Our recipe for pâte sucrée produces a crisp, buttery crust that’s perfect for using in pies and tarts. It comes together quickly and easily using a food processor, which efficiently incorporates the butter into the dry ingredients before it has a chance to melt, making all the difference in the finished product. Besides butter, you’ll only need a few other basic ingredients like flour, sugar, and an egg yolk, so you can whip it up whenever the mood strikes. This recipe makes enough dough for one nine-inch tart or pie, or 12 mini tarts, and forms the base of our classic fruit tart. This dough freezes incredibly well, so you can double the recipe and have an extra disc on hand for a rainy day—trust us, your future self will thank you.
Ingredients for Pâte Sucrée
Flour: This recipe uses a small amount of all-purpose flour. We recommend spooning the flour into your measuring cup rather than scooping the cup into the container for the most accurate measurement; doing so will keep the flour from packing too densely, which can throw off your recipe. Always gently level off the top with the back of a butter knife or another straight tool before adding it to bowl.
Butter: Since this recipe is designed for use in sweeter creations, it's important to use unsalted butter. To make sure it's nice and cold before adding it to the food processor, wait to remove it from the fridge and cut it into small pieces until you're ready to work with it.
Sugar: This recipe uses a small amount of sugar, which lends it a subtle sweetness that makes it the perfect crust for fruit tarts and pies. For savory recipes, we recommend using our pâte brisée recipe.
Salt: A little salt balances the sweetness and overall flavor of the crust. If using a coarse salt, increase the measurement to one-half teaspoon.
Egg yolk: Use an egg separator, two egg shells, or your fingers to separate the egg yolk from the white. (It's easiest to separate cold eggs straight from the fridge.)
Can You Make Pâte Sucrée Ahead?
Yes, you can make pâte sucrée dough ajeafd. It can be refrigerated for up to two days or frozen for up to one month. To defrost it, let it thaw gently in the refrigerator for about one day before you plan to use it.
Ingredients
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1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
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4 ½ teaspoons sugar
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½ teaspoon salt
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½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
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1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
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2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed
Directions
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Pulse dry ingredients; work in butter, followed by egg:
Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Add yolk; pulse.
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Add water with machine running:
With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube; process until dough just holds together (no longer than 30 seconds).
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Shape into a disc; wrap and refrigerate:
Shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to 2 days)
Variation
For a citrusy crust, make recipe as directed, adding one teaspoon grated orange zest and one-half teaspoon grated lemon zest with the dry ingredients.