Short pastry is tender and crumbly, melting on the tongue rather than being chewy or tough. This texture comes from keeping butter cold and minimizing gluten development. Cut cold butter into flour until pea-sized pieces remain; these create flaky pockets. Add liquid sparingly, just until dough clumps. Handle minimally and refrigerate thoroughly before rolling. Rest shaped shells again before blind baking to prevent shrinkage. The result should shatter gently when bitten, as judges described Dylan's pastry as nice and short, baked well. If pastry is tough, you have overworked it or allowed butter to warm; if it shrinks, it was not rested adequately.