What Is Shortcrust Pastry?

There's no better time to brush up on your pastry know-how than pie season (our favorite time of year!).

Shortcrust pastry is a French-style dough with a crumbly, biscuit-like texture. This style of dough is "short" because the amount of flour is usually double the amount of fat, allowing it to break apart more easily than American-style pie dough (a closer ratio of flour to fat). Shortcrust pastry is primarily used for sweet and savory pies, tarts, and quiche.

Follow this guide to learn more about the three types of shortcrust pastry, the best uses for each, and recipes to try. Happy baking!

Pâte Brisée

How to say it: PAt BrEE-zAY

How to remember it: This dough is a "breeze" to make because it has an easy method and the fewest ingredients.

Ingredients: Flour, butter (or other fat), and water. (Some recipes have a small amount of sugar, but the traditional version is made without.)

How it's made: Pâte brisée has the same ingredients as a typical American flaky pie dough, but utilizes a different technique. The French method beats the fat and flour together before adding water, developing more gluten and a tighter texture for a much sturdier dough.

How to use it: Pâte brisée is considered an all-purpose pastry dough. Because it doesn't usually have sugar, it works especially well in savory tarts and pies like Spinach and Bacon Quiche or Chicken Pot Pie II.

Bonus round: Pate Foncee (FON-sAY) is a pate brisée with egg added to the dough for a little extra richness.

Get the Recipe: Pate Brisee (French Shortcrust)

Pâte Sucrée

How to say it: PAt SUE-crAY

How to remember it: Sucrée sounds like sugar, which is the key ingredient in this dough.

Ingredients: Butter, sugar, egg, and flour.

How it's made: The ingredients in pâte sucrée read like a sugar cookie recipe, so it's no surprise that the methods are similar. Butter and sugar are creamed together until fluffy, then the egg is beaten in, then the flour is added. The sugar in the dough turns it golden brown as it bakes and makes it crisp. Crisp is code for leak proof (no soggy bottoms!), making this dough perfect for liquid fillings like custards.

How to use it: Blind bake the crust (bake without any filling) first, and cool. Add filling and continue to bake or chill until set. Try with custard or cream pies like Pumpkin Custard Pie and Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie.

Get the Recipe: Pate Sucree

Pâte Sablée

How to say it: PAt SAH-blAY

How to remember it: Sablée sounds like sand, which is a great descriptor for the fine-crumb texture of the dough once it's baked.

Ingredients: Butter, powdered sugar, egg, flour, and almond flour.

How it's made: The method is similar to a pâte sucrée's, with the sugar and butter creamed together first. The powdered sugar and almond flour make this dough quite delicate, so it's better to press into a pie or tart pan rather than roll out with a rolling pin. Once baked, it will have a crumbly texture just like great shortbread.

How to use it: This dough is traditionally used in French pastry for fresh fruit tarts. Lighter fillings like curd, mousse, or meringue are also a great match for the delicate crust. Try with a Fresh Fruit and Mascarpone Tart or a classic Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie.

Now that you know all about shortcrust pastry, it's time to bake all the pies and tarts! Find all the inspiration you'll need with our collection of Pie Recipes.

Related:

• How To Use Store-Bought Pie Crust To Make Desserts That Aren't Pie
• Want a Flaky Pie Crust? Just Add Vodka
• Zac Posen's Pointers for the Perfect Pie Crust