Oil shortcrust pastry is soft, delicious, and butter-free, and it rivals the classic version. Grandma Benedetta often makes it and prefers sunflower oil. I, for a more delicate taste, love to use rice oil, but you can also opt for peanut, corn, or even olive oil if you want a more rustic flavor. All these oils have a smoke point that is still higher than the baking temperatures.
An easy recipe with a great advantage: oil shortcrust doesn’t need to rest in the fridge. The oil makes it immediately elastic and ready to roll out with a rolling pin. A real convenience, especially when you crave something sweet but have little time.
Use the oil shortcrust pastry to prepare a tart or homemade cookies.
Suitable for lactose intolerant.
LIGHT DESSERTS with oil
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: Ingredients for 500 grams of flour
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 474.35 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 73.25 (g) of which sugars 23.44 (g)
- Proteins 8.86 (g)
- Fat 18.26 (g) of which saturated 2.09 (g)of which unsaturated 14.91 (g)
- Fibers 1.56 (g)
- Sodium 69.26 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 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
Oil Shortcrust Pastry – 500 grams of flour
For the quantities with 1 kg of flour, double the ingredients below.
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (or type 1 flour; you can also mix whole wheat flour with white flour)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder (sifted)
- 1 pinch fine salt (enhances flavors)
- 1 egg (medium – large)
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed oil (or corn, peanut, or rice oil)
- 1/4 cup water (or as needed)
Tools
- Rolling Pin
Soft Oil Shortcrust Pastry
Pour all the ingredients into a bowl.
Knead the oil shortcrust pastry with your hands, adding a little cold water at a time, until it becomes elastic and uniform. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour.
At this point, transfer the shortcrust pastry to the work surface, finish kneading it, lightly flour, and roll out with a rolling pin.
To prevent the shortcrust pastry from crumbling, add cold water little by little, kneading until you obtain a smooth and compact consistency without making it sticky. This avoids breaking during handling.
Bake the shortcrust pastry at 350°F in a preheated static oven:
🍀 if cookies, for 15-20 minutes
🍀 if tart, for 30-45 minutes
Once it starts to brown on the edges, it should be removed from the oven: as it cools, it will firm up on its own.
STORE the oil shortcrust pastry
You can keep it in the refrigerator, well wrapped in plastic wrap, for a couple of days. When ready to use, just let it soften for a few minutes at room temperature.
It can also be frozen, so you’ll always have a ready base when needed, for cookies or tarts. To defrost, just move it from the freezer to the refrigerator a few hours before, or better yet, the night before.
FAQ
What are butter substitutes in shortcrust pastry?
To replace butter in shortcrust pastry, using seed oil (peanut, sunflower, corn, or rice) is a good choice: it has a high smoke point and a delicate flavor. Alternatively, use olive oil for a more rustic pastry, or plant-based yogurt or applesauce for a softer and lighter version.
Does oil shortcrust pastry crumble?
No, oil shortcrust pastry: before baking is malleable and doesn’t crumble while working, after baking it remains soft and compact.
How to replace butter with oil in shortcrust pastry?
Use 80% oil compared to the weight of butter, so 80 g of oil for every 100 g of butter.
What is the difference between shortcrust pastry and puff pastry?
Shortcrust pastry is sweet, made with butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, and is crumbly and buttery, ideal for desserts like tarts and cookies. Puff pastry, on the other hand, is savory or neutral, made with butter, cold water, and flour, without sugar or eggs, and is crisper and lighter, perfect for quiches, savory pies, and appetizers.
