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CLASSIC SHORTCRUST PASTRY RECIPE
Shortcrust pastry is one of the fundamental preparations of Italian pastry making. Tarts, cookies, and tartlets all start with this simple yet delicate dough, which requires precision and proper technique to achieve the best results. In this guide, you’ll learn how to make classic Italian shortcrust pastry and its main variations, while avoiding the most common mistakes and following professional pastry-making techniques.
How to Make Shortcrust Pastry Step by Step
Shortcrust pastry requires only a few ingredients, but precision makes all the difference. Here are the key points:
- Butter: Depending on the mixing method, use cubed butter at 14–16 °C (57–61 °F), when it is soft and pliable, or cold butter straight from the refrigerator at about 4 °C (39 °F). Never use melted butter.
- Flour: Choose a low-protein flour (Italian 00 flour with about 8–9% protein) to achieve a tender, crumbly texture.
- Sugar: Use powdered sugar for a finer, smoother shortcrust pastry, or granulated sugar for a crisper texture.
- Mixing: You can prepare the dough by hand or with a stand mixer, using either the sablage or creaming method. Avoid overmixing, as excessive gluten development will make the pastry tough.
- Resting: Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably 12.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 500 gr Baking Flour
- 230 gr Icing Sugar
- 300 gr Butter (at 14/16°C (57-60°F))
- 80 gr Eggs
- 20 gr Honey
- 4 gr Salt
- 1 pod Vanilla Bourbon
Instructions
- Work at medium speed softened butter with powdered sugar, honey, and flavorings in the mixer
- Separately, dissolve the salt into the eggs so that it is dispersed. Once the butter is well mixed with the sugars, add the eggs while continuing to mix.
- Add the flour to the mixture and knead just for the time needed to form the dough. It is essential not to overdo with the working of the shortcrust pastry and avoid the formation of gluten, which would make the tart not very crumbly and "rubbery" once baked.
- Let set the shortcrust pastry in the fridge for at least 2 hours covered with plastic wrap.
- When out of the fridge, shortly re-knead the shortcrust pastry and roll it out (to about ½ cm to make tart bottoms) using a tiny amount of flour.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C (320°F) for at least 20 min with the oven door slightly open.
Video
Notes
Shortcrust Pastry Variations with Suggested Ratios
Classic Shortcrust Pastry (Milano Style)
The most versatile version, perfect for tarts and cookies.Ingredients: 500 g low-protein 00 flour, 250 g butter, 250 g powdered sugar, 100 g whole eggs.
Tender and well balanced, this is one of the classic reference formulas in traditional Italian pastry making.
Tender Shortcrust Pastry
More butter, less sugar, and fewer eggs create a softer, more delicate, crumbly texture.Ingredients: 500 g flour, 350 g butter, 175 g powdered sugar, 85 g whole eggs.
Ideal for cream- or fruit-filled tarts and for preparations where a particularly tender, crumbly texture is desired, although the dough will also be more delicate to handle.
Crisp Shortcrust Pastry
Less butter, more granulated sugar, and more eggs give the dough a firmer structure and a crisper texture.Ingredients: 500 g flour, 200 g butter, 290 g granulated sugar, 115 g whole eggs.
Ideal for crisp cookies and tart shells that need greater structural strength.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making Shortcrust Pastry
1. Using Butter That Is Too Soft or Melted
The butter should remain pliable and must not melt. If it is too warm, the dough becomes greasy and difficult to handle.2. Overworking the Dough
Overworking shortcrust pastry develops too much gluten and makes it tough. Mix only until the dough comes together and becomes homogeneous.3. Skipping the Refrigeration Rest
Resting is essential to firm up the butter and relax the gluten. Without this step, the dough is more likely to lose its shape during baking.4. Baking at Too High a Temperature
The baking temperature depends on the thickness, shape, and intended use of the shortcrust pastry. In general, bake it at 160–170 °C (320–338 °F) in a conventional oven. Lower temperatures promote more even baking, while higher temperatures speed up browning and drying. Avoid excessive heat, which can brown the surface too quickly before the pastry is evenly baked through.5. Not Weighing the Eggs
Eggs vary in weight, so it is best to weigh them and follow the correct ratio to avoid throwing the dough out of balance.Technical Tips for Perfect Shortcrust Pastry
- Use pliable butter at 14–16 °C (57–61 °F) for classic and whipped shortcrust pastry, and cold butter at about 4 °C (39 °F) for the sablage method.
- Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours for the best tart results.
- Add honey or invert sugar to help retain moisture and improve browning during baking.
How to Store Shortcrust Pastry
- In the refrigerator (+4 °C / 39 °F): keep the shortcrust pastry tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for 4–5 days.
- In the freezer (−18 °C / 0 °F): it can be stored for up to 2 months. Thaw it slowly in the refrigerator before working with it again.
