To make shorte paest for tart

Modern pie crust is usually a short-crust pastry, where the ingredients are kept cold and a fat is cut into flour. It is very unlikely that this method was used by medieval cooks, as keeping ingredients cold would have been more difficult historically than today, and these types of crusts cannot support themselves. Fat and water (or egg yolks, or whole eggs instead of both fat and water) could have been worked into flour at room temperature, however.

Most of the pie crust recipes from 15th century are tacked on to the end of the recipe for some kind of pie filling. They're usually very simple mixtures of flour and water, and often don't call for any fat. This 16th century recipe is one of the earliest that is strictly for making short crust pastry. The addition of eggs and saffron give it a wonderful flavor.

A Propre new booke of Cokery (1545)

To make shorte paest for tart.

Take fine floure and a curtesy of faire water and a disshe of swete butter and a litle saffron and the yolkes of two egges and make it thin and tender as ye maie.

Translation:

To make short paste for tart.

Take fine flour and a "curtesy" of fair water and a dish of sweet butter and a little saffron and the yolks of two eggs and make it thin and tender as you may.

1 1/2 cups flour
4 Tbsp. butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch saffron
about 3/8 cup water

Mix flour, salt, and saffron together in a large bowl. Cut or rub the butter and eggs into the flour mixture until it forms fine crumbs. Add water a little at a time until it just sticks together - too much water will make the dough too soft and sticky. Cover with a towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Roll out on a well floured surface.

The definition of "curtesy" is exactly unknown; it may refer to a "quart," but more than likely simply means the proper or right amount.

The Good Huswifes Handmaid, 1588

Another Way. Then make your paste with butter, fair water, and the yolkes of two or three Egs, and so soone as ye have driven your paste, cast on a little sugar, and rosewater, and harden your paste afore in the oven. Then take it out, and fill it, and set it in againe.

The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchen, Stuart Peachey (ed.)

This recipe uses the "hot water" method (seeth = boil)

To make fine Paste a nother way. Take Butter and Ale, and seeth them together: Then take your flower, and put thereinto three Egs, Sugar, Saffron, and salt. (England, c. 1588)

The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchen, Stuart Peachey (ed.)

This recipe uses the "hot water" method (seeth = boil)

To make short paste in Lent. Take thick Almond milke seething hot, and so wet your flower with it: and Sallet oyl fryed, and Saffron, and so mingle your past altogether, and that will make good paste. (England, c. 1588)