{"id":4415,"date":"2021-09-08T13:25:34","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T17:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thequaintkitchen.com\/?p=4415"},"modified":"2023-02-06T17:00:06","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T22:00:06","slug":"vegan-pate-sucree-shortcrust-pastry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thequaintkitchen.com\/en\/vegan-pate-sucree-shortcrust-pastry\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan P\u00e2te Sucr\u00e9e\/Shortcrust Pastry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s about time I shared a vegan p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e recipe so we can get started on making all kinds of tarts on here. (First up will be a vegan strawberry tart<\/a> so stay tuned for that). This is my go-to dough for making any kind of tart or tartlets. It\u2019s versatile, you can flavour it with extracts, spices, zest, or even make a chocolate version of it. And, most of all, it\u2019s simple to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e and what\u2019s it used for<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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P\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e is a form of shortcrust pastry<\/strong> and one of three main french pastry doughs used for tarts. There\u2019s p\u00e2te bris\u00e9e, p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e and p\u00e2te sabl\u00e9e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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P\u00e2te bris\u00e9e<\/strong> is similar to pie crust in its ingredients but it yields a tighter, more dense crumb, unlike pie crust which is very flaky. On the other hand, p\u00e2te sabl\u00e9e<\/strong>, another shortcrust pastry, has a much more buttery, sweet and crumbly texture, most commonly helped by the addition of almond powder and egg yolks, but is also more difficult to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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P\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e<\/strong> (literally \u201csweet dough\u201d) falls somewhere in between. It\u2019s the best of both worlds since it\u2019s sturdier than p\u00e2te sabl\u00e9e and has more flavour than p\u00e2te bris\u00e9e. It\u2019s crisp, sweet, buttery, and basically tastes like a sugar cookie.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ingredients used to make it are butter, powdered sugar, eggs (and sometimes yolks), flour, salt and sometimes vanilla. Some recipes also use almond powder, like this one. Although not necessarily traditional, it adds nice flavour, especially for a vegan p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e, and helps with that crumbly melt-in-your-mouth texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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P\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e can be used for fruit tarts with custard<\/a>, frangipane tarts, chocolate tarts\u2026<\/strong>basically anything you don\u2019t want to make in a pie crust. Although you could make all those things in a flaky pie crust as well. It just depends on the flavour and texture you\u2019re going for, and if you want a top crust or not. Tarts are always uncovered whereas pies can have both a bottom and top crust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ingredients<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The basics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Butter.<\/strong> I used homemade vegan butter<\/a>, but any vegan block butter will work. Avoid vegan margarine or vegan butter in tubs in general as they have a higher water content and will affect the texture of your dough and the way it bakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Salt.<\/strong> I always use regular ol\u2019 table salt for my recipes. It\u2019s very fine so it dissolves easily, and it\u2019s what most people have. If the butter you\u2019re using is salted, you can just leave it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Powdered sugar.<\/strong> This helps give that crumbly yet crisp texture to the tart shell and since there\u2019s no creaming of the butter and sugar in this recipe, powdered sugar will incorporate and dissolve in the butter much more easily. Make sure to sift it to get rid of any lumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cornstarch.<\/strong> It lightens the crumb but helps bind the dough while it bakes, and also prevents it from losing its shape or collapsing in the oven. You could also use potato or arrowroot starch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Milk.<\/strong> Since this is eggless, the milk is what adds hydration to the dough. Any plant based milk will do here. Preferably unsweetened, but sweetened will also work. You could even use a vanilla flavoured one if you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flour.<\/strong> Regular all-purpose flour works best in this recipe. Usually cake flour is used for shortcrust pastry to give it that really crumbly texture, but since there\u2019s no egg proteins to bind and keep the whole thing together here, that would just make it too<\/em> fragile. Not to mention a pain to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The extras<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Almond powder.<\/strong> It adds a nice buttery flavour to the dough and also helps with the tender crumb of the tart. You could even use hazelnut powder for a different flavour profile. If you want to keep the recipe nut-free, you can replace it with about 20g of all-purpose flour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vanilla extract or vanille bean paste.<\/strong> This is completely optional, it\u2019s just for added flavour. You could use other extracts or even spices, herbs or zests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to make vegan p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Making the dough<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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You can make this recipe by hand or with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer<\/strong>. I prefer to make it by hand since it\u2019s really easy and there\u2019s no creaming involved, it\u2019s really just mixing in each ingredient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Start by working the butter alone just so it\u2019s pliable. You want your butter cold but not rock hard<\/strong> since you need to be able to work it into the other ingredients. I like to use either a metal or wooden spoon in the beginning as to not break a rubber spatula (again). Then add the salt, powdered sugar and almond powder. The goal here is to just mix everything until homogenous, not to cream them<\/strong>. Creaming would incorporate air which would cause your dough to puff and bubble in the oven, which is not what we want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once that\u2019s smooth, stir in the milk and cornstarch. At this point the mixture will look completely split. That\u2019s normal, don\u2019t panic. Eggs usually emulsify in because they contain lecithin, but since we\u2019re just adding milk into fat here, it\u2019s going to split.