Don't over rub (when making pastry)

When making shortcrust pastry, it is important not to overdo the rubbing in!

The term ‘rubbing in the butter’ can be a bit misleading — what you’re really wanting to do is break and flatten the butter between your fingertips and thumbs, coating it in flour to create small, flaky pieces. Not actually rubbing it into the flour.

At first, your mixture will look a bit patchy – you’ll see big chunks of butter and dry bits of flour. As you keep going, it’ll start to come together – more even, finer in texture, and slightly darker.

The key is to stop when it looks like breadcrumbs, but with some larger flakes of butter still visible. Those flakes are what give your pastry that gorgeous, short and flaky texture once baked.

If you go too far and the butter starts to melt, the mixture can clump together – and that’s when your pastry can end up tough and greasy. You also will have less flakiness.
If you keep going, the butter can start to melt, and your pastry may end up tough and greasy. So remember: less is more!