Margarine: makes a similar result that is slightly less rich and flavourful.

Lard: makes very short (crumbly) but rather tasteless pastry. It gives excellent results when used in combination with butter.

Flour
In shortcrust pastry, plain flour is usually used. Replacing a small amount of plain flour with wholemeal flour produces a delicious nutty-flavoured crust. It may need more liquid.

Liquid
The less liquid used in a pastry the better.

Water gives the pastry crispiness and firmness, although too much makes the pastry hard to handle and causes the pastry case to shrink in the oven, as the water evaporates in the heat. Egg yolk on its own produces a rich, soft and crumbly crust as it increases the fat content.

Making pastry
Rubbing in: this can be done either by hand, or using a food processor. As the key to good pastry is to keep everything cold (to prevent the fat from melting, which toughens the pastry), the processor method is often preferred.

Adding liquid: rich shortcrust pastry has a higher proportion of fat and therefore needs little, if any, water. As soon as it holds together in lumps, stop mixing. Lightly flour your hands and quickly and gently gather into a ball.

Relaxing: it is important to chill pastry for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out, or at least before baking. This allows starch cells to swell and absorb the liquid evenly. "Relaxed" pastry will not shrink as drastically or unevenly as just-made pastry will. Ideally pastry is relaxed before and after rolling.

Blind baking: line the raw pastry case with a piece of baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. This is to prevent the pastry bubbling up during cooking and help prevent shrinking.