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Home » Desserts

Sweet shortcrust pastry (pâte sucrée)

07/06/2022 by Judith 12 Comments

Sweet shortcrust pastry, or pâte sucrée, is a variation on traditional shortcrust pastry and can be used for many desserts requiring a pastry shell. It has just the right amount of sweetness and texture to perfect your sweet pastry dishes.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

This sweet pastry dough can be made quickly and easily either in a food processor or by hand. It can be prepared ahead of time and can be stored in the fridge or frozen until you are ready to use it.

It can be used in recipes such as lemon tart, cherry Bakewell tart , raspberry frangipane or mince pies.

You may also like to try sweet almond pastry which includes ground almonds to add sweetness and moisture to your pastry shell.

The quantities in this sweet shortcrust pastry recipe are sufficient to line a 20cm diameter tin.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 160g plain flour (all purpose flour) - plus extra for rolling out
  • 80g butter - chilled
  • 50g icing sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla essence
  • A small amount of cold water - only needed if the pastry dough is too dry
Ingredients for sweet shortcrust pastry

How to make sweet shortcrust pastry

This easy sweet pastry recipe can be made either by hand or in a food processor.

Using a food processor: Place the flour and butter in the food processor and blitz until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract (or vanilla essence) and blitz again until the ingredients have combined to form a dough.

Sweet shortcrust pastry ingredients in a food processor.
Sweet shortcrust pastry in a food processor.

To prepare by hand: Rub the flour into the butter (160g flour and 80g butter). Sift the icing sugar (50g) into the bowl containing the butter and flour, add the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or vanilla essence), mix together and combine the ingredients to form a dough.

If you are preparing the pastry during warm or hot weather it is a good idea to start by adding just the egg yolk instead of the whole egg as the pastry is likely to be softer. Add some or all the egg white If more liquid is needed.

If the pastry dough is still too dry, add some cold water a little at a time, just enough to bind the dough together. This is most likely to be necessary during cold weather.

Wrap the pastry dough in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out and proceeding with your recipe.

To roll out

Lightly flour a pastry board. Place the ball of dough on the board and roll out to a thickness of around 3mm in the shape of a circle. Carefully lift and lay over a 20cm diameter tin, gently press into position and trim the excess pastry.

Lining a tin with sweet shortcrust pastry

Tips for making sweet shortcrust pastry

  1. Make sure the butter is chilled before starting to prepare the pastry particularly during hot weather. Remove from the fridge just before using.
  2. The sweet shortcrust pastry can be prepared ahead of time, wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge until ready to use. The pastry can be kept until the following day in the fridge. If you plan to keep it any longer I suggest it is frozen and defrosted shortly before using. The dough can be frozen either unrolled or after lining a tart tin.
  3. You may need to adjust the amount of moisture used in the pastry. Start by using just the egg yolk and add the egg white only if needed. If any further liquid is needed to bind the dough add some cold water, a little at a time. Use only sufficient water to bind the dough taking care not to add too much.

FAQs

What is the difference between shortcrust pastry and sweet shortcrust pastry?

Shortcrust pastry is made using flour, butter (or margarine) and water and is suitable for both sweet and savoury dishes. Sweet shortcrust pastry typically contains icing sugar, sometimes egg and sometimes vanilla extract/flavouring and is perfect for sweet dishes such as fruit tarts, pies and frangipane.

Do you need to blind bake a sweet pie crust?

As the sweet pastry shell cooks quickly I do not find it necessary to blind bake. Simply roll out your sweet shortcrust pastry dough, line your tart tin, fill and bake according to your recipe.

Recipes with sweet shortcrust pastry

Take a look at the recipes below for ideas on how to use your batch of sweet shortcrust pastry for desserts.