<\/strong> It\u2019ll come together once you start adding the flour.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stir in 100 g of the flour just to smooth out the dough, then add in the rest<\/strong> and work it in as much as you can, then go in with your hands to finish incorporating it. At this point you\u2019re meant to \u201cfraser\u201d the dough, or in other words slowly smear the dough on the counter with the heel of your hand or a bench scraper to fully incorporate the flour without overworking the dough. But there\u2019s no need to do that here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Simply give the dough a few kneads to make sure no dry patches remain.<\/strong> Don\u2019t knead it as if it were a bread dough, just a few kneads will do. We don\u2019t want to overwork it and develop the gluten too much<\/strong>, that would make for a tough and dense tart shell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chilling it<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Wrap it in cling film (or cling film alternative) and place it in the fridge for at least one hour or up to a week<\/strong>. You could also put it in the freezer for up to 2 months. The chill time allows the dough to harden so it\u2019s easier to work with. It also allows the flour to hydrate and the gluten to relax so the dough doesn\u2019t spring back while you\u2019re rolling it or shrink when it\u2019s baking. So I wouldn\u2019t skip this step!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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how to work with vegan p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Once you\u2019re ready to work with it, place it on a well floured surface, on a piece of parchment, or between 2 pieces of parchment. I would recommend the parchment since it makes it easier to transfer to the fridge and the pie pan. If the dough is too hard to work with, you can let it soften slightly<\/strong><\/em> at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you don\u2019t want to deal with rolling out dough, you can also just grab pieces of it and press them evenly into your pie dish\/pan to form the tart shell. Since there\u2019s almond powder in the dough, it can be a bit harder to work with<\/strong> so that\u2019s another great option. After you\u2019ve pressed the dough into the pan, go over it with a flat-bottomed cup to even it out and trim the top flush with the pie pan using a paring knife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Whether you\u2019re rolling it out or pressing it in, aim for a thickness of about 3-4mm\/1\/8 inch and no more than 6mm\/1\/4 inch<\/strong>. The thicker it is the longer it\u2019ll last before getting soggy from the filling, but the harder it will be to cut and eat. So 4mm is a good in-between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If the dough gets too soft at any point while you\u2019re working with it, place it in the fridge or freezer to firm back up for about 10 minutes. As you\u2019re rolling it out, you might notice it cracking around the egdes, that\u2019s normal<\/strong>, your dough might just be too cold so it doesn\u2019t have as much give. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once you\u2019ve rolled it out to the right thickness and big enough to cover the whole pan, carefully transfer it to your pie plate<\/strong>. Draping it over your rolling pin isn\u2019t the best option here as the dough is prone to cracking. I personally just flip the whole parchment right over the pan. Remove most of the overhang so it doesn\u2019t weigh the sides down and start pressing the dough into the pan, making sure it\u2019s well pressed into the corners. If there are holes or cracks, you can simply patch them with pieces of dough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Baking vegan p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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All that\u2019s left is to dock it, trim off the excess, and bake! I like to put it in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes before trimming off the top to get a cleaner cut. Use a paring knife and simply follow the top edge of your pan to cut off the extra dough. Then dock the whole bottom using a fork.<\/strong> This will allow steam to escape and prevent your dough from puffing up as it bakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Place the whole thing in the fridge again for another 15-20 minutes before baking so the butter is solid when the dough goes into the oven<\/strong>. It\u2019ll help the tart shell keep its shape while baking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I honestly never use pie weights when baking this vegan p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e. You can if you\u2019re not sure how it\u2019s going to bake. But if the dough is well made and you didn\u2019t incorporate too much air, it should bake just fine. If I do see the bottom puffing up, I simply puncture it with a fork or knife, flatten it with the back of a spoon and continue baking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you\u2019re going to add a filling that needs baking like frangipane, just parbake the dough for about 10-15 minutes<\/strong>. But if you\u2019re going to fill it with something that doesn\u2019t need baking like custard, fully bake the crust for about 25 minutes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After the tart has cooled for a few minutes, remove it from the pan and let it cool completely. At this point I like to use a Microplane just to clean up the edges and smooth them out. It\u2019s completely optional obviously, I\u2019m just a bit of a perfectionist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Storing p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Once the vegan p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e dough is made, it can be kept tightly wrapped in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.<\/strong> Let it thaw completely in the fridge before working with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also fully bake the tart shell and keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week<\/strong>. If it\u2019s very<\/em> humid where you are, about 3-5 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can make and fill your tart about a day or two ahead of time if you\u2019d like. To prevent it from getting soggy you can either brush the whole inside of the tart shell with melted cocoa butter or melted chocolate (white, milk or dark will depend on the flavour of your tart)<\/strong>. It\u2019ll create a sort of barrier between the crust and the filling and prevent it from getting as soggy. Of course, make sure your filling is completely cool to avoid melting that layer when you put it in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vegan P\u00e2te Sucr\u00e9e\/Shortcrust Pastry<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\nTatyana<\/span>\n
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Crisp, sturdy, tender and slightly sweet vegan p\u00e2te sucr\u00e9e for all your tart-making needs. Easy and quick to make by hand and perfectly versatile. <\/span><\/div>\n
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