Easy Sweet Tart Crust Recipe
This sweet tart crust is an all round great recipe. It’s a slightly sweet shortcrust crust that is perfect for things like French fruit tarts that have no-bake fillings, all the way to baked tarts like my Crème Brûlée Tart. This recipe can be used for large pies, and small ones too!
Table of Contents
Nicks favourite thing…
What I love about this sweet tart crust is that it’s perfectly flaky, light and buttery. It’s also lightly sweet, and the perfect little thin layer of pastry to compliment any filling, no-bake or a wet filling that needs further baking!
What’s a tart?
Put simply, a tart is a pastry crust that has any number of delicious fillings! I have loads on this website, check them out here!
What does this tart crust taste like?
This crust is buttery, this recipe is rolled thin and when baked using my method. It stays crisp because of the blind baking method. More on that below!
Why do we blind bake this crust?
Well, there are pie crusts that can be baked with wet fillings and then there are crust recipes like this, that need to be blind baked. Blind baking is when you pre-bake the crust by filling it with baking beads. That way when you add the filling the crust stays nice and crisp.
What are the ingredients I need?
All-purpose flour – also known as plain flour.
Powdered sugar – also known as icing sugar.
Vanilla Extract – Always use good quality vanilla extract when baking, it makes a huge difference. I have a great recipe here for it if you’d like to try your own!
Butter – I used unsalted butter, straight out of the fridge. It’s got to be chilled.
Egg yolks – for this recipe you’ll only need the egg yolks.
If you’re looking for recipes to use up those egg whites, check out this delicious list!
- Meringue Ghost Halloween Cake
- French Macarons (Italian Method)
- Mini Raspberry Pavlovas
- Passionfruit Pavlova
- Fairy Bread Pavlova
- Strawberry Pavlova
Let’s go through each step.
Crust
- Add the flour, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl of a food processor and blitz for 20 seconds to combine.
- Next, add the butter and pulse until you reach lentil sized pieces.
- Add the egg yolks and blitz until small clumps of dough form.
- Turn the crumbly mixture out your workbench and bunch it together (without kneading).
- Form a rough disc shape and then wrap in plastic. Chill for 60 minutes.
- Preheat a fan forced oven to 160°C / 325°F. Dust your workbench with flour and use a rolling pin to roll out to 14 inches wide.
- Carefully roll over the rolling pin and then transfer and
- Unroll over a 9-inch tart tin with removable bottom.
- Carefully lift the dough over the tart to allow it to naturally fall into the corners of the tart. You don’t want to stretch it or it will shrink as it bakes and become uneven.
- Roll the rolling pin over the excess dough to cut clean. Discard excess dough.
- Place the tart tin on a baking tray. Use a fork to prick holes into the bottom of the tart shell.
- Place the tart tin on a baking tray. Scrunch up a large piece of baking paper and then un-scrunch it. Place on the inside of the tart tin.
- Fill with baking beads. I used dried chickpeas. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Take it out of the oven, carefully lift out the beads using the corners of the baking paper
- Bake for a further 10 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool completely.
My Top Tips!
Don’t stretch the dough!
When you unroll the dough back into the tart tin, you must lift the dough to let it fall to the bottom of the tart tin instead of stretching. If you stretch the dough it will shrink as it bakes and become uneven around the top.
Transferring the dough.
To easily transfer the dough from your workbench to the tart tin, simply roll it over the rolling pin then unroll back over the tart tin.
How to easily cut off excess dough!
Here’s a really fun tip! It’s my favourite part of making this recipe because it takes second and is so satisfying. Simply use your rolling pin and roll it over the top of your tart. It will perfectly cut it off!
Baking Beads
You can use dried chickpeas or rice instead of actual ceramic baking beads which can be expensive. Simply fill them as you would baking beads then once you’re finished with them, let them cool completely in a bowl before placing back in a container or zip lock bag.
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I hope you guys enjoyed this simple but delicious recipe with me. Please comment in the comments section below, or feel free to share with your family and friends on social media.
I’ll see you all on the following recipe. Happy baking!
N x
Easy Sweet Tart Crust
Serves 1
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cup (225 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (75 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (110 g) unsalted butter chilled and cubed
- 4 egg yolks
Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]
Instructions
Crust
- Add the flour, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl of a food processor and blitz for 20 seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse until you reach lentil sized pieces. Add the egg yolks and blitz until small clumps of dough form.
- Turn the crumbly mixture out your workbench and bunch it together (without kneading). Form a rough disc shape and then wrap in plastic. Chill for 60 minutes.
- Preheat a fan forced oven to 160°C / 325°F.
- Dust your workbench with flour and use a rolling pin to roll out to 14 inches wide. Carefully roll over the rolling pin and then transfer and unroll over a 9-inch tart tin with removable bottom. Carefully lift the dough over the tart to allow it to naturally fall into the corners of the tart. You don’t want to stretch it or it will shrink as it bakes and become uneven. Roll the rolling pin over the excess dough to cut clean. Discard excess dough.
- Place the tart tin on a baking tray. Use a fork to prick holes into the bottom of the tart shell.
- Scrunch up a large piece of baking paper and then un-scrunch it. Place on the inside of the tart tin. Fill with baking beads. I used dried chickpeas. Bake for 15 minutes. Take it out of the oven, carefully lift out the beads using the corners of the baking paper and bake for a further 10 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool completely.
Notes
This tart crust can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. Don’t stretch the dough!
When you unroll the dough back into the tart tin, you must lift the dough to let it fall to the bottom of the tart tin instead of stretching. If you stretch the dough it will shrink as it bakes and become uneven around the top. Transferring the dough.
To easily transfer the dough from your workbench to the tart tin, simply roll it over the rolling pin then unroll back over the tart tin. How to easily cut off excess dough!
Here’s a really fun tip! It’s my favorite part of making this recipe because it takes second and is so satisfying. Simply use your rolling pin and roll it over the top of your tart. It will perfectly cut it off! Baking Beads
You can use dried chickpeas or rice instead of actual ceramic baking beads which can be expensive. Simply fill them as you would baking beads then once you’re finished with them, let them cool completely in a bowl before placing back in a container or zip lock bag.
Nutrition
2 comments
I already tried this recipe and it works perfectly! Thank you for share! (Greetings from Chile!)
Thanks so much Angel! So glad to hear that! N x