  • Pistachio frangipane
    Pistachio frangipane
  • Cherry and almond Bakewell tart
    Cherry Bakewell tart (frangipane)
  • A slice of fruit tart with crumble topping.
    Fruit tart with oat crumble topping
  • Lemon tart
    French lemon tart (tarte au citron)
Sweet shortcrust pastry

Sweet shortcrust pastry (pâte sucrée)

Sweet shortcrust pastry, or pâte sucrée, is a variation on traditional shortcrust pastry and can be used for many desserts requiring a pastry shell. It has just the right amount of sweetness and texture to perfect your sweet pastry dishes.
5 from 10 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 0 minutes mins
Chilling time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, European
Servings 6 (enough for one 20cm diameter tin)
Calories 238 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 160 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • 80 g butter chilled
  • 50 g icing sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla essence
  • Water

Instructions
 

If using a food processor

  • Place the flour and butter in a food processor and blitz until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs.
  • Add the icing sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract (or vanilla essence) and blitz again until the ingredients have combined to form a single mass.
  • If the dough is too dry, add some or all of the egg white. If it is still too dry after adding all the egg white add a little water until the dough is the right consistency.
  • Wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes before rolling out.

If preparing by hand

  • Sift the flour into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Rub the flour into the butter until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs.
  • Add the icing sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract (or vanilla essence) and mix well.
  • If the dough is too dry, add some or all of the egg white. If it is still too dry after adding all the egg white add a little water until the dough is the right consistency.
  • Wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes before rolling out.

To roll out

  • Lightly flour a pastry board and roll the pastry out to a thickness of about 3mm in the shape of a circle.
  • Carefully lift the pastry, lay over a 20cm diameter loose bottomed flan dish, gently press into place and trim any excess pastry from the edges. Refrigerate until you are ready to use in your recipe.

Notes

  1. Make sure the butter is chilled before starting to prepare the pastry particularly during hot weather. Remove from the fridge just before using.
  2. The sweet shortcrust pastry can be prepared ahead of time, wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge until ready to use. The pastry can be kept until the following day in the fridge. If you plan to keep it any longer I suggest it is frozen and defrosted shortly before using. The dough can be frozen either unrolled or after lining a tart tin.
  3. You may need to adjust the amount of moisture used in the pastry. Start by using just the egg yolk and add the egg white only if needed. If any further liquid is needed to bind the dough add some cold water, a little at a time. Use only sufficient water to bind the dough taking care no to add too much.

Nutrition

Calories: 238kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 4gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 97mgPotassium: 43mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 373IUCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Pastry
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rosanna

    October 19, 2022 at 10:07 pm

    5 stars
    Such a great post, it really helped me to make perfect pastry - thank you!

    Reply
    • Judith

      October 20, 2022 at 4:57 pm

      Thank you for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jess

    October 20, 2022 at 4:41 am

    5 stars
    Perfect for so many fall recipes

    Reply
    • Judith

      October 20, 2022 at 4:58 pm

      I hope you enjoy your desserts using this pastry 🙂

      Reply
  3. Katie

    October 20, 2022 at 1:54 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect shortcrust pastry recipe! It's perfectly fluffy and easy to make!

    Reply
    • Judith

      October 20, 2022 at 4:56 pm

      Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  4. Samantha

    October 20, 2022 at 9:19 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for adding the step by step photos-super helpful and the crust came out perfect!

    Reply
    • Judith

      October 21, 2022 at 2:47 pm

      Thank you for letting me know you found this helpful. I'm pleased your pastry turned out well 🙂

      Reply
  5. nancy

    October 21, 2022 at 7:16 pm

    5 stars
    Loved the sweetness and crunch of this crust recipe. it was perfect for my apple pie!

    Reply
    • Judith

      October 21, 2022 at 8:32 pm

      I'm pleased you liked it. Your apple pie sounds delicious 🙂

      Reply
  6. Emily Flint

    October 21, 2022 at 8:05 pm

    5 stars
    I love this crust, it is now my go-to recipe!

    Reply
    • Judith

      October 21, 2022 at 8:33 pm

      I hope you enjoy your desserts with this pastry 🙂

      Reply
5 from 10 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Welcome to Veggie Ideas! I'm Judith and I created this site out of a love of good food, home cooking and a desire to share recipes so that others can enjoy them too. 

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