Soft Shortcrust Pastry
- Easy
- 10 min
- Kcal 432
Have grandchildren over for lunch? Friends over for tea or need a delicious present for your sweetheart? Whatever the reason as to why you open the fridge and pantry to prepare tarts or cookies, this recipe will reveal how to make shortcrust pastry dough, one of the basics of pastry making with which to make these recipes even more delicious! There are different variations of the shortcrust pastry based on the ingredients, cocoa shortcrust pastry and gluten-free shortcrust pastry, the proportion between liquid and dry ingredients or even their temperature, as in the soft shortcrust pastry, and the processing method. Do you know about whipped shortcrust pastry? Start by whipping soft butter and sugar, then add the rest. But there is also the "sandblasted" method by mixing the ingredients in the mixer to obtain a sandy consistency, exactly the one we present here. All that is required to prepare the shortcrust pastry dough is easily available: eggs, butter, sugar and flour... and of course our recipe to follow step by step! For Christmas cookies to give as gifts, at birthday parties or for original Halloween cookies, discover all the steps to bake butter-based delicacies to decorate!
To prepare the shortcrust pastry dough using the sanding method, start by pouring the flour into a mixer 1 (if you want, you can use a stand mixer) together with the cold butter cut into pieces 2. Run the blades several times until a sandy mixture is obtained 3. Use the mixer intermittently to ensure that the mixture does not overheat.
Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar 4 together with the lightly beaten eggs 5 and then grate the rind of an untreated lemon, ensuring to not grate the white part, without the white bitter pith 6.
Beat with the mixer again for a few moments, this time lowering the speed so that the blades mix the dough without blending 7. As soon as the mixture has come together 7, transfer it to a pastry board 8.
Quickly compact the dough with your hands to prevent gluten formation 10; do so just long enough to get a smooth and homogeneous loaf. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least a half an hour (although the longer the dough is left in the refrigerator, the more the gluten will relax and the butter will have time to cool, 10-12 hours would be even better) 11. Remove the shortcrust pastry dough which can now be used in various recipes for tarts and cookies. To roll the dough out well, simply place it on a lightly floured work surface (alternatively between two sheets of baking paper) and beat it first for a few moments with the rolling pin before rolling, so as to restore its plasticity and a little heat 12. Your shortcrust pastry dough is ready: enjoy the recipes!