Sweet Pastry

This sweet pastry dough, or pate sucree, is the rich, buttery crust you need for lemon tarts and fruit flans. The high butter content makes it tender and crisp with a subtle sweetness that contrasts beautifully against tart fillings.

The food processor is a must here. The dough is intentionally sticky because of all that butter, and working it by hand gets messy fast. Pulse the flour and sugar, cut in cold butter cubes until it looks like fine meal, then add the egg. Done in under a minute. The dough chills for at least an hour before rolling, which firms the butter and makes it manageable.

This is a forgiving pastry. If it tears or cracks when you transfer it to the flan tin, just press the pieces back together with your fingers. The high fat content means patches disappear during baking.

Pro Tips

• Roll the cold butter cubes in flour before adding to the processor. This reduces stickiness and helps the butter distribute evenly.
• Roll the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap. It prevents sticking without adding extra flour, which can toughen the crust.
• Chill the lined tin for another hour before baking. This second chill prevents shrinking in the oven.
• If the dough softens too much while rolling, slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes before continuing.

Variations

• Lemon-scented crust: Add the optional teaspoon of lemon zest for a citrus note that pairs perfectly with lemon or berry fillings.
• Almond pastry: Replace 2 tablespoons of flour with almond flour for a nuttier, more fragile crust.
• Chocolate sweet pastry: Swap 2 tablespoons of flour for cocoa powder for a chocolate tart shell.