Sweet Shortcrust Pastry 101 aka Pate Sucree’

Well, if you love making desserts like me, then one of the first things you probably want to master is how to make the best shortcrust pastry at home! Because you will find this basic pastry dough mentioned in many different ways. Some will refer to it as tart pastry dough recipe, sweet pastry tart, French pastry dough, sweet-tart shell pastry, dessert pastry recipe, sweet shortcrust pastry.  Often you will even get a slight variation on this recipe. A few tweaks to the ingredients or measurements but in general the idea is the same but used differently.

About this Pate Sucree or Sweet shortcrust Pastry (Save/Pin)

Many names for the same dough, the fresh call it Pate Sucree’, some brands sell it in the name Sweet Pastry Crust Dough and we bakers very proudly refer to it as Sweet Shortcrust Pastry.  Whatever name you call it; it is delicious, melt in the mouth pastry that will take your baked good to a place of ultimate goodness, and you will finish your dessert to the last crumb. Those of us that know good pastry will never miss it. NO matter how busy you are in conversation when you take that bite of perfect bread. It will grab your attention, and you will take a moment to enjoy it. I know It never fails to catch my attention – all these years. When I see good pastry, I will acknowledge and say… this is a good pastry!!

Pate Sucre’s as the name suggests is sweet shortcrust pastry, but I will be honest and tell you I have on occasions used it for savory dishes such as quiches and pies. I know! It’s sweet and yet…..I love it!!

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)

• Butter  – you want to use unsalted butter – the color of your butter will determine the color of your pastry – I’m using a pale white butter. If you can’t find unsalted butter go ahead and use salted butter but omit the additional salt in the recipe.
• Egg Yolk  – This is important as it gives the pastry that crumbly biscuit-like texture.
  If you are a vegetarian and need to make this eggless and cannot use egg yolk, you can substitute 2 tbsp of yogurt for every egg yolk, and you may need less cold water too
• Chilled water – We need to keep the butter in the pastry cold at all times until baking which is one reason we use chilled or ice water.
  Also, we use very little water because our goal is to keep the pastry crumbly. Adding more water will take that crisp texture away and give us a tight dough.
  Often some of my students substitute milk or cream for the water in their sweet pastry crust.  I advise against it -Why?  The sugars in the milk and cream make the pastry caramelize during baking giving you a dark pastry crust. I prefer a light golden color.
• Sugar – This is a Pate Sucre’ aka shortcrust pastry; so yes we do need to add sugar, however, if you prefer you can add less or more as desired. Always keep the filling in mind when altering a recipe. Remember the result is a thin pastry crust that’s filled with goodness.

Useful Tips and Tools 

• The pastry blender is a great tool to have if you plan to make pies often by hand.
• I love using my food processor to make any kind of pastry. It takes minutes and the butter is evenly distributed giving you a nice uniform bread crumb consistency. Never use an electric mixeras it will cream not pulse the dough. 
• I use my French rolling pin but any good pastry rolling pin helps as long as you can roll it smooth and evenly. 
• A pie chart rolling matis a great guide to have for beginners who are new to baking. This takes the guesswork out if the dough has rolled big enough. 
• A 9-inch tart pan make a good size dessert for a small family of four and a 10-inch tart pan is a good size pan for a larger family of 6. A 7-inch tart pans and5-inch tart pans work great when you want to gift family and friends. I have a set of six 5-inch pans which work great when I want to give desserts like pecan pie during the fall seasaon.
• Wrap the dough in cling or plastic wrap to chill before you roll it. If you plan to freeze the dough always wrap it again in a ziplock bag or freezer bag to prevent freezer burns. 
• Pie weights work great when you need to blind bake a pastry. Although you can use any baking beans like dried beans. 
• My pie crust shield was a great investment so I don’t have to struggle with covering the edges with foil. 

