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Sweet Pastry

A crisp, buttery sweet pastry enriched with sugar and egg for tart cases, fruit tarts and other filled desserts.

By Gary Burfield-Wallis First published Updated
Sweet pastry dough and finished fruit tarts on a worktop.

At a glance

Recipe summary

Prep
25 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
50 min
Total
1 hr 35 min
Serves
1 tart case
Skill
Moderate

Sweet pastry adds sugar and egg to the shortcrust method, giving a richer, crisper tart shell. Two chilling periods help it hold a neat shape.

Sweet pastry dough wrapped and ready to chill.
Hands pressing sweet pastry into a fluted tart tin.

What you need

Ingredients

Metric US Ingredient
250 g 2 cups plain flour
125 g ½ cup cold unsalted butter Cubed.
50 g ¼ cup caster sugar
1 large 1 large egg Lightly beaten.
Pinch Pinch fine salt
15–30 ml 1–2 tbsp ice-cold water Only if needed.

How to make it

Method

  1. Sift the 250 g flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the 125 g cold butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  2. Stir in the 50 g sugar, then add the beaten egg and mix with a fork. Add cold water a little at a time only if needed.
  3. Bring the dough together gently, flatten into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Roll the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3 to 5 mm thick.
  5. Line a 23 cm / 9-inch tart tin, press the pastry into the corners and trim. Prick the base and chill for another 20 minutes.
  6. Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F. Line the case with baking paper and baking beans.
  7. Blind bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and beans, then bake for about 5 minutes more until dry and lightly golden.
  8. Cool before filling unless the final recipe instructs otherwise.

Useful notes

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Fork or table knife
  • Rolling pin
  • 23 cm / 9-inch tart tin
  • Baking paper
  • Baking beans
  • Wire rack

Substitutions

  • Add vanilla, citrus zest or almond extract for flavour.
  • Use icing sugar for a finer-textured pâte sucrée.
  • Use a food processor with brief pulses to avoid warming the butter.

Allergen notes

  • Contains wheat, egg and milk.

Storage

Keep wrapped dough in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. A blind-baked unfilled case can be kept airtight for up to 2 days.

Tips

  • Keep the pastry cool at every stage.
  • Do not overwork the dough after adding the liquid.
  • Chilling the lined case helps reduce shrinkage.