help prevent shrinkage. Start shortcrust off at 190\xb0C/170\xb0C fan/gas 5 to quickly set the pastry. If the oven temperature is too low, the pastry will shrink.How do you keep pastry from shrinking in the tin?
Most ovens heat unevenly, with hot and cold spots. To compensate, many recipes call for rotating pans halfway through the suggested baking time. But if the center of the cake is still liquid, it may sink when you move the pans.How Can I Stop My Pastry Sinking? | This Morning
More answers regarding how do I stop my pastry shrinking?
Answer 2
Another thing you might want to try, is after you have put the pastry in the tin, then pop it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so (depending on the thickness of your pastry and the coldness of your fridge).
That will get the pastry nice and cold so that it won't melt as quickly in the oven!
Answer 3
The key is not to roll it too thin nor too thick, it should be as thick as pound coin. Then once you've rolled and put the pastry in tin place back into the fridge for 10-20 minutes. (For Yanks, according to the Royal Mint, a pound coin is 3.15mm, which would be about 1/8")
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Karen Laårk Boshoff, EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA, alleksana, Jess Loiterton