Pate Brisee Flaky Sweet Pastry Dough Recipes

GRACE HSUI

Steps:

• By hand: Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter, cut into the flour until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Add ¾ (5T) of the water and mix just until it is combined. Check and see if there are any remaining dry pockets. Use the remaining water to hydrate. Take out a piece of plastic wrap and dump the scraggly dough onto it. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap, and refrigerate until needed.
• By stand mixer: Mix the flour and salt in a mixer bowl. Add the cold cubed butter. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed until the butter resembles like peas. Stream in the cold water until the dough just begins to come together. Stop the mixer, dump out the dough onto a surface, and bring the dough together into a flat disc. If you have any dry pockets, use the remaining water to hydrate your dough. Wrap, refrigerate, and use when needed.
• In a food processor: Pour the flour and salt into the food processor bowl. Pulse to mix the dry ingredients. Add the cold butter and chop until the butter is cut to pea-size pieces. Stream in the cold water and pulse the mix until the dough comes together. Do not over-process. Wrap, refrigerate, and use when needed.

PATE BRISEE PASTRY DOUGH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
• Using a pastry cutter, large-tined fork, or a food processor on pulse setting, cut the chilled butter into the flour until it resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
• Sprinkle the water evenly over the mixture and toss gently a few times, just until it forms a ball that holds together.
• Separate the dough into two balls, flatten slightly into thick disk shapes, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for several hours before working with it. For fast preparation: Put the dough in the freezer for 40 to 50 minutes before working with it.

PATE BRISEE (PIE DOUGH)

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
• With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

PATE BRISEE (FRENCH SHORTCRUST)

Steps:

• Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix. Add cubed butter; pulse until crumbly.
• Pour slow stream of ice water through feed tube while the processor is on low speed until dough holds together when pinched, making sure not to add too much.
• Divide dough evenly into 2 pieces. Form dough into discs on a lightly floured work surface. Wrap discs with wax paper or parchment paper before wrapping with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until use.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin between 2 pieces of parchment paper to desired thickness when ready to use.
• Butter two 9-inch tart pans. Roll crusts 1 at a time onto the rolling pin and unroll over tart pans. Gently push dough into the prepared pans, molding to the sides. Trim edges with fingers or a knife. Fill and bake according to filling recipe instructions.

PATE BRISEE (FLAKY SWEET PASTRY DOUGH)

Steps:

• Place one cup of flour, the butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. Add the water and slowly pulse just until the pastry begins to hold together, about six to eight times. Do not let it form a ball. Turn the pastry out onto waxed paper and flatten the dough into a circle. If the dough is excessively sticky, sprinkle it with several tablespoons of flour. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least one hour.

FLAKY SWEET PASTRY (PATE SUCREE)

Steps:

• Place 1 cup of the flour, the butter, sugar and salt, into a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process 10 seconds, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the ice water and pulse 10 to 15 times, just until the mixture begins to come together (do not let it form a ball). Empty the dough out of the machine onto a floured work surface and gather together by pressing lightly. If the dough seems too sticky, gently incorporate more flour. Shape into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before proceeding with recipe.

FLAKY PATE BRISEE

Steps:

• Pulse flour and salt in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse until mixture forms coarse crums with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
• With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky, no longer than 30 seconds.
• Divide dough in half, and shape into disks. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.

PATE SUCREE (SWEET PASTRY DOUGH)

Steps:

• A note on ingredients: If you do not have Cake Flour, you can make some. For every cup of Cake Flour needed, scale out 120g (1 cup) of All Purpose Flour and substitute 15g (2 tablespoons) of All Purpose Flour with 15g (2 tablespoons) of Corn Starch. Sift the mixture so that the All Purpose Flour and Corn Starch are evenly distributed. The Corn Starch lowers the protein content of the mix and makes for a more tender dough. To yield 75g (1.5x) Eggs, crack two large Eggs into a bowl, beat them gently with a fork to combine the yolks and the whites, and scale out the 75g.
• Place the room temperature Butter and Powdered Sugar in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the ingredients until they are completely smooth.
• With the mixture on medium speed, slowly add the eggs. Continue mixing until the ingredients are once again completely smooth and homogeneous. At this point, a properly mixed dough should have the appearance of mayonnaise.
• Chef's Note: As with the Butter, room temperature Eggs are best. Adding cold Eggs or adding all of the Eggs at once may cause the dough to "break" (i.e. the dough will appear curdled as the Butter & Sugar float in the Eggs).
• Add the Cake Flour in two additions and mix until all of the ingredients are fully combined, but do not over-mix.
• Chef's Note: The final dough should have a smooth, shiny appearance. There should be no visible sports of unmixed Flour or Butter.
• Rest the dough wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
• Storage: The dough can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or frozen for several months. The dough should be tempered but still chilled before rolling.
• Bake times for Pate Sucree will vary by recipe and filling. Bake an unfilled 8"/9" tart shell at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) for approximately 25 - 30 minutes or until it is lightly browned throughout.