Sweet Tart Crust (French pastry – Pâte Sucrée) Recipe

If I solely had room for one Candy Tart Crust recipe in my life, this is able to be it. Known as Pâte Sucrée in French, it’s a superb grasp pastry for all candy tarts. Buttery and never too candy, flaky however not so crumbly that makes it troublesome to eat with a fork. Plus, the dough is extraordinarily straightforward to work with – simpler than Shortcrust Pastry.

That is the pastry crust I used within the Pistachio Pear Tart recipe I additionally shared right this moment!

This can be a recipe for a basic French Candy Tart Crust that’s appropriate to make use of for tarts, massive or small, or for candy pies. It may be cooked in a tart tin, as demonstrated on this publish, or in pie tins.

You’ll love how the dough is less complicated to work with than conventional shortcrust pastry. It’s much less crumbly, extra pliable and fewer susceptible to ripping. And also you’ll love how the crust will not be fairly as crumbly and flaky as shortcrust pastry so it’s simpler to eat with a fork, moderately than disintegrating into crumbs.

It’s nonetheless nonetheless fantastically buttery – it’s French in any case, so we’d count on nothing much less! – but with out being excessively candy.

As for its utility, it makes a tart shell that’s crispy so the bottom gained’t go soggy as soon as crammed. It’s appropriate for no-cook fillings (like Chocolate Ganache) or cooked fillings (ie. the place the tart is crammed then baked once more, like Pistachio Pear Tart and the Chocolate Tart pictured beneath).

Briefly, it’s a grasp recipe value, effectively, mastering – I promise it’ll serve you effectively for the remainder of your life!!

Right here’s what that you must make this tart pastry:

• Flour – Simply plain / all objective flour;

• Icing sugar / powdered sugar – The finer, powder-like grains make this incorporate extra totally and simply into the dough in comparison with bizarre white sugar grains;

• Almond meal / floor almonds – To not be confused with almond flour that are finer grains, this provides a contact of nuttiness that complement candy fillings in addition to including a touch of moistness to the pastry; and

• Butter – Ain’t no French pastry if it doesn’t include loads of butter! 😂

1. The tart pastry dough

1. Combine the flour, icing sugar, almond meal and salt, then use your fingers to rub the butter in till it resembles breadcrumbs;

2. The combination ought to be a bit like moist sand that may run via your fingers;

3. Add egg and blend via with a rubber spatula till the combination stiffens to the purpose you possibly can’t actually combine any extra;

4. Now flip the dough out onto a piece floor and use your palms to convey it collectively right into a dough. You don’t have to knead it, simply convey it collectively right into a clean ball;

5. Form the dough right into a ball then pat it down right into a 2.5cm / 1″ disc; and

6. Wrap with cling wrap, and refrigerate for half-hour and even in a single day.

2. Rolling out the pastry

1. Take away the dough from the fridge and unwrap. Be aware: For those who refrigerated in a single day or for much longer than half-hour and the pastry is rock stable, go away it out for a bit till it softens sufficient that it may be rolled out;

2. Place the dough on a lightly-floured work floor, then sprinkle the dough floor flippantly with flour;

3. Roll out right into a 32cm / 13″ spherical, 3mm / 1/8″ thick;

4. To switch the pastry into the tart tin, roll the pastry onto the rolling pin, taking care to not stretch the pastry. Stretching the pastry causes shrinkage when it bakes;

5. Gently unroll the pastry over the tart tin;

6. Use your fingers to drape it in and gently coax it into the corners to fill the tart tin, versus pulling or stretching it. As famous above, in case you stretch the pastry, it’ll shrink again because it bakes;

7. Drape the surplus pastry outdoors the rim of the tart tin, then roll the rolling pin throughout the floor to chop the surplus off; and

8. Take away extra pastry (however hold it, in case there’s a patching-up emergency to are likely to later!)

3. Baking

1. Prick base – Prick the bottom with a fork. This permits steam to flee which stops the bottom from puffing up, so you have got a pleasant clean and never a bubbled base;

2. Fridge for half-hour – Refrigerate for half-hour.

3. Put together blind baking – Cowl the pastry with 2 massive sheets of baking / parchment paper one on prime of the opposite in a brief “X”, then fill with baking beads to weigh it down. The aim of those weights is to forestall the bottom from puffing up and the edges from collapsing inwards throughout this blind baking stage.

