Pâte sablée - French sweet shortcrust pastry

For the long weekend my mum visited me and besides our other programmes, we - as always - prepared some desserts. We didn't know at the very beginning what exactly it will be but something from my new book, Pastry: Savory and Sweet by Michael Roux. Something sweet, something easy and small.

I opened the book, looked through the more and more delicious sweet-salty recipes then finally I chose a French sweet shortcrust pastry, the pâte sablée. Honestly my dough needed a little bit more flour than the original recipe says but after adding some extra flour the result was perfect, with perfect smell and perfect texture.

Maybe I haven't mentioned yet but my favorite ingredient of cakes, cookies is the lemon zest. Generally I put in almost every kind of desserts what it fits to and doesn't vary too much from. That's what I missed little bit also from this pastry so next time I will grate some lemon zest in the dough and put a small package of vanilla sugar as well.

Let's see first this basic but well-variable recipe then in my next post I will share what I have used this pastry for.

Ingredients:

250 g plain flour
200 g slightly softened butter (cut into small pieces)
100 g powdered sugar (sifted)
a pinch of salt
2 egg yolks

Heap the flour on a clean work surface (or as I did, measure it in a big bowl), mix with the powdered sugar and salt. Add the soft butter and crumble it with the flour, add the egg yolks and start kneading. (The original recipe says: "Heap the flour on a work surface and make a well in the centre. Put the butter, powdered sugar and salt in the well. With your fingertips, mix and cream the butter with the sugar and salt, then add the egg yolks and work them in delicately with your fingertips." I personally believe the dough will be also perfect if you use the palm of your hands, not only your fingers. :))

Knead the dough with your hands properly until you get a solid dough (not too soft, not too hard).

When it is ready you can form the dough into a ball, wrap in cling and refrigate until ready to use. You can keep it in refrigator for one week or in freezer for 3 weeks but the best is if you use immediately.

If you prepare your pâte sablée in advance, don't forget to take out from the refrigator on time before using because it takes around 1-2 hours until it softens again and is ready to use.