Massari’s egg-free shortcrust pastry is a variant of the classic shortcrust pastry perfect for those who are intolerant to eggs or follow a diet that does not include them, very simple to make, it will allow you to obtain crumbly and tasty products.
The shortcrust pastry is one of the most loved bases in pastry, thanks to its crumbly texture and delicate flavor, it is capable of enhancing any type of filling, from jam to custard, from chocolate to fresh fruit.
This version comes from one of the most renowned pastry chefs, Iginio Massari. Some time ago he shared the shortcrust pastry recipe on his Facebook profile, explaining that if you didn’t have eggs on hand, they could be replaced with the same quantity of milk. Today I found it and I’m pleased to share it with you.
The absence of eggs does not compromise the result at all; on the contrary, it ensures a final product surprisingly similar to the original but lighter and more digestible.
Try other variations:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: for 530 g of shortcrust pastry
- Cooking methods: No baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 428.95 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 58.05 (g) of which sugars 24.57 (g)
- Proteins 5.66 (g)
- Fat 20.31 (g) of which saturated 12.98 (g)of which unsaturated 7.05 (g)
- Fibers 1.08 (g)
- Sodium 76.71 (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
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp lemon zest (grated)
- 1 g salt
- Half pod vanilla
Tools
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Work Surface
- 1 Scale
- Plastic Wrap
Instructions
The recipe I provide is by Massari, but the procedure is the result of the courses I attend. There are many mixing methods, each with different characteristics and resting times, but I will explain everything in a dedicated post.
To make the shortcrust pastry, use good cold butter but not from the fridge, leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes, it should be around 57°F.
You can prepare the pastry either by hand or with a stand mixer, I prefer the stand mixer because it’s more convenient, but you can easily knead it by hand.
Place the flour in the stand mixer’s bowl, add the butter cut into small cubes, and work the two ingredients until you obtain a sand-like texture (many separate crumbs).
Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and lemon zest, mix everything, then add the cold milk and start kneading the ingredients until you obtain a compact dough.
Work the dough quickly on the work surface to avoid heating the butter too much, form a block, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
After resting, take the pastry and work it on the work surface for 1 minute; this operation will ensure a homogeneous and pliable dough perfect for making your recipes.
Massari’s egg-free shortcrust pastry is ready, use it for making cookies and tarts.
Consider that every oven has different baking times, I provide the average baking times, which you will then need to adapt to your oven.
For cookies
Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 0.2 inches, make the cookies with the cutters you have available and let them rest in the fridge while the oven heats up.
Bake them in a preheated static oven at 338°F for 10/12 minutes.
If you want to obtain soft cookies, just add 3 g of baking powder to the flour before kneading the pastry.
For tarts
For filled tarts, the baking times vary based on the filling and the thickness of the pastry.
For a pastry shell with blind baking, roll out the pastry to 0.1 inches, line the perforated mold, and bake at 338°F for 20/25 minutes.
Tips
Storage
Massari’s egg-free shortcrust pastry can be stored in the fridge well covered for 15 days if you used fresh ingredients.
You can freeze it for 2 months.
