Kitchen rescueBaking and pastryPartly saveable

How to fix a shrunken pastry case

A baked case won't stretch back, but you can patch small gaps with raw leftover pastry and bake briefly, or simply fill it to a lower level. If it has shrunk badly, it's better to roll out a fresh case.

How you can tell

  • The sides have slipped down the tin
  • The edges have pulled away from the rim
  • The case is smaller and thicker than when it went in

Why it happens

Pastry shrinks because of gluten, the stretchy network that forms when flour is mixed with water and handled. Overworking the dough develops more gluten, and stretching it to fit the tin pulls that gluten tight, so it springs back in the heat of the oven. Pastry that hasn't been rested and chilled hasn't had time for the gluten to relax. Blind baking without baking beans or paper lets the sides slump too.

How to fix it

Option 1Patch it

  1. Press small pieces of raw leftover pastry into gaps or cracks
  2. Return the case to the oven briefly to cook the patches

Option 2Fill it lower

  1. If the case is still whole, just use less filling so it doesn't overflow

Option 3Start again

  1. If it has shrunk badly or cracked, roll out fresh pastry and line the tin again
  2. Use the shrunken case broken up as a crumble topping or the base of a layered dessert

Next time

  • Handle the dough as little as possible and use cold butter and cold water
  • Rest and chill the pastry before rolling and again after lining the tin
  • Ease the pastry into the tin rather than stretching it, and leave some overhanging the edge to trim after baking
  • Blind bake with baking paper and baking beans pressed well into the sides
General kitchen guidance, not food-safety advice. If food may be unsafe, for example undercooked meat or anything left out too long, follow the Food Standards Agency and throw it away if in doubt.