Hello again! Basic recipes are super important because so many other recipes build on them. That's why today there's lots of tips and tricks for shortcrust pastry.
Taste and Occasion
Shortcrust pastry is the classic dough type for many cookies and Christmas cookies, for tartes and pies, and the foundation of some sheet cakes and pies. With our tips for baking shortcrust pastry, you're guaranteed to succeed!
Ingredients
In this post, in addition to my basic shortcrust pastry recipe, you will get lots of helpful advice and answers to the most common questions. Shortcrust pastry, sometimes called kneaded dough, consists of flour, sugar, fat and sometimes egg or ice water. Most basic shortbread recipes include flour, butter and sugar in a 4:2:1 or 3:2:1 ratio; the amount of butter and sugar may vary by recipe and intended use.
If the shortcrust is salty - for spicy quiches or vegetable cakes, for example - you omit the sugar, of course 🙂 . Herbs, grated parmesan cheese and nuts, among other things, are then suitable for seasoning. But how exactly do you make a shortcrust pastry? Here is my sweet shortbread recipe step by step.
How to make the Shortcrust Pastry
Unlike cake batter, ingredients and kitchen should not be too warm. Cut the cold butter into fine pieces in a bowl. Add flour, sugar or powdered sugar, egg and salt. I prepare my shortcrust pastry by roughly kneading all the ingredients with the dough hooks until I have a homogeneous dough and then briefly reworking it with my hands. No more pieces of butter should be visible. Knead the shortcrust dough (preferably with cold hands) until smooth and then shape it into a large ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. You can also prepare shortcrust pastry the day before and then refrigerate overnight. It also freezes beautifully.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place the ball on a lightly floured work surface. It is best to roll out the dough only in batches. Flatten by hand and roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin. It's possible to roll out the dough roughly to the size of the baking pan, line them with it, press the edges tightly and cut off any overhanging dough at the top with a knife. Or you just lay out the bottom of the pan and add a border if needed by placing a thin roll of shortcrust pastry on the bottom and shaping it into an edge with your fingers.
Top Tip
How do I get the shortbread out of a mold? Good question 🙂 . There are special tart pans with lifting bottoms (removable bottoms). If the dough contains enough fat and the molds become more comprehensive to the top, you can often turn over for example tartelettes quite well. To do this, let the baked dough cool, turn the pan around and tap it lightly on the bottom. Alternatively, place on a damp cloth and then turn out.
You have more questions about this recipe? Maybe you will find an answer to your questions in the following FAQ?
Why can't I roll out shortcrust pastry, and why does it crack or crumble?
You prepared shortbread with cold butter in pieces.
The shortcrust pastry is too warm.
The shortcrust pastry is too cold.
You rolled out the shortcrust pastry with the wrong amount of flour.
Why does shortcrust pastry have to rest in the refrigerator?
Can I put the shortcrust pastry in the refrigerator overnight?
What is blind baking?
How does blind baking work?
Recipe Card
Shortcrust Pastry
Ingredients
- 250 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 125 grams (⅔ cup) butter, necessarily cold and in small pieces!
- 70 grams (⅓ cup) sugar, or more, depending on the recipe
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg yolk, medium
Instructions
- Put the cold butter in pieces or cubes in a bowl with the flour, sugar, egg yolk and salt.
- Using a food processor or the dough hook, knead as quickly as possible to form a homogeneous dough. Work briefly with your hands if necessary so that no more pieces of fat are visible. Shape the shortcrust pastry into a ball and place it in cling film in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.
- Depending on the recipe, roll out the shortcrust pastry dough all at once or in batches on a lightly floured work surface. Cut out cookies; line the bottom of the pan for cakes and tarts. Shape the rim if necessary and trim off any protruding dough with a knife. Bake dough according to the recipe.
Notes
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
Among our recipes, you will find a lot of shortbread classics, from Christmas cookies to classic cheesecake, tarte au citron and sweet as well as savory quiches.
Comments
No Comments