Pastry Week recipes don’t need to mean hours of laminating dough or worrying about the dreaded soggy bottom. From easy Jam Tarts and classic British pies to custard-filled tarts and a few bakes that are perfect when you fancy more of a challenge, these 10 tried-and-tested pastry recipes have something for every baker.
Which Pastry Week Recipe Should I Make?
- Best for beginners: Gingernuts
- Best for beginners: Jam Tarts
- Classic British bake: Apple Pie
- Something nostalgic: Manchester Tart
- Something savoury: Steak Pie
- Something more impressive: Fruit Tart
Summarise & Save this on:
Easy Pastry Recipes for Bake Off Pastry Week
If Pastry Week on The Great British Bake Off – or The Great British Baking Show, as it’s known in the US – has inspired you to get the rolling pin out, you’re in the right place. Pastry has a reputation for being one of the trickier areas of baking, especially when blind baking, crisp bottoms and homemade pastry all come into play.
But there’s no need to start with anything overly complicated. From simple Jam Tarts and a classic Apple Pie to nostalgic Manchester Tart, flaky Eccles Cakes and a proper Scottish Steak Pie, these Pastry Week recipes cover sweet and savoury bakes, shortcrust and puff pastry, with plenty of options for beginners as well as a few to test your skills.
10 Easy Pastry Week Recipes to Bake at Home
Apple Pie
A proper British classic and a great place to practise making a full pastry pie. This easy Apple Pie combines homemade sweet shortcrust pastry with chunky apples that soften as they bake, giving you a comforting fruit filling beneath a crisp golden crust.As seen in Bake Off: Double-crusted fruit pies were the Signature Challenge in Series 4's Pies and Tarts week, with several of the bakers choosing their own versions of Apple Pie.
Apple Pie Recipe
Treacle Tart
One to choose if you fancy a really traditional British pastry bake. Sweet shortcrust pastry holds a sticky filling of golden syrup, breadcrumbs and lemon for an old-fashioned pudding that's especially good served warm with custard.As seen in Bake Off: Treacle Tart was Mary Berry's Technical Challenge during Series 3's Tarts week, complete with a woven pastry lattice on top.
Treacle Tart Recipe
Manchester Tart
Perfect if you fancy a pastry bake with plenty of school-dinner nostalgia. A sweet shortcrust pastry case is layered with raspberry jam and thick homemade custard, then finished with coconut and glacé cherries for a proper retro British favourite.As seen in Bake Off: Manchester Tart appeared in Series 5 when Luis made a tropical version for the Pies and Tarts Signature Challenge.
Manchester Tart Recipe
Custard Tarts
A great choice if you want to practise both pastry and homemade custard. These individual sweet shortcrust cases are filled with smooth egg custard and finished with nutmeg, giving you a classic British bake where getting the pastry crisp and custard just set is all part of the challenge.As seen in Bake Off: Egg Custard Tarts were the Technical Challenge in Series 4's Pies and Tarts week, when the bakers had to make 12 individual tarts in two hours.
Custard Tarts Recipe
Jam Tarts
The easiest recipe in this collection and a brilliant introduction to homemade pastry. Buttery shortcrust cases are filled with your choice of jam and baked until golden, making these nostalgic little tarts ideal for beginners or baking with kids.
Jam Tarts Recipe
Eccles Cakes
A great choice if you want to try puff pastry without making it from scratch. These traditional British pastries wrap a sweet, gently spiced currant filling inside flaky puff pastry, finished with sugar for a crisp golden top.As seen in Bake Off: Eccles Cakes have even had their turn as a Technical Challenge, although on The Great Sport Relief Bake Off rather than the main series, when the bakers were asked to make 10 using rough puff pastry.
Eccles Cakes Recipe
Steak Pie
Something savoury for anyone who's had enough sugar by this point! This traditional Scottish Steak Pie has tender beef in rich gravy beneath a golden puff pastry lid, making it a proper comfort-food bake and a welcome change from all those sweet tarts.As seen in Bake Off: Savoury pies were the Signature Challenge in the very first Pastry Week in Series 1, with the bakers making everything from fish pie to minced beef pie.
Steak Pie Recipe
Cornflake Tart
Another nostalgic choice that will take plenty of people straight back to school dinners. Sweet shortcrust pastry is spread with jam and topped with sticky, golden-syrup-coated cornflakes for a crunchy, chewy tart that's even better with custard.
Cornflake Tart Recipe
Strawberry Tarts
A Scottish bakery classic that looks far more impressive than it is difficult to make. Individual shortcrust pastry cases are filled with whipped cream, topped with a whole strawberry and finished with sticky strawberry sauce for a proper summertime treat.As seen in Bake Off: Strawberry Tart appeared during the very first Pastry Week in Series 1, when Miranda made a version with redcurrant glaze as part of her Showstopper pastry platter.
Strawberry Tarts Recipe
Fruit Tart
The one I'd choose if you fancy making something that looks like a proper showstopper. A homemade sweet shortcrust case is filled with silky vanilla custard and topped with colourful fresh fruit, with plenty of scope to make the decoration your own.As seen in Bake Off: Designer Fruit Tarts were the Showstopper Challenge in Series 3's Tarts week, when the bakers were asked to create one large, ornate tart worthy of a shop window.
Fruit Tart Recipe
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Beth Reid
Amy Beth Reid is an award-winning food blogger, mother, wife and cookbook author. Inspired by her childhood in the kitchen with her Mum – a professional baker and her children’s Granny – Amy now shares her tried-and-tested traditional home baking recipes with bakers of all abilities around the world. She lives in Scotland with her husband, two sons and her small pack of Siberian huskies.