This shortcrust pastry roll is a perfect combination of flavors and textures. The crumbly taste of the pastry combined with the creaminess of cherry jam makes it an irresistible dessert!

It’s a perfect dessert for an afternoon snack, perhaps accompanied by a cup of tea, or as a dessert at the end of a meal to beautifully conclude a dinner with friends.

I used my cherry jam but any jam or preserves you prefer will work, it’s also great with hazelnut cream.

It is quite well known that I am a huge fan of shortcrust pastry.

I really find that there is something special, unique, and irresistible in this combination of sugar, butter, and flour.

A delicate and crunchy pastry shell, made with butter, precisely to give it that extreme crumbliness combined with crunchiness.

Here’s what you need to pay attention to: preferably use type 00 white flour.

The butter must be cold from the fridge, to avoid it melting during mixing.

The eggs should be kept at room temperature for a couple of hours, if they are too cold they do not blend well with the rest of the mixture.

Watch the amount of sugar, if there’s too much the shortcrust pastry tends to crumble and becomes dark when baked.

If you want to achieve a softer pastry, also add 1 teaspoon of sifted baking powder.

Finally, the timing is crucial: work the dough quickly otherwise it becomes elastic and shrinks during cooking; it’s then important to let it rest in the refrigerator (in the less cold part) for at least 30 minutes.

This helps prevent it from breaking when you roll it out with the rolling pin.

And the pastry offers so many alternatives that for me it really can be considered a form of art.

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 30 Minutes
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 16/18
Cooking methods: Electric oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

215.18 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 215.18 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 33.46 (g) of which sugars 18.34 (g)
Proteins 3.09 (g)
Fat 8.18 (g) of which saturated 5.02 (g)of which unsaturated 3.07 (g)
Fibers 0.56 (g)
Sodium 59.43 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 40 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients for the Shortcrust Pastry Roll

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs (room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
Half lemon (zest grated or a packet of vanilla sugar)
10 1/2 tbsp butter (cold from the fridge or 1/2 cup vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
as needed cherry jam (or to your liking)
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
as needed sugar crystals

Tools

Pastry Board
Baking Dish
Parchment Paper
Rolling Pin
Mixing Bowl

Steps for the Shortcrust Pastry Roll

Place the flour and baking powder in a bowl along with the butter in pieces and the zest of half a lemon. (Butter cold from the fridge).
Start to create fine crumbs with your hands, then add the sugar, continuing to work it all together.
Break the eggs, also add the salt.
(Eggs at room temperature).
At this point, transfer the dough to the work surface and handle it briefly just to compact it.
A small but important tip: once compacted, do not handle it further because it should not warm up.
At this point, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to firm up for about 30 minutes.
Spread flour over the parchment paper sheet so that it is well covered.
This step is really important to avoid the pastry from sticking and breaking.
Instead, we want it to stay compact and roll easily.
Also flour the rolling pin and start rolling the pastry to form roughly a rectangle.
Do not roll the shortcrust pastry too thin.
You will need at least half a centimeter of thickness.
Spread plenty of jam leaving the edges a bit free, use the parchment paper to form a roll, making it nice and regular.
(Make sure the seam of the roll faces the paper to keep the top smooth).
Let it firm up in the fridge for another half hour!
At this point, beat the yolk with the milk and brush well over the entire surface of the roll and decorate with sugar crystals.
After the half-hour, bake at 350°F in a ventilated mode for about 25-30 minutes or until it is slightly golden.
Once cooked, let it cool well
Cut it into pieces to obtain rustic cookies, you’ll see they are really delicious and crumbly!
Enjoy your meal.