How to make Pate Sucree’ aka Sweet Shortcrust Pastry (Save/Pin)

Prepare Pate Sucree’ aka Sweet Shortcrust Pastry by hand

• Ensure the butter is chilled – cut into cubes.
• Measure the flour, salt, and sugar in a metal bowl.
• Leaving the bowl in the fridge for an hour will help keep the dough cold.
• Use a fork, pastry blender or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour.
• When using your fingertips be gentle, squishing the butter, flattening them cubes in the flour.
• The mixture starts with big crumbles first and as you continue the crumbs become smaller.

• Continue until you have a crumbly mixture similar to coarse breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg yolk and try to incorporate as much as you can.
• Lastly, add 2 tbsp chilled water bringing the crumbs together.
• Add more water only if needed to bring the dough into a ball.
• Gather all the crumbs into a ball.
• Wrap in cling or plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 to 30 minutes until firm enough to roll.

Prepare Pastry using a food processor

• Ensure the butter is chilled – cut into cubes.
• Measure the flour, salt, and sugar in the food processor.
• Give it one or two pulses then add the chilled cubed butter
• Pulse 3 to 4 times – stop – pulse again 3 to 4 times. 
• The mixture starts with big crumbles first and as you continue the crumbs become smaller.
• Pulse until you have a crumbly mixture similar to coarse breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg yolk and give it a few more short bursts. 
• Lastly, add 2 tbsp chilled water through the feed while still processing.
• This will bring the crumbs together.
• Add more water only if needed to bring the dough into a ball.
• Gather all the crumbs into a ball.
• Wrap in cling or plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 to 30 minutes until firm enough to roll

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures4

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures1

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures5

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures2

Roll the Pastry

• Dust the work surface with flour.
• Open the dough and roll carefully from the center out turning as you go.
• If you the dough is cracking too much means it’s too cold, let it rest a few minutes then roll again.
• Use your tart pan as a guide to know how big you need it.
• When you reach the desired size – transfer the dough to the tart pan.

How to transfer the shortcrust Pastry

• To move the dough carefully roll it around your rolling pin, lift the rolling pin to the tart pan and unroll it.
• Alternatively, gently fold the disc in half and then quarter. Pick and place the quarter in the pan and unfold it.
• Carefully make sure the disc spreads evenly in the pan.
• Press down on the sidewalls of the tart so the pastry covers the pan well.
• To remove excess dough- just run the rolling pin on the edges of the tart.
• This should give you perfect edges;  if necessary neaten with your fingertips.
• Let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-3

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-2

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-4

Prepare pastry for Baking

• Preheat the oven to 190 C / 380 F.
• Prick the pastry all over with the tines of a fork to prevent the dough from puffing.
• Line the pastry with baking/parchment paper and pour in some baking beans or pie weights.
• The easiest way to line the tart with parchment is to crumple the parchment paper thoroughly first then open it up.
• The crumbled surfaces work better to line the paper in the dough. Try it.
• Pie weight is nothing but uncooked rice or beans. These can be used many times to save them and use them every time you bake your crust.

For a Partially Baked Shortcrust Pastry

• Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes with the pie weights.
• Remove the baking /parchment paper and pie weights.
• Add filling ingredients as per your recipe.
• Continue to bake for as long as the recipe states.
• Cool on a wire rack completely before you take it out of the tart pan.
• Serve as directed in the recipe.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-5

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-6

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-7

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-8

For a Pre-baked Shortcrust Pastry (fully baked)

• Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Remove the baking/parchment paper and pie weight.
• Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes more until lightly golden.
• Cool on a wire rack completely before you take it out of the tart pan.
• This shortcrust pastry is now fully baked so you can fill it with your choice of fillings.
• Serve as directed in the recipe.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-5

