Shortcrust Pastry - for Tarts and Cakes - Tart Shell

Name: Shortcrust Pastry - for Tarts and Cakes - Tart Shell
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min

September 12, 2020

Prep 15 min Total 40 min

Baked tart shell © kvalimad.dk

Recipe with video — simple recipe, widely useful. Shortcrust pastry is what ties many recipes together into something worth eating. It’s also quick to make. Here’s an example of both doing it by hand and using a food processor. I also bake the shell without filling.

Ingredients

100 g cold butter
150 g flour
1½ tbsp sugar (skip it if you’re not making a sweet pastry)
1 pinch salt
½–1 egg

Directions

Mixing with a food processor

The easiest approach is to use a food processor.

Add flour, salt, and sugar to the food processor.

Cut the butter into cubes — roughly ¾ inch (2 cm).

Add the butter to the food processor.

Blend until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with lots of small lumps.

Beat the whole egg.

Add the egg a little at a time, blending until the dough starts coming together in larger clumps — roughly half the egg.

Remove the dough from the food processor and shape it into a round ball.

Mixing by hand

The manual method is easier to describe but more work in practice.

Mix flour, salt, and sugar on your work surface.

Place the butter on top.

Chop it into small pieces. I often use a paint scraper I picked up at a hardware store.

Work the butter into the flour, chopping into smaller and smaller pieces, until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Beat the egg and pour roughly half of it over the flour mixture.

Bring it together into a round ball.

Rolling out and baking — for both methods

Roll the dough out flat on a lightly floured surface.

Most recipes say you must refrigerate the dough before rolling it out. I’ve never found that necessary. But if it keeps falling apart, pop it in the fridge for half an hour and try again.

Grease the bottom of the tart tin or line it with baking paper.

Roll the flattened dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the tart tin.

Press the dough firmly into the edges of the tin. Trim off any excess.

Prick the dough all over with a fork so the base doesn’t puff up.

Bake the shell at 390°F (200°C) for 20–25 minutes.

Notes

You can also use a stand mixer or hand mixer to work the butter. Just put it in a bowl and mix until you get the right consistency. On a KitchenAid or Kenwood I use the dough hook, not the whisk. With a hand mixer I just use the beaters.

You can also transfer the rolled-out dough using a pizza peel.