Pâte sucrée

Pâte sucrée, literally sweet dough, is the most common base for tarts. You can fill them with creams, chocolate or fruit to make delicious dessert. Let’s check right away how to make it, starting with the ingredients.

Equipment

To make this recipe you will need the following tools :

• A rolling pin;

• A perforated tart ring. If you don’t have one, you can use the more standard tart mould;

• A perforated silicon mat. Not mandatory if your tart mould has a bottom;

• A perforated baking tray.

• (Optional) A brush.

• (Optional) A stand mixer. The recipe is written for stand mixer user but is doable by handm with a spatula;

• (Optional) A small metal strainer or a zester.

Ingrédients

To make a pâte sucrée you will need:

Ingredients

• 100g soft butter cut in small dice

• 65g icing sugar

• 20g almond powder

• 1 pinch of salt

• 1 egg

• 165g flour

(Optional) For the egg wash

• 1 egg yolk

• 3-4g heavy cream 35% fat

The six ingredients for pâte sucrée

Directions

We will divide the direction to make the pâte sucrée into three parts. The first one will give instructions on how to assemble the ingredients together to make the dough, then we will discuss the ‘‘Foncage’’ or the action of shaping and baking the tart shell, and finally we will tell you how to use an egg wash to obtain a shiny sharp and beautiful finish.

Part 1 : The mixing of the dough

1. In the stand mixer bowl, add the butter and the icing sugar and mix with the paddle until creamy

2. Add the almond powder and the salt and mix until fully incorporated

3. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated

4. Add the flour and mix until fully incoporated. (Be careful to not mix more than necessary. We don’t want to develop glutens too much or the dough will be hard to work with later)

5. Assemble the dough into a ball using your hand and put it in a plastic wrap

6. Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours

Part 2 : The ‘‘Fonçage’’ - Shape and bake the tart shell

1. On lightly floured table, roll the dough with your rolling pin, aiming for a thickness of around 3mm;

2. Lightly flour the top of the dough and roll it around your rolling pin so you can move it around with ease;

3. Position your tart mold on top of the mat, and on the tray. Unroll the dough delicately on the tart mold;

4. Mold the dough in the mold. Delicately lift the dough from one edge of the mold with one hand, and press it down the mold with the thumb of your other hand. Repeat all around the mold;

5. When the dough is well positioned in the mold, remove the extra dough by rolling your rolling pin on top of the tart ring;

6. With a well sharpened knife, cut off any extra dough left;

7. Place in the freezer for 15 min;

8. Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 20 minutes;

9. When cool, with your small strainer or your zester, sand the side of the tart shell to remove any imperfections.

(Optional) Part 3 : The egg wash

Applying an egg wash on the tart shell is not mandatory. It is mostly used for the look, but it can also help with waterproofing the shell. I recommend doing that step, if you are planning to fill the tart shell with really liquidy ingredients.

1. In a glass, add the egg yolk and the heavy cream and mix;

2. With a brush, spread the egg wash all over the tart shell;

3. Bake again for 10 to 15 min at 160°C (320°F) or until golden brown.

Conclusion

You’re done ! You should now have a nice pâte sucrée, ready to get filled with any delicious fillings, like creams, jams or even ganache.

You can keep it refrigerated or freezed for a pretty long time in a ziploc bag.