How To Make Pâte Brisée ( Using French Technique) | Perfect Shortcrust Pastry Recipe (By Hand)
Pate Brisee, often referred to as “shortcrust pastry” in English, is a fundamental and versatile component of French Pastry. This buttery, flaky and crumbly pastry dough is the foundation for an array of sweet and savory creations. The name itself, “Pate Brisee”, translates to “broken dough”, which accurately describes the crumbly and tender nature of this pastry. It is a versatile, buttery and easy-to-work-with dough that serves as the foundation for numerous culinary creations, including tarts, quiches, pies and savory pastries, making it an essential element of both French and international culinary traditions.
Pate Brisee is a delectable pie crust made using the French technique known as “Fraisage”. After combining all the ingredients, this method involves swiftly working the dough with the heel of your hand, smearing small portions away from you into thin streaks. Each section is only smeared once, resulting in long alternating ribbons of butter and dough. Fraisage technique helps to prevent leakage of thin pie doughs. As smearing out the butter makes the butter layers thinner, so if butter melts it doesn’t create weakness in the area with larger lump of butter. This meticulous process is pivotal in achieving a flaky, layered and tender pie crust. By mastering the art of Fraisage, you ensure a delicate, buttery foundation for your pies, elevating their texture and flavour to culinary perfection.
For making Pate Brisee, feel free to use all purpose flour. Always use high-quality butter. It should be cold, straight from the refrigerator and cut into small cubes. The touch of sugar helps tenderize the crust but its optional. Always use ice-cold water, as it keep the butter from melting prematurely.
Ingredients:
200 gm All-purpose Flour
100 gm Cold Butter
4-5 tbsp Ice-Cold Water
1/2 tbsp Sugar
Pinch of Salt
Preparation:
- Step 1: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt & sugar and mix everything properly.
- Step 2: Then add the chilled butter and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea sized pieces of butter still visible.
- Step 3: Toss in 3-4 tbsp of ice water and stir to combine.
- Step 4: Dump the mixture onto a clean and cold work surface and form a dough ball.
- Step 5: Working quickly and swiftly with the heel of your hand, smearing small portions away from you into thin streaks. Each section is only smeared once, this technique is known as “Fraisage”.
- Step 6: Collect the dough together and wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before working with it.
- Step 7: Your dough is now ready to use. You can store the dough in the freezer for 2 months for longer use (defrost the dough overnight in the refrigerator before using).
Tips:
Cold ingredients are essential for a successful Pate Brisee. Use cold butter and ice-cold water to prevent the fat from melting prematurely, as this is what creates the flaky texture.
Avoid excessive kneading of the dough, overworking the dough can lead to a tough crust.
Always use high quality butter for Pate Brisee. You can use lard too.
Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. In the fridge the butter will turn solid again which will help to create the right consistency.
You can easily double the recipe.
For storing Pate Brisee, wrap in cling wrap and for 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and use according to you recipe.
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DEBJANI MONDAL
Welcome to Kitchenstagram, the home of delicious recipes, culinary inspiration and cooking adventures. I’m Debjani and I’m thrilled to be your guide through the wonderful world of food. I’m a self-taught professional baker, home chef, recipe developer, author of Kitchenstagram and an aspiring YouTuber.
My passion for food and cooking began at a very young age, when I would watch my mom and dad cook for me and my brother. My dad, in particular is a great cook whose culinary skills made a lasting impression on me. My dad would cook up a storm on special occasions by cooking variety of dishes, from delicious biriyani to samosa, fish fry, rasgullas and kachoris (sweet & spicy deep fried pastry with filling of lentils, meat or fish…>>>>>
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