Pate Sucree French Butter Pie Pastry Recipes

PâTE SUCRéE - FRENCH SWEET TART CRUST (PASTRY DOUGH)

Steps:

• Mix Dy Ingredients: Whisk together flour, icing sugar, salt and almond meal in a bowl.
• Add butter: Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs. (Note 4).
• Add egg: Mix with a rubber spatula until it becomes too hard to stir anymore, then use your hands to bring it together into a dough.
• Bring dough together: Turn dough out onto a work surface, then knead to bring together into a smooth ball. Flatten into a 2cm / 0.8" thick disc. Wrap with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Unwrap chilled dough. Place on a lightly floured work surface.
• Roll out into a 32cm / 13" round (3mm / 1/8" thick).
• Line tart tin: Roll pastry lightly on to a rolling pin (ie. so it wraps around itself). Then unroll it gently over the tart tin.
• Fit pastry: Adjust the pastry to fit into the tart tin, fitting into the corner, taking care not to stretch it (causes shrinkage during bake).
• Trim excess dough: Roll the rolling pin over tart tin to trim excess dough. Pictured tart tin is 24 x 3 cm / 9.5 x 1.2" - you can use any up to this size.
• Prick the base of the pastry 30 times with a fork. Not all the way through - just make a light prick on the surface.
• Chill pastry in tart tin for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
• Baking beads: Cover pastry with 2 sheets of baking paper (parchment paper), in a "X" arrangement. Fill with baking beads (or 2 cups dry raw rice or beans).
• Baking times for a Par Baked Tart to be used for tarts that are baked for > 30 minutes once the filling is added into the cooked tart shell.
• Bake 15 minutes the remove from oven. Use excess paper to remove baking beads.
• Bake uncovered 5 minutes: Return tart crust to oven for 5 minutes. Pastry should be light golden, crispy on surface, but slighty undercooked inside (will finish cooking once filled and baked again).
• Use these baking times if the tart shell is to be used for raw fillings (ie tart not baked once crust is filled) OR fillings that are baked for < 25 minutes.
• Bake 15 minutes the remove from oven. Use excess paper to remove baking beads.
• Bake uncovered 10 minutes: This will fully cook the pastry through and give it nice colour which we need as the pastry won't cook through in less than 25 minutes once filled.
• Cool: Remove then cool in tart tin before filling (this ensures crust stays crispy once filled), then baking again if filling needs to be cooked (like this Pistachio Frangipane Pear Tart).
• Make ahead up to 3 days, suitable for baking once filled.

PâTE SUCRéE (SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY)

Steps:

• Place the very soft butter in the bowl of your mixer with the Icing Sugar. Cream with the paddle attachment until smooth; about 2 minutes on medium speed.
• Add in the whisked Egg and Almond Meal. Mix on low speed until combined.
• Slowly mix in the Flour and Salt, stopping as soon as a rough dough comes together (see note 1).
• Transfer the pastry dough over a large sheet of baking paper and assemble it into a ball. Gently flatten the ball into a disk using your hands and do the "fraisage" (see note 2).
• Cover with a second sheet of baking paper and roll to a thickness of about 4mm (1/8 inch) with a rolling pin (see note 3). Place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• Take the pastry out of the fridge and leave it to come back to room temperature for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the baking paper sheets (see note 4) and transfer the pastry over the tart pan.
• Gently slide the pastry along the edges of the pan until it touches the bottom. Press it tightly against the bottom and edges of the pan (but without breaking it) to remove any air pockets. There should be no gaps between the pastry and the pan.
• Remove any excess dough using the rolling pin and/or a small paring knife (see note 5). Use any excess pastry to patch up holes, cracks or irregularities if needed.
• Place in the fridge to chill and rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
• Dock the pastry (poke the bottom with a fork). Preheat your oven on 160'C/325'F and place the pastry in the freezer in the meantime.
• To par-bake: bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bottom feels dry to the touch. Add the filling and finish baking.To fully blind-bake: bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until lightly golden. Leave to cool down completely before adding your choice of filling.

PâTE SUCRéE (SWEET TART DOUGH)

Steps:

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until the flour is incorporated. The mixture will look like wet, clumpy sand. Add the egg yolk and mix on low speed until the yolk is evenly incorporated and the dough is clumpy, about 30 seconds. Using your hand, lightly knead the dough into a ball inside the bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl, press it into a 6-inch disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. (The dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using.)
• Lightly spray a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or a 9-inch pie shell with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Place the chilled dough inside the pan. Pinch off pieces of dough and press them against the sides of the pan to reach just shy of a ¼ inch thick and about ⅛ inch above the rim (you'll trim the top later). Using the heel of your hand, press the rest of the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. (It will look like a mess, and it may seem like you won't have enough dough at first, but have faith, it will come together.) Be sure there are no seams in the dough, and press it squarely along the corners where the bottom meets the sides to avoid extra-thick edges. Use a paring knife to trim the top edge of the dough so it is even with the rim of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to chill.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
• Place the chilled pâte sucrée on a baking sheet (for easy handling) and bake for 23 to 26 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

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.

PATE SUCREE (FRENCH BUTTER PIE PASTRY)

Steps:

• In a food processor, place the flour and the sugar; pulse just to combine.
• Add in COLD butter pieces; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal (this should take no more than only 10-20 seconds) do not overprocess.
• In a glass or cup lightly beat egg yolks, just to combine; add in the icewater to the yolks; mix to combine.
• While the machine is running; add in the yolk/water mixture; process JUST until dough holds together.
• Remove the dough from machine, separate in two balls then wrap in plastic wrap (keep the dough cold, try not to handle too much).
• Refrigerate 1 or more hours before using Note: the dough can be frozen if desired, make sure that it is wrapped in plastic wrap, and then again in foil.