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-6

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-7

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Progress Pictures-9

10 Tips when handling Pastry

1. Chill the mixing bowl and pastry ingredients including cubed butter an hour before you start making the pastry. This will give you a beautiful tender crust.
2. Fat is the essential ingredient – Always use high-fat ratio lard, butter or vegetable shortening. Chill it thoroughly before you add it to the flour. The flour, when coated with fat, prevents gluten formation. 
3. When it comes to liquid a little goes a long way with pastry. So add water by the tablespoon, don’t pour. 
4. Have all your pastry equipment on hand before you start making any pastry so you can work quickly and efficiently. 
5. Rest the dough in the fridge before you roll pastry no matter how soon you need it- this will help the gluten in the dough relax, chill the butter and keep the pastry crumbly. 
6. If the pastry dough is cracking too much it means it’s too cold, let it rest a few minutes outside the fridge then roll again. 
7. Chill the dough before you bake the pastry again to prevent shrinkage.
8. Always use a hot oven this will again prevent shrinkage. A cold oven will melt the butter rather than cook it.
9. The pastry is baked when the bottom is cooked not when the edges are browns. Always make sure the bottom of the crust is cooked or any filling will soak into the crust and make the tart soggy. 
10. If the edges are browning too quickly – tent the edges with foil or pie crust shield.

Frequently asked questions

Do you cook pate sucree before adding filling?

Most recipes will tell you if you should pre-bake or fully bake the crust. In some recipes, it up to you to decide if you want it partially baked before you add a filling.

As a general rule, I like giving my pastry a blind bake for 8 to 10 minutes. I then add my filling and continue to cook the tart until it fully baked. This gives me a nice crisp, buttery crust. 

Sweet tarts with fruits, custards, and mousses like my lemon curd tart need a pre-baked pastry crust because once you add the filling in, there is no more cooking. In this case, you have to make sure you fully baked the crust. 

Why is my shortcrust pastry hard when cooked?

Pastry dough is supposed to be high in fat which gives it the qualities of crumbly, flaky and buttery. If you reduce the fat content, your tart will be more doughy than buttery which means harder.

Also, pastry dough is made with flour which must be handled lightly keeping activity to the minimum. If the dough is kneaded too much, the resulting pastry will be hard. 

When stored in the fridge a pastry dough will be hard because the fat is chilled and hard to roll. Don’t worry, just let it rest outside until it’s firm but good enough to roll.

How do you keep the sweet shortcrust pastry from shrinking?

Nothing is worse than to find your tart has shrunk after baking. Here are a few tips that might help.
Do not overwork the dough. Remember flour has gluten, and if you overwork the dough you will activate the gluten. You cannot omit the formation of gluten entirely but you can control by handling it carefully, so it does not contract in the heat of the oven. 
Never add too much water to the dough. Keep it flaky by adding only enough water to bring it together. This is harder in the beginning but gather the dough lightly and use a cling/plastic wrap to help form a disc. 
Let the dough rest before rolling and before baking. This will help the dough relax, so it is easier to roll and helps the butter chill so it doesn’t melt as quickly when baking. 
Bake at a higher temperature. This will melt the butter while cooking the dough instantly. 

Can I use this shortcrust pastry dough to make mini-tarts?

Yes, you can. You can use this recipe to create small mini tart shells like these below.
I have a detailed post on how to make mini-tart shells using three different methods with step by step pictures as well as a video tutorial.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry aka Pate Sucree

Author: Veena Azmanov

5 from 35 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Calories: 214kcal

$5

Adjust Servings Here: 8 servings

Description

A Pate Sucree’ aka homemade sweet shortcrust pastry is the perfect base for many desserts such as tarts and pies. It’s sweet, rich, melts in the mouth pastry with a biscuit-like crumb. This simple, easy and effortless recipe with easy to follow step by step instructions will have you master this pastry like a pro in no time at all.

Equipment /Tools

• 9" Tart pan
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Kitchen Scale
• Baking Tray
• Oven
• Spatula

Ingredients

• 180 grams (1.44 cups) All-purpose flour
• 113 grams (0.5 cups) Unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) Salt
• 50 grams (0.25 cups) Sugar
• 1 (1 ) Egg yolk large
• 2 tbsp (1 floz) Chilled water up to 4 tbsp (as needed)

ADJUST SERVINGS HERE – 8 servings

Instructions

Prepare Pastry by hand

• Ensure the butter is chilled – cut into cubes.
• Measure the flour, salt, and sugar in a metal bowl.
• Leaving the bowl in the fridge for an hour will help keep the dough cold.
• Use a fork, pastry blender or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour.
• When using your fingertips be gentle, squishing the butter, flattening them cubes in the flour. 
• You start with big crumbles first and as you continue the crumbs become smaller. 
• Continue until you will have a crumbly mixture similar to coarse breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg yolk and try to incorporate as much as you can.
• Lastly, add 2 tbsp chilled water bringing the crumbs together.
• Add more water only if needed to bring the dough into a ball.
• Gather all the crumbs into a ball.
• Wrap in cling or plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 to 30 minutes until firm enough to roll.

