An easy-to-make buttery and tender pastry dough that is suitable for many savory tarts such as quiche.
Chef's notes
This dough can be made a day or two in advance before shaping. Once shaped, it can be wrapped and frozen for at least a month. Leftover dough can also be stored in the freezer. Before using, let thaw completely in the refrigerator before using.
Steps
1
Making the Dough
Ingredients
240 g (1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
160 g (2/3 cup) cold, unsalted butter
pinch of salt
1 large egg yolk
1 to 3 tbsp cold water
To prepare the crust, cut the cold butter into small cubes and place into the refrigerator to keep cold.
Next, measure out the flour and salt and place into a food processor. Gather the remaining ingredients and set aside.
Place the butter into the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the yolk and about 1 tablespoon of the cold water. Pulse and continue to add a bit of water just until the mixture comes together. Squeeze a bit of the mixture in your hand to see if it holds together. It should just hold together without crumbling.
Pour the mixture onto the counter top and form into a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill.
Alternatively, you can make this by hand. Using your hands, rub the butter with the flour and salt until you reach the same breadcrumb consistency. Sprinkle the egg and water over top. Using a pastry cutter or flexible knife, mix everything just until it comes together. Do not overwork the dough. Too much gluten will develop and the pastry will be tough.
Note: The food processor method is much quicker and easier.
2
Rolling out the Dough
Once the dough has chilled, roll it out on a lightly-floured surface to 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick.
According to your recipe, line the appropriate-sized tart pan with the dough. Trim off any excess. Pinch around the edge of the pan, while pressing the dough slightly above the rim of the pan. This will account for any shrinkage during baking. Shape and even out the border.
Place into the freezer for at least 15 to 30 minutes before baking.
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Chefs and Pastry chefs use unsalted butter for these types of things, for cooking in general really, as it allows them to totally control the amount of salt that is being added. The amount of salt that is used in salted butter could vary from brand to brand so how much salt is being added is really unknown.
That being said, feel free to experiment. If you only have salted butter then you could use it. Cheers!
Some pastry recipes (mainly sweet pastry) beat the butter, sugar and eggs to a cream paste first before adding the flour and salt.
Other recipes cut the flour and butter to a fine breadcrumb texture before adding the eggs.
1. Are the methods interchangeable?
2. What is the difference in the product?
3. I understand that acid (e.g. lemon juice) retards the development of glutens - Why not use it more?
It depends on the type of pastry dough you are making. Usually a pate sucre or sweet dough is creamed whereas a pie dough is where you cut the butter into the flour. Cutting the butter into the flour and leaving the butter in larger flakes produces a flaky crust, rubbing the butter into a smaller sandy texture creates a tender crust that holds all kinds of fillings very well. These doughs generally have far less sugar than sweet dough or none at all. Sweet dough as its name suggests, has much more sugar and produces a cookie like crust. If by using it more, you mean in larger amounts, you don't want so much that you will taste it and you don't want to break down the gluten completely. If by more you mean why don't all doughs have an acid, that is because some don't need it because the butter is coating the gluten strands so that a strong gluten network cannot form.
Hi Leslie, You certainly could use this pastry for your pie. It would allow the sweetness of the filling to stand out or, if you wanted to balance it a bit, add just a bit (less than 1 tablespoon) of sugar in. As another alternative, you could use the dough from our Pumpkin Pie recipe, https://rouxbe.com/recipes/111-pumpkin-pie-with-maple-whipped-cream. Enjoy! Cheers, Sandy
Hello, Kami: Thanks for writing. I have made delicious gluten-free pastry crust using the Bob's 1:1. My one suggestion is to weigh the g-f- flour for better accuracy, Let us know how it works for you! Cheers, Char
Hi Linda, Cold water is used for a few reasons, but they all contribute to a more tender crust. 1) Cold water helps the butter stay cold so, instead of melting and being worked into the flour, it remains in small clusters, contributing to flakiness. 2) As the cold water helps the butter stay cold, the butter does not release its water to be absorbed by the flour, resulting in a lighter crust. And, 3) Warm water hastens gluten development, so cold water slows this process, producing a more tender crust. Enjoy!
Dawn T •Chefs and Pastry chefs use unsalted butter for these types of things, for cooking in general really, as it allows them to totally control the amount of salt that is being added. The amount of salt that is used in salted butter could vary from brand to brand so how much salt is being added is really unknown. That being said, feel free to experiment. If you only have salted butter then you could use it. Cheers!
Chris W •Some pastry recipes (mainly sweet pastry) beat the butter, sugar and eggs to a cream paste first before adding the flour and salt. Other recipes cut the flour and butter to a fine breadcrumb texture before adding the eggs. 1. Are the methods interchangeable? 2. What is the difference in the product? 3. I understand that acid (e.g. lemon juice) retards the development of glutens - Why not use it more?
Christophe K • Rouxbe Staff •It depends on the type of pastry dough you are making. Usually a pate sucre or sweet dough is creamed whereas a pie dough is where you cut the butter into the flour. Cutting the butter into the flour and leaving the butter in larger flakes produces a flaky crust, rubbing the butter into a smaller sandy texture creates a tender crust that holds all kinds of fillings very well. These doughs generally have far less sugar than sweet dough or none at all. Sweet dough as its name suggests, has much more sugar and produces a cookie like crust. If by using it more, you mean in larger amounts, you don't want so much that you will taste it and you don't want to break down the gluten completely. If by more you mean why don't all doughs have an acid, that is because some don't need it because the butter is coating the gluten strands so that a strong gluten network cannot form.
Sandy S •Hi Leslie, You certainly could use this pastry for your pie. It would allow the sweetness of the filling to stand out or, if you wanted to balance it a bit, add just a bit (less than 1 tablespoon) of sugar in. As another alternative, you could use the dough from our Pumpkin Pie recipe, https://rouxbe.com/recipes/111-pumpkin-pie-with-maple-whipped-cream. Enjoy! Cheers, Sandy
Char N • Rouxbe Staff •Hello, Kami: Thanks for writing. I have made delicious gluten-free pastry crust using the Bob's 1:1. My one suggestion is to weigh the g-f- flour for better accuracy, Let us know how it works for you! Cheers, Char
Linda C •Hello there, this recipe uses cold instead of room temperature water to make the dough. What is the reason for using cold water? Thanks.
Eric W • Rouxbe Staff •Hi Linda, Cold water is used for a few reasons, but they all contribute to a more tender crust. 1) Cold water helps the butter stay cold so, instead of melting and being worked into the flour, it remains in small clusters, contributing to flakiness. 2) As the cold water helps the butter stay cold, the butter does not release its water to be absorbed by the flour, resulting in a lighter crust. And, 3) Warm water hastens gluten development, so cold water slows this process, producing a more tender crust. Enjoy!