Pâte a Foncer - Enriched Shortcrust Pastry Recipe

This is an enriched shortcrust pastry recipe excellent for savory pies. It uses an egg yolk to bind the ingredients together and is a more workable dough than the traditional shortcrust pastry recipe.

Prepare: 10

Bake: 30

Chill Time: 1

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (225g) flour
½ cup (113g) cold butter or margarine
3 tbs (45mL) water
1 large (20g) egg yolk
1 tsp (5mL) white vinegar or lemon juice
⅛ tsp (.625g) salt

Instructions

Cube butter into 1/2" (1.27cm) pieces. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. With your fingertips, rub the cubed butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add in the egg yolk, water and vinegar or lemon juice. Using a butterknife, cut the water into the flour mixture until a dough begins to form. Turn out onto a clean work surface. Squeeze and fold the dough until it comes together.
Pat into a round disc about 1" (2.54cm) thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
Bring out pastry 20 - 30 minutes prior to shaping. Flour work surface. Roll into a 12" (30cm) circle, turning frequently to prevent sticking. Add more flour to work surface as needed.
Place pastry dough into tart or pie pan and trim off excess. Chill in pie pan* 20 - 30 minutes while oven preheats to prevent shrinkage. Dock the bottom and sides with the tines of a fork. Place a layer of parchment or aluminum foil on top of the pastry. Fill with rice, flour, sugar, beans or pie weights.
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C.) Blind bake pie shell for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully remove parchment paper or aluminum foil to avoid spilling weights. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 - 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove pie crust or tart shell from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

For an even flakier and tender pie crust, use 1/4 cup (48g) lard or vegetable shortening and 1/4 cup (56g) butter or margarine. Up to 2 tablespoons (30mL) of water may be needed to bring the dough together. Add the water 1 teaspoon at a time.

*Glass bakeware can break, crack or shatter under extreme temperature changes. If using a glass pie pan, bring the dish back up to room temperature prior to placing in the oven.

Nutrition