   Don’t have baking beads? Use 2 cups dried rice or dried beans as a substitute;

4. Blind bake: Bake at 200°C/390°F (180°C fan) for:
   • quarter-hour (Par Baked Crust) – if the tart, as soon as crammed, will probably be baked for greater than half-hour; or
   • 20 minutes (Absolutely Baked Crust) – if you’re making a no-bake tart (ie. no baking as soon as crammed) or a tart that’s baked 25 minutes or much less as soon as crammed;

5. Take away beads CAREFULLY! Take away crust from oven, then take away the beads. Raise them out utilizing the paper overhang and put them in a bowl. Watch out right here – no one desires to choose up sizzling beads scattered everywhere in the kitchen flooring!

6. Bake uncovered – Return the uncovered tart crust to the oven and bake for an additional:
   • 5 minutes (Par Baked Crust) – if the tart, as soon as crammed, will probably be baked for greater than half-hour; or
   • 10 minutes (Absolutely Baked Crust) – if you’re making a no-bake tart or a tart that’s baked 25 minutes or much less as soon as crammed;
   Absolutely cool earlier than filling – it will guarantee the bottom stays good and crispy moderately than going soggy.

Why the totally different baking occasions? Par Baked vs Absolutely Baked Tart Crust.

If the tart will probably be baked for greater than half-hour as soon as crammed, then the pastry will end cooking via throughout this time. On this case, we simply make a Par Baked Crust ie cooked sufficient so the floor is crisp and defend base from going soggy, however within base is barely undercooked. This fashion, the tart crust won’t be dry and overcooked as soon as the filling is cooked.

Nevertheless, in case you’re making a tart with a filling that doesn’t require baking OR the bake time as soon as crammed may be very brief (25 minutes or much less), then we have to totally cook dinner the shell via earlier than filling. So use the Absolutely Baked Crust bake occasions.

This pastry shell can be utilized for baked or no-bake fillings. The shell is cooked sufficient so it’s crispy on the skin, however barely undercooked on the within, and the floor is mild golden. That is so as soon as it’s crammed after which baked once more (something as much as round 45 minutes), the pastry will end cooking via and the perimeters will probably be a beautiful golden color moderately than burnt, as proven within the Pistachio Pear Tart pictured beneath.

If utilizing for a no-bake filling (for instance, if filling with Creme Patissiere) or a filling that requires lower than 25 minutes of bake time (like a Chocolate Tart that I will probably be sharing quickly that bakes for 25 minutes at a low temperature), then the bake time must be elevated by 10 minutes to totally cook dinner the pastry via.

The pastry shell will be made as much as 3 days forward and saved in an hermetic container within the pantry.

I want I had a library of tart recipes I might share with you to fill this tart shell with! However I’m simply beginning out on my tart assortment journey, so I’m a bit missing. Nevertheless, listed below are some concepts:

• Pistachio Pear Tart – the tart recipe I shared right this moment that I used this tart crust for. With a Pistachio Frangipane Filling topped with tender Vanilla Poached Pears, it is a sensible but rustically informal tart becoming for all events!

• Salted Caramel Tart – use the filling from my Salted Caramel Tart recipe (which makes use of a biscuit base, simply fill this pastry shell as a substitute);

• Peanut Butter Caramel Tart – use the filling from my Peanut Butter Caramel Tart recipe;

• Pecan Tart – use the filling from my Pecan Pie;

• Chocolate Custard Tart – use the filling from my Chocolate Cream Pie;

• Lemon Tart – I take advantage of the lemon filling from this Lemon Tart recipe by David Lebovitz. I discover it a bit too tart – as in bitter, hah – as written (and I don’t actually have a candy tooth!). So I scale back the lemon juice to three/4 cup and enhance the sugar to 1 cup;

• Lemon Meringue Tart – Prime the above Lemon Tart with Italian Meringue. I take advantage of this recipe. It includes sizzling sugar syrup slowly drizzled in whereas beating the meringue. You’ll be able to’t simply use bizarre whipped egg whites with sugar as it’ll weep / sweat; and

• Custard Fruit Tart – I haven’t revealed this but, however here’s a PDF of the recipe!

