If you are here you might be looking how to make rich shortcrust pastry, one one of the most important preparations of our cuisine.
Today I want to share with you not only how to make it, but also what kind of shourtcrust pastry are there, how to use it and … a little anecdote in the tough life of a food blogger 🙂
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What kind of pastry are there?
In Italian cuisine there are three basic types of rich shortcrust pastry (or pasta frolla, in Italian):
- classic one – all the ingredients apart the flour are mixed. Flour is added only at the end;
- whipped (montata) – the first step requires the butter and sugar to be whipped together;
- sabbiata or sablée – my favorite and the one I will share with you today.
What is rich shortcrust pastry used for?
The rich shortcrust pastry you are learning today is incredibly versatile.
It will become your golden standard for:
- your tarts – I simply love jam tarts, and for me the best way is to prepare your own jam with seasonal fruit, like in this persimmon jam tart.
- Crunchy cookies, perfect for tea or coffee time. As a child, I simply loved using some of the dough to create my own biscuits. It is the simplest task ever: just roll out the pastry with a rolling pin, then with a mold for cookies cut some shapes and bake them (180 °C, about 15 minutes). Actually, if you are looking for easy Italian biscuits for coffee, you will love how the taste of this pastry perfectly pairs with coffee and tea.
- Raviole bolognesi! Well, this is a typical recipe from my hometown Bologna… they are a type of biscuits filled with mustard, tipically made to celebrate Father’s Day. I guess I will make a post for them 😉
How do you say ‘rich shortcrust pastry’ in Italian?
Before we get to the recipe, I need to share with you a special thank to a lady who is always available to clarify my doubts about the exact translation into English, Chef Catherine McBride. In this specific case, understanding that pasta frolla in Italian had to be translated into rich shortcrust pastry took me a while, and she was fully supportive. If you don’t know Catherine, I highly recommend to follow her on X: she will make your day with her genuine mix of sense of humour and culinary skills. And if you are looking for a freelance writer into food and health, I can (at least) assure that when she talks about Italian food she knows what is all about!
My choices
To bake my rich shortcrust pastry I use a round baking pan in food grade silicone, like the one in the recipe pictures. You know, if you want to support this project to spread authentic Italian food … using this link will help a lot, at no additional cost for you. Grazie! 🙂
But now, let’s learn how to make rich shortcrust pastry 🙂
Rich shortcrust pastry
Equipment
- a mixer
- a grater
- a rolling pin
Ingredients
- 250 gr butter cold from the fridge
- 500 gr flour '00'
- 2 eggs cold from the fridge
- 150 gr icing sugar
- 1 organic lemon
Instructions
- Start putting into the mixer the butter and the flour.
- Mix them at medium speed, until you obtain the texture of sand, due to the fat mixing with the flour. Hint. turn on and off the mixer frequently, so it does not make the butter warm.
- With the mixer off, add the icing sugar, the beaten eggs and some lemon peel, then mix all the ingredients at minimum speed.
- Remove the dough from the mixer, shape it with the hands and wrap it with film for food. Your rich shortcrust is pastry is ready, you just need to cool it again to work it. Put it into the fridge, where it will rest for 1 hour (up to 3 days).
- When you need to use the rich shortcrust pastry, remove it from the fridge and hit it with a rolling pin.
- Then roll it out between two layers of baking paper, until it is as thick as you need it. Enjoy!
Notes
- I usually prepare the rich shortcrust pastry the evening before, so it cools perfectly (about 10 hours). Anyway, I strongly recommend to cool it for at least 1 hour.
- Always remember that when you use the lemon peel, always grate the yellow part, not the white one, which is bitter.
Disclosure
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Buon appetito!
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