Tart Crust (Pâte Sucrée)

butter	8 TBSP
sugar	66 g
flour	150 g
salt	1/4 tsp
egg yolks	1

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Add the flour and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until the flour is incorporated. The mixture will look like wet, clumpy sand.
• Add the egg yolk and mix on low speed until the yolk is evenly incorporated and the dough is clumpy, about 30 seconds.
• Using your hand, lightly knead the dough into a ball inside the bowl.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, press it into a 6-inch disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. (The dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using.)
• Place the chilled dough inside the pan. Pinch off pieces of dough and press them against the sides of the pan to reach just shy of a ¼ inch thick and about ⅛ inch above the rim (you’ll trim the top later). Using the heel of your hand, press the rest of the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. (It will look like a mess, and it may seem like you won’t have enough dough at first, but have faith, it will come together.) Be sure there are no seams in the dough, and press it squarely along the corners where the bottom meets the sides to avoid extra-thick edges. Use a paring knife to trim the top edge of the dough so it is even with the rim of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to chill.
  • JO: Prick bottom of crust with fork.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
• Place the chilled pâte sucrée on a baking sheet (for easy handling) and bake for 23 to 26 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Sources

In the end, I most closely followed the recipe from Once Upon a Chef.

• Once Upon A Chef
• King Arthur
• Serious Eats - To be honest, this just does not look very good
• Martha Stewart
• Smitten Kitchen
• Once Upon A Chef

Notes

See also notes under frangipane tart.

• 2022-07-19: Used dough from 2022-07-04. Miserable failure! Dough slumped AND lumped (bubbled) in blind bake, and was undercooked after second bake. In the end I was able to continue cooking enough to get something tasty by setting the tart on the floor of the oven and baking at 300 for… a while! Possible explanations:
  • highly suspect: 1 egg instead of 1 egg yolk
  • dough was previously frozen
  • dough thawed in fridge for too long (days?)
  • shaped crust sat in fridge too long (a day? more?)
  • highly suspect: I let the cookie sheet preheat in the oven, thinking this would jump start the baking and further guard against slumping/melting during blind bake.
• 2022-07-04: Double batch, each with:
  • 1 stick butter
  • 60g sugar
  • 150g flour
  • 0.25tsp Salt
  • 1 egg
• 2022-07-??: First attempt came out fantastic!
• Can make it in a mixer or food processor
  • If you are filling with frangipane, and starting from whole nuts (i.e. you need to grind them), a food processor saves you some dishes.

Ingredient Comparison Table

Ingredient	KA	SE	MS	SK	OC	Note
butter (tbsp)	8	16	8	9	8	—
sugar (g)	50	170	21	60*	66	*powdered sugar
flour (g)	150	425	150	195	150	—
salt (tsp)	1/4	2	1/2	1/4	1/4	—
egg yolks	1	1	1	0	1	—
egg	0	1	0	1	0	—
milk	1tbsp	2tbsp*	0	0	0	*cream
vanilla	1tsp	1tbsp	0	0	0	—
water	0	0	2TBSP	0	0	—