Pâte Brisée (French Shortcrust Pastry - Martha Stewart)

Use this pastry dough for all your favourite pies.

The reason this pâte brisée is our test kitchen’s go-to recipe is it makes the best all-butter pie crust for both sweet and savoury pies. It tastes buttery, has a lovely flaky texture and is easy to make - all you need are all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, salt and iced water.

The hardest thing about this pastry is its name (pronounced paht bree-ZAY). Our version is quick - we use the food processor, which makes it fast and relatively hands off. You’ll have a buttery pie dough in just 10 minutes - but don’t forget to allow at least an hour for the pâte brisée to chill in the refrigerator. It’s important for the pastry dough to rest in a cold atmosphere so the fat will firm up and the gluten relax. It will be much easier to roll out for your favourite pies and quiches if it has chilled properly.

What to Use Pâte Brisée For:
Pâte brisée is a versatile dough, use it for quiche and savoury pies as well as hand pies, slab pies and dessert pies. It can be used in any recipe, that calls for an unsweetened pastry.

2½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
1½ tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
7-8 Tbsp. water, ice cold

Pulse the Dry ingredients:
Pulse flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined.

Add Butter and Pulse:
Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces remaining.

Add Water then Pulse:
Drizzle 5 Tbsp. water over mixture; pulse several times to combine. Add more water, 1 Tbsp. at a time and pulse until mixture holds together when pinched.

To avoid creating water pockets in your pâte brisée (which will wreak havoc on your dough), be sure to strain the ice out of the water before drizzling it in and processing.

Shape the Dough:
For a 9” pie, shape dough into two disks and wrap each in plastic. For a slab pie, shape dough into a rectangle and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day before using.

Makes enough for one 9" double-crust pie, or one 10½x15¼" single-crust slab pie.

Cook's Notes:

• Storing: Chill pâte brisée for a minimum of one hour before using. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one day before using.
• Freezing: Pâte brisée can be made ahead and frozen for up to three months; thaw overnight in refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• What is the difference between pâte brisée and pie crust? Pâte brisée and pie crust are both used for sweet and savoury recipes. Pie crust can be made with various fats such as butter or vegetable shortening, but pâte brisée is always made with butter. Also, pâte brisée uses a higher ratio of butter to flour than an average pie crust. Another difference is that some pie crust recipes include sugar. Pâte brisée does not.
• How is pâte brisée made? Pâte brisée dough is made by combining sugar, flour, salt, then adding cubes of butter and finally just enough ice-cold water to bring the dough together. We use a food processor for our pâte brisée, but many recipes call for the ingredients to be mixed by hand or using a pastry blender.
• What is the difference between pâte brisée and pâte sucrée? Pâte brisée is an unsweetened shortcrust dough, whereas pâte sucrée has sugar added and is only used for dessert recipes. Some pâte sucrée recipes have a greater ratio of butter than used for pâte brisée and some include egg yolk which produces a much richer dough.