The Essential Ingredients of Shortcrust Pastry
Shortcrust pastry is made from four basic ingredients: flour, sugar, fat, and liquids. Additional ingredients such as cocoa, nuts, or flavorings can also be added to enhance its flavor and texture.
Flour
For a tender, crumbly shortcrust pastry that is not chewy, use a low-protein pastry flour, with a protein content between 8% and 9%. Whether it is Italian type 0, 00, or type 1 is less important: always check the label and choose a flour with a low protein content to limit gluten development.
Sugars
In addition to providing sweetness and color during baking, sugars also act as preservatives because they bind free water. Granulated sugar produces a crisper shortcrust pastry, while powdered sugar gives it a softer texture.
Fats
Butter is the ingredient that gives shortcrust pastry its tender, crumbly texture and aroma. It helps carry flavors, improves shelf life, and limits gluten development. For the best results, always allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator at about +4 °C (39 °F).
Liquids and Eggs
Eggs provide water and proteins that help give structure to the dough. As a general guideline, they are calculated at around 10% of the total weight of the recipe. Egg yolks, which are rich in fat, also increase tenderness and add color.
Shortcrust Pastry Mixing Methods
The mixing method has a major impact on the final result. The same formula can produce very different textures depending on how it is prepared. The three main methods are:
1. Classic Method
Work pliable butter at 14–16 °C (57–61 °F) with the sugar and flavorings, then add the eggs beaten with the salt, followed by the flour. After mixing, let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 10–12 hours.
2. Sablage Method
Mix cold butter at about 4 °C (39 °F) with the flour until the mixture develops a sandy texture. This helps reduce gluten development and produces a more tender, crumbly shortcrust pastry. After adding the sugar and eggs, let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 10–12 hours.
3. Creaming Method
This method is ideal for piped cookies. Cream pliable butter at 14–16 °C (57–61 °F) with the sugar, then add the eggs, flavorings, and flour. This type of shortcrust pastry should be used immediately. Do not exceed 30% butter of the total recipe weight, otherwise the cookies may lose their shape during baking.
How to Customize Your Shortcrust Pastry Formula
For those who want to create their own formulas, here are a few guidelines for balancing the ingredients in shortcrust pastry to achieve very different results.
The BASIC BALANCING FORMULA for a standard shortcrust pastry suitable for a wide range of preparations uses the following proportions:
- Flour: 1 kg
- Sugar: 500 g
- Butter: 500 g
>> Total weight of ingredients: 2 kg
Now let’s calculate the amount of eggs. Eggs are generally added at 10% of the total weight of the ingredients. In this example, 10% of 2 kg = 200 g.
Do not forget the salt, which is calculated at 0.5% of the flour weight. With 1 kg of flour, this gives 0.5% × 1,000 = 5 g of salt.
So far, this is fairly straightforward. But what happens if we start increasing the amount of butter to obtain a more tender, crumbly shortcrust pastry, for example one to use as the base for a mousse?
In this case, not only the fat content changes, but also the amount of liquid in the formula, since approximately 18% of butter consists of a liquid component. As a general guideline, for every 100 g of butter added or removed, compensate with approximately 30 g of eggs or 35 g of egg yolks. Keep in mind that when you increase the butter, you need to decrease the eggs, and vice versa.
For example:
- Flour: 1 kg
- Sugar: 500 g
- Butter: 600 g (+100 g compared with the standard formula)
- Eggs: 200 − 30 = 170 g
- Salt: 5 g
Additional Ingredients
- Cocoa powder: replace 100 g of flour with 20 g of unsweetened cocoa powder and add 10 g of sugar.
- Nut flour: replace 100 g of flour with 200 g of nut flour; add an amount of egg equal to 10% of the weight of the nuts.
- Nut pastes: for every 50 g of butter, add 10 g of hazelnut or pistachio paste and an amount of egg white equal to 20% of the weight of the paste.
- Chocolate or cocoa mass: add 300–400 g per kg of flour, melted to 30 °C (86 °F) and incorporated into the butter.
I replay your questions about shortcrust pastry
9 thoughts on “Pasta Frolla: Ricetta Classica e Varianti”
è possibile omettere lo zucchero o invece di utilizzare lo zucchero classico, utilizzare diversi tipi di dolcificante?
Ottime indicazioni, semplici e chiare
Ciao,
come posso calcolare quanti grammi di frolla servono in base alla teglia che uso?
Ad esempio, per foderare uno stampo da 24 cm quanti grammi di frolla servono?
Ciao Matteo,
per una teglia da 24cm impasta pure 250gr di farina per ottenere 600gr di Frolla!
Se usi una da 32cm, fai invece 500gr (1.2kg di Frolla)
A presto!