The sweet shortcrust pastry, i won’t dwell on the origins of this preparation. I’m proposing the recipe for a sweet preparation because I’d like to propose a pear-amandine tart soon. I wasn’t familiar with the name because you can buy pizza dough, puff pastry or shortcrust pastry in shops, and I originally wanted to make a « homemade » shortcrust pastry, but my research changed my mind.

Here’s the best option, and it’s no harder when you know the difference. Here’s a recipe for a sweet preparation. Although « chefs » tend to complicate what is simple, for the sake of simplicity, shortbread pastry is a sweet shortcrust pastry where the proportion of sugar is higher, but the basic recipe is the same.

The recipe is very easy to make if you know one « technical » step, and above all the right proportions of liquid to flour. The right proportions are hard to find on the internet, but after a few tries, I was able to determine the ideal proportions (solid/liquid) to make the dough every time.

Special utensils

• A cul-de-poule, a pastry horn
• A silicone mat

Ingredients for sweet shortcrust pastry

Pastry for 25 cm diameter tarts

• 250 g floor (type 55)
• 125 g soft butter
• 15 g caster sugar
• 4 g salt
• 1 whole egg
• Water to adjust liquid weight to 75 g

Preparation (sweet shortcrust pastry for sweet preparations)

• Mix the liquid elements: water and egg.
• Mix flour, salt and sugar well.
• Place the flour in a mixing bowl and mix with the butter using your fingertips. This step can be carried out with a food processor and its leaf.

• Once the mixture has a sandy appearance, stop mixing.
• Add the liquids and mix lightly
• Empty onto the work surface and mill once with the palm of your hand.

• Form into a ball, then flatten a little before wrapping and refrigerating.

Tips

• Proportion: for 250 g of flour we can make a 25 cm diameter tart, knowing that we spread to a thickness of about 2 mm.
• Proporiton for a 22 cm diameter mould: 200 g flour, 100 g butter, 12 g sugar, 60 g egg and 3 g salt.
• It’s used for sweet fillings and shortcrust pastry for savoury fillings. In fact, the only obvious difference is the addition of a little sugar to the dough. This changes the proportions slightly.
• To make shortcrust pastry for savoury preparations, simply remove the sugar and egg and adjust the water to the ingredients.

Original ideas (Antho’s corner)

1. Add flavorings or ingredients to the dough:
   • Lemon zest: Add a little grated lemon zest to the dough to add a fresh, lemony note.
   • Spices: Add a little cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg to the dough for a spicy touch.
   • Almonds: Add a little ground almond or almond powder to the dough to add a hint of almond.
   • Chocolate: Add a little melted or powdered chocolate to the dough to add a chocolate note