Pastry
Butter-Rich Tart Pastry (Pâte Brisée)
Keep the butter cold, pulse only enough to combine and give the dough a chilled rest before lining a tart pan. The filling is prepared separately.
- Yield
- 1 small batch
- Cuisine
- French-inspired
Bring it to the table
Stop before it turns into a paste
Pulse the butter into the flour in short bursts, then add cold water just until the mixture holds together when pressed.
At the table
Use as a tart shell with a separately prepared filling, baking the shell as that filling requires.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
- 125 g all-purpose flour — plus a little for rolling
- 102.5 g unsalted butter — cold, in small cubes
- 1.5 g salt
- 37.5 g cold water
A few useful notes.
This is an unsweetened dough component, not a complete tart.
The control represents one small dough batch; shell size and thickness determine how much is needed.
Do not taste raw dough.
The cooking plan
How to make Butter-Rich Tart Pastry (Pâte Brisée).
Pulse the flour, salt and cold butter in a food processor until the butter is distributed in small pieces. Add the measured cold water and pulse briefly, stopping as soon as the mixture holds when pressed together.
Gather gently into a disc without prolonged kneading. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Keep refrigerated and use within 2 days, or freeze promptly for later use.
Let the dough soften just enough to roll. Roll about 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface or between parchment. Line the chosen tart pan without stretching the dough, trim and chill again until firm, about 30 minutes.
Follow your filling recipe for baking. If an empty shell needs a partial bake, heat the oven to 375°F, set the pan on a baking sheet, line the chilled shell with parchment and fill with pie weights. Start checking around 20 minutes and continue until the sides are set and the lining lifts cleanly.
Remove the weights carefully. For a fully baked shell, continue until the base looks dry and golden, checking after another 5–15 minutes as needed for the pan and thickness. Cool before adding a no-bake filling.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Butter-Rich Tart Pastry (Pâte Brisée)
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Ingredients
Equipment
Equipment images are illustrative. Exact products may vary.
Instructions
- Pulse the flour, salt and cold butter in a food processor until the butter is distributed in small pieces. Add the measured cold water and pulse briefly, stopping as soon as the mixture holds when pressed together.
- Gather gently into a disc without prolonged kneading. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Keep refrigerated and use within 2 days, or freeze promptly for later use.
- Let the dough soften just enough to roll. Roll about 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface or between parchment. Line the chosen tart pan without stretching the dough, trim and chill again until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Follow your filling recipe for baking. If an empty shell needs a partial bake, heat the oven to 375°F, set the pan on a baking sheet, line the chilled shell with parchment and fill with pie weights. Start checking around 20 minutes and continue until the sides are set and the lining lifts cleanly.
- Remove the weights carefully. For a fully baked shell, continue until the base looks dry and golden, checking after another 5–15 minutes as needed for the pan and thickness. Cool before adding a no-bake filling.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!A couple of useful answers.
Does this dough contain sugar?
No. It uses flour, butter, salt and water.
Do I need to bake it before filling?
That depends on the filling. Follow the complete tart recipe for a partial or full bake.
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