So many extra potentialities … however that’s just a few to get you impressed! – Johnsat x

Sweet Tart Crust (French pastry – Pâte Sucrée) Recipe

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Serves: 1 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 1764 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour , plain/all purpose
• 6 1/2 tbsp soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (Note 1)
• 2 1/2 tbsp almond meal / ground almonds (Note 2)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 100g / 7 tbsp butter , unsalted, softened, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 large egg , at room temperature (55-60g/2 oz) (Note 3)

Instructions

1. Mix Dy Ingredients: Whisk together flour, icing sugar, salt and almond meal in a bowl.
2. Add butter: Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs. (Note 4).
3. Add egg: Mix with a rubber spatula until it becomes too hard to stir anymore, then use your hands to bring it together into a dough.
4. Bring dough together: Turn dough out onto a work surface, then knead to bring together into a smooth ball. Flatten into a 2cm / 0.8" thick disc. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Unwrap chilled dough. Place on a lightly floured work surface.
6. Roll out into a 32cm / 13″ round (3mm / 1/8″ thick).
7. Line tart tin: Roll pastry lightly on to a rolling pin (ie. so it wraps around itself). Then unroll it gently over the tart tin.
8. Fit pastry: Adjust the pastry to fit into the tart tin, fitting into the corner, taking care not to stretch it (causes shrinkage during bake).
9. Trim excess dough: Roll the rolling pin over tart tin to trim excess dough. Pictured tart tin is 24 x 3 cm / 9.5 x 1.2" – you can use any up to this size.
10. Prick the base of the pastry 30 times with a fork. Not all the way through – just make a light prick on the surface.
11. Chill pastry in tart tin for 30 minutes.
12. Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
13. Baking beads: Cover pastry with 2 sheets of baking paper (parchment paper), in a "X" arrangement. Fill with baking beads (or 2 cups dry raw rice or beans).
14. Baking times for a Par Baked Tart to be used for tarts that are baked for > 30 minutes once the filling is added into the cooked tart shell.
15. Bake 15 minutes the remove from oven. Use excess paper to remove baking beads.
16. Bake uncovered 5 minutes: Return tart crust to oven for 5 minutes. Pastry should be light golden, crispy on surface, but slighty undercooked inside (will finish cooking once filled and baked again). 
17. Use these baking times if the tart shell is to be used for raw fillings (ie tart not baked once crust is filled) OR fillings that are baked for < 25 minutes.
18. Bake 15 minutes the remove from oven. Use excess paper to remove baking beads.
19. Bake uncovered 10 minutes: This will fully cook the pastry through and give it nice colour which we need as the pastry won't cook through in less than 25 minutes once filled.
20. Cool: Remove then cool in tart tin before filling (this ensures crust stays crispy once filled), then baking again if filling needs to be cooked (like this Pistachio Frangipane Pear Tart).
21. Make ahead up to 3 days, suitable for baking once filled.

Notes

1. Soft icing sugar – note for those of you in Australia, this recipe calls for SOFT Icing Sugar, not Pure Icing Sugar (which sets hard, like for royal icing). The icing sugar packet will be labelled “soft” or “pure icing sugar.
2. “Almond meal” is called “ground almonds” in some countries. Not to be confused with “almond flour” which is more finely ground.
3. Eggs – sold standardised as “large eggs” (labelled on carton). They are 55-60g / 2 oz each. Ensure they are at room temperature so they incorporate into the mixture properly (cold eggs into creamed butter = butter can solidify = not good!)
4. Rubbing butter in: Alternatively you could pulse in a food processor, but I find it therapeutic using hands and also it really doesn’t take that long – ~2 min
5. Storage: Keeps 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge (for very warm weather) or pantry (if mild weather).
Dough can also be made and left in the fridge overnight. Leave out on counter for 20 – 30 min (or longer if required) to soften slightly so you can roll it out easily.
6. Using: Suitable for use with fillings that require baking once filled (eg Pistacchio Pear Tart) or raw fillings (ie fill then serve without baking). If using for raw fillings, increase covered bake time from 15 to 20 minutes, and uncovered bake time from 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Nutrition – Nutrition is for the whole tart shell.

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Sarah Miller

Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.

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