Pâte Sucrée is a tender dough enriched with egg yolk. It is excellent for recipes such as Sour (Tart) Cherry Pie or The Ultimate Canadian Maple Butter Tarts.  The dough can be quickly made in a food processor or it can be easily made by hand. It can be used after one-hour of chilling or refrigerated for up to three days. For longer storage, wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and slip inside a plastic zipper bag, then label and freeze the dough. Use within one month. Pâte Brisée is another great option for pies and tarts. You can find the recipe for Pâte Brisée here.

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HOW TO MAKE PÂTE SUCRÉE PASTRY

YIELD: 20 – 3-inch tarts or 30 – 36 mini tarts

CHEF TIP: In order to extend the shelf life of the dough, I use a vacuum sealer to store and freeze the dough. Using this system eliminates air pockets and the possibility of freezer burn. This process will extend the life of the dough – use it within six months.  

NOTE: I often make a combination of different tart sizes to have available for different events. The following recipe for the pâte sucrée dough will make 8 – 3-inch tarts as well as 24 mini (2 inches) tartlets for bite-size treats.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• ¼ cup ice water, as necessary 

METHOD:

1. In a food processor bowl, combine the flour and sugar – pulse once or twice to combine.
2. Add the pieces of cold butter into the food processor and pulse 10 to 20 times until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the egg yolks and vanilla bean paste.
4. With the food processor running, pour the egg yolk mixture in through the feed tube.
5. Process until the dough comes together (about 10 – 20 seconds). Add a little ice water, one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together in a ball.
6. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate the dough for one hour before use.

CHEF TIP: Ice water is used when making pastry to keep the cold butter from melting. This keeps the pastry crust flaky.

Here is a visual step-by-step procedure “How to Make Pâte Sucrée Pastry”:

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Butter
• Oven Temperature Accuracy
• Vanilla Extract
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You Might Also Enjoy:

Learn How to Make Pate Brisee

My Mom’s French Canadian Tourtiere

The Ultimate Canadian Maple Butter Tarts

If you try my technique for How to Make Pâte Sucrée Pastry, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

 

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