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Classic French pâte brisée tart crust in a 9-inch baking pan.

Classic French Tart Crust (Pâte Brisée)

Nataliia
This is my go-to recipe for for the classic French tart crust, pâte brisée. It is made with just 4 simple ingredients, and comes together easily by hand or in a food processor. I use this buttery flaky crust for both savory and sweet tarts.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
total chilling time 1 hour
Course Baking
Cuisine French
Servings 1 tart crust
Calories 1447 kcal

Equipment

  • kitchen scale
  • measuring spoons
  • 1 9-inch (24cm) tart or pie pan
  • 1 sheet parchment paper
  • ceramic pie weights, dry beans, rice or sugar

Ingredients
  

  • 175 grams (1½cup plus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoons salt
  • 113 grams cold butter
  • 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 milliliters) iced cold water

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the pan. Slightly grease 9-inch round tart or pie pan with butter to prevent it from sticking.
  • Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Whisk to distribute evenly.
  • Add butter. Add cold butter cubes (½-1inch) to the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse crumb. Aim for the pea-size butter pieces. A few lumps is OK.
  • Add water. Gradually add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough just comes together. You may need less or more water, but should not be more than 3 tablespoons. Carefully knead the dough just until you can bring it into a ball. It should still look shaggy.
  • Form the disk and chill the dough. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
  • Roll out the dough. Place the dough between two sheets of paper or on a floured flat surface. Roll it into thin circle (about ⅛ inch), larger than your baking pan.
  • Transfer to the pan. Lift the dough and transfer it into a slightly greased 9-inch round pan. Press into the bottom and sides without stretching. Trim excess.
  • Dock the tart with a fork. Prick the bottom lightly with a fork. Do not make holes.
  • Chill the tart. Chill the tart in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Blind bake the crust. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line the baking sheet over the crust. Fill with pie weights, dry beans, rice or sugar.
    For non-baked fillings: Bake at 350℉ 20 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake another 10 minutes until lightly golden. Cool before adding filling.
    For baked fillings: Bake at 350℉ for 20 minutes, remove the parchment paper and bake for another 5 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Add the filling and bake for another 20-25 minutes.

Notes

Keep everything cold: It is important to use cold butter, cold water and and try not to overwork the dough with warm hands. If the dough becomes soft while working, place it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes before continuing.
Chill the dough before rolling and before baking the shell: This allows the gluten to relax and the butter to firm up again, which helps the dough roll out smoothly and prevents the crust from shrinking during baking.
Use the kitchen scale: for best results weight the ingredients by scale, but if you do not have one 175 grams of flour is approximately 1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon of flour.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tartCalories: 1447kcalCarbohydrates: 133.6gProtein: 19gFat: 93.4gSaturated Fat: 58.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 23.9gCholesterol: 242mgSodium: 597mgFiber: 4.7gSugar: 0.5g
Keyword french tart crust, pâte brisée
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