Master the golden ratio: Perfect shortcrust pastry every time

Making shortcrust pastry is not a mystery; anyone following a simple rule will confirm this. When preparing baked goods, it's essential not to eyeball the ingredients—measure everything precisely to ensure nothing turns out too hard, soft, fluffy enough, or too risen.

Use the golden ratio to prepare the perfect shortcrust pastry for apple pie or plum cake. That's all there is to it. What does this mean? Simply remember that the ratio of sugar to butter to flour should be 1:2:3, which means for every 100 grams of sugar, you need 200 grams of butter and 300 grams of flour.

Details are also important. Remember to combine the flour only with cold butter. Otherwise, the flour will quickly absorb the warm fat, making the final baked good as hard as a rock. As for the sugar, it's best to choose fine sugar or powdered sugar, which simply dissolves easier and faster. The best flour for making shortcrust pastry is coarse flour.

It's also worth mentioning egg yolks, common but optional ingredients in shortcrust pastries. Hard-boiled and sieved yolks make the pastry more crumbly, while raw egg yolks make the dough easier to shape. Yolks, like the butter, should be cold.

Ingredients:

• 300 grams of coarse flour,
• 200 grams of cold butter,
• 100 grams of fine sugar or powdered sugar,
• 1 egg yolk,
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon,
• 800 grams of plums cut into quarters.

Preparation:

1. Combine the flour with the cold butter, chopping everything with a knife. Do this quickly and efficiently as shortcrust pastry doesn't handle temperature increases well. Then add the sugar and knead the dough. Ensure your hands are cold as well.
2. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. After this time, divide the dough in half. Roll out one part and line a prepared mould with it. Prick the dough all over with a fork (to prevent it from puffing up). Remember not to sprinkle too much flour on the counter while rolling, as this can make the dough tough.
4. Next, tightly arrange the sliced plums on the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Cover the plums with the second part of the shortcrust pastry, tearing pieces of dough and placing them on top of the fruit.
6. Place the pastry back in the refrigerator to cool slightly (about 30 minutes).
7. Bake the pastry in an oven preheated to 180°C for 50 minutes without convection, using the top-and-bottom heat setting.
8. Let it cool before serving.