Prepare Pastry using Food Processor

• Ensure the butter is chilled – cut into cubes.
• Measure the flour, salt, and sugar in the food processor.
• Give it one or two pulses then add the chilled cubed butter
• Pulse 3 to 4 times – stop – pulse again 3 to 4 times. 
• The mixture starts with big crumbles first and as you continue the crumbs become smaller.
• Pulse until you have a crumbly mixture similar to coarse breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg yolk and give it a few more short bursts. 
• Lastly, add 2 tbsp chilled water thru the feed while still processing.
• This will bring the crumbs together.
• Add more water only if needed to bring the dough into a ball.
• Gather all the crumbs into a ball.
• Wrap in cling or plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 to 30 minutes until firm enough to roll
  

Roll the Pastry

• Dust the work surface with flour.
• Open the dough and roll carefully from the center out turning as you go. 
• If you the dough is cracking too much means it’s too cold, let it rest a few minutes then roll again.
• Use your tart pan as a guide to know how big you need it.
• When you reach the desired size – transfer the dough to the tart pan.

How to transfer the shortcrust Pastry

• To transfer the dough carefully roll it around your rolling pin, lift the rolling pin to the tart pan and unroll it.
• Alternatively, gently fold the disc in half and then quarter. Pick and place the quarter in the pan and unfold it.
• Carefully make sure the disc is evenly spread in the pan.
• Press down on the side walls of the tart so the pastry covers the pan well.
• To remove excess dough- just run the rolling pin on the edges of the tart.
• This should give you perfect edges;  if necessary neaten with your fingertips.
• Let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Prepare for Baking the Pastry

• Preheat the oven to 190 C / 380 F.
• Prick the pastry all over with the tines of a fork to prevent the dough from puffing.
• Line the pastry with baking/parchment paper and pour in some baking beans or pie weights. 
• The easiest way to line the tart with parchment is to crumple the parchment paper completely first then open it up. 
• The crumbled surfaces work better to line the paper in the dough. Try it. 
• Pie weight is nothing but uncooked rice or beans. These can be used many times to save them and use them every time you bake your crust. 

For a Pre-baked Pastry

• Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Remove the baking/parchment paper and pie weight.
• Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes more until lightly golden.
• Cool on a wire rack completely before you take it out of the tart pan.
• This shortcrust pastry is fully baked so you can fill it with your choice of fillings.
• Serve as directed in the recipe.

For a Partially Baked Pastry

• Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes with the pie weights.
• Remove the baking /parchment paper and pie weights.
• Add filling ingredients as per your recipe.
• Continue to bake for as long as the recipe states.
• Cool on a wire rack completely before you take it out of the tart pan.
• Serve as directed in the recipe.

Recipe Video

About Videos – most recipes has two videos – a quick version in the post & longer detailed version on this recipe card. Sometimes a similar recipe video may be used. Please do subscribe to my channel if you like my videos

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry aka Pate Sucree

Amount Per Serving (49 g)

Calories 214 Calories from Fat 110

% Daily Value*

Fat 12.2g19%

Saturated Fat 7.5g38%

Trans Fat 0.5g

Polyunsaturated Fat 4.2g

Monounsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 53mg18%

Sodium 76mg3%

Potassium 0mg0%

Carbohydrates 23.5g8%

Fiber 0.6g2%

Sugar 6.3g7%

Protein 2.8g6%

Vitamin A 0IU0%

Vitamin C 0mg0%

Calcium 0mg0%

Iron 0mg0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Keywords – baking, baking from scratch, Pastry, Shortcrust, sweet shortcrust, tart

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about itMention @veenaazmanov or #tag on Instagram #veenaazmanov

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