Today I reveal the secrets and tips to make a perfect shortcrust pastry. Making a pastry shortcrust is not impossible; just follow certain precautions during preparation. The secret lies in controlling temperature and structure.
These are the essential tricks for a perfect result:
1) COLD
The shortcrust must absolutely not warm up in your hands or in the stand mixer. If the butter melts while you work, the dough will become tough and elastic instead of crumbly. So cold hands and, above all, butter in small pieces taken straight from the fridge. Don’t wait to work it — it must be ice-cold. It can also help to chill your tools, such as the bowl, whisks and wooden spoons. Another very important thing is resting. The longer the shortcrust rests, the better it will be. Minimum 30 min; personally I make it the evening before for the next day.
2) THE ‘SAND’ METHOD (SABBIATURA)
Do not mix everything together at once: first create a granular mixture — the so-called ‘sabbiare’ — by rubbing the flour, sugar and very cold butter pieces together. Only then add the yolks. Why does it work? The butter coats the flour particles, preventing too much gluten formation. Result? A shortcrust that melts in your mouth.
3) What type of SUGAR
Depending on the sugar used, the texture changes. Granulated sugar makes the dough crunchier, powdered sugar makes it more tender, and brown sugar gives a coarser, more aromatic shortcrust. I personally prefer powdered sugar because it makes the pastry extremely fine, silky and professional.
4) The type of FLOUR
It’s better to choose a low-gluten flour, such as Type 0, Type 00 or those specifically for pastries.
5) WHOLE EGGS OR JUST YOLKS?
If you want a more crumbly shortcrust, use only yolks. The white would activate the flour’s gluten network, making the pastry crisper instead.
6) BAKING POWDER: YES OR NO?
Baking powder should not be added to traditional shortcrust, unless you want a cookie or tart that is less crisp. The traditional recipe does not call for it.
Another tip: after resting, before rolling out the dough, break it up and quickly rework it again very fast. This step will make it more elastic and easier to work with.
8) BAKING
For tarts, a classic problem is a soggy base due to jam. I usually do this: before spreading the jam, dust the pastry base with a thin layer of almond flour — it will act as a barrier against moisture. Bake the tart on the middle-lower rack of the oven to ensure the base receives enough heat. Below are the ingredients and method for my perfect shortcrust!!!!
8) WORKING TIMES AND SPEED
Working times must be very short: the shortcrust must absolutely not warm up for a good result.
Read also
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 20 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 204.04 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 27.53 (g) of which sugars 10.40 (g)
- Proteins 3.39 (g)
- Fat 9.38 (g) of which saturated 5.81 (g)of which unsaturated 3.58 (g)
- Fibers 0.75 (g)
- Sodium 2.57 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 45 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
- 4 cups Type 0 wheat flour (for pastries) (for pastries)
- 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
- 7 oz butter (from cream (about 7 oz; ~7/8 cup))
- 3 yolks (medium — about 54 g (1.9 oz))
- 1 orange (grated zest or 1 teaspoon of orange paste)
- 1 lemon (grated zest)
Tools
- 1 Rolling pin
- Parchment paper
Steps
Shortcrust procedure
Place the flour into a bowl first
the cold butter straight from the fridge
the powdered sugar
With your hands, combine everything to form the so-called ‘sabbiare’ (sandy) texture.
At this point add the yolks
the orange paste (if you don’t have it, grated orange and lemon zest works fine)
Start working quickly in the bowl
Then transfer the dough to the work surface and very quickly form the dough disk
Wrap the dough disk in parchment or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 min before using. I usually prepare it the night before and let it rest overnight. In the morning take it out, break it into pieces and quickly reshape the disk. Now the shortcrust is perfect and ready to be rolled out with the rolling pin to make a tart or to cut cookies.
If you want, the shortcrust can also be frozen. It is ideal to store it in well-wrapped disks in plastic wrap or already rolled out in the pan. For use, it is recommended to thaw it in the refrigerator for several hours before rolling and working it.
