Pâte Sucrée - Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Recipe

This is a sweetened shortcrust pastry recipe excellent for cream pies, tarts and custard fillings. We use the creaming method to make this classic dough to make it easier for the beginner or for those that struggle with shortcrust pastry.

Prepare: 10

Bake: 30

Chill Time: 1

Total Time: 1 40

Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (225g) flour
½ cup (113g) softened butter or margarine
¼ cup (50g) sugar
3 tbs (45mL) water
1 large (20g) egg yolk
1 tsp (5mL) white vinegar or lemon juice
½ tsp (2.5mL) vanilla
⅛ tsp (.625g) salt

Instructions

Cream together softened butter or margarine and sugar.
Beat in egg yolk until smooth. Mix in vanilla and salt. Add in flour mixture, vinegar or lemon juice and water. Mix until a soft dough begins to form.
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 350°F (180°C.) Blind bake pie shell for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully remove parchment paper or aluminum foil to avoid spilling weights. Return to oven and bake an additional 10 - 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove pie crust or tart shell from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

*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