Shortbread dough - what makes it special? Shortcrust pastry - all the secrets of perfect shortcrust pastry

Surely, many have noticed that some types of baked goods - cakes, cookies, pastries - have an unusual crumbly structure, similar to sand.

Similar products are baked from shortcrust pastry. Its recipe differs from other types of dough, but even at home, if you have great desire and follow basic rules, you can prepare the shortbread base for confectionery dishes yourself.

Shortcrust pastry opens up enormous potential for creativity! Try to prepare everyone’s favorite “nuts” with boiled condensed milk inside (yes, they consist of shortcrust pastry), a beautiful cake soaked in sour cream sauce with strawberries or dessert sausages, and there is simply no number of variations of cookies: with chocolate, marshmallows, in the form of funny figurines, wicker baskets and even with the addition of processed cheese.

Shortbread dough - general principles and methods of preparation

How to make “golden” crumbly dough at home? In fact, everything is very simple - you have the hands, and the rest will follow! So, the first rule that you should learn: shortcrust pastry must be prepared with a lot of fat and sugar. It is the oil that gives the product its characteristic friability. Enveloping the flour, it does not allow its parts to tightly connect and stick together.

For greater porosity, leavening agents such as baking soda or ammonium carbonate can be added to the shortbread dough. The flour should contain an average percentage of gluten, otherwise the baked goods will turn out to be somewhat lengthy. If you take flour with a low percentage of gluten, it will have the opposite effect - the products will quickly crumble.

The traditional recipe for making shortcrust pastry is based on the following principles:

- flour is sifted in a heap on a cutting board;
- sugar, soda dissolved in lemon juice, vanilla and butter cut into small cubes are placed on top;
— the butter is chopped with a sharp knife along with the rest of the ingredients, eggs are added at the end;
— the dough is kneaded by hand, then put away for an hour in a cool place, and then used for the intended purposes.

Now let's decide on the amount of ingredients used. To prepare the classic recipe we will need: three glasses of flour, 300 gr. butter (butter), a glass of sugar (powdered), two eggs, soda on the tip of a knife, a spoonful of lemon juice and vanilla.

Shortbread dough - preparation of products

All components (eggs, butter, flour), equipment (including a cutting board, rolling pin) and utensils used must be strictly refrigerated, otherwise the dough will lose its “zest” and the baked goods will eventually lose the desired structure. The product mixing time is also reduced to a minimum.

Remember: dry ingredients are always mixed with flour, and liquid ingredients are always mixed with egg, and only at the end are they combined. In some variations, part of the flour for making shortcrust pastry can be replaced with ground nuts, grated almonds or starch. Another important nuance: remove the finished dough from the refrigerator only as needed - in portions.

In addition to the basic recipe for sweet shortcrust pastry, there are alternatives that were obtained as a result of culinary experiments. The recipes described below will help not only diversify your table, but also get real pleasure from joint, family creativity.

Recipe 1: Shortcrust pastry with potatoes

This dough fits perfectly into savory pies - with meat or vegetable filling.

Ingredients:

- 200 gr. flour
- 200 gr. boiled potatoes
— 150 gr. butter
- one egg
- salt - about 1 tsp.
- spoon of sugar

Cooking method:

Mix flour (sifted) with salt, sugar, then add egg. Mash the chilled potatoes (or grate them), add them to the mixture, add pieces of butter. Finely chop the resulting mass with a knife until crumbly, and then knead with your hands until the lumps disappear. Roll the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 40-60 minutes until use.

Recipe 2: Shortcrust pastry with cottage cheese

Pairs well with fruit and berry filling, as well as chocolate, condensed milk and walnuts. We select fresh cottage cheese, fatty, but not liquid.

Ingredients:

- 300 gr. flour
- 200 gr. cottage cheese
- 200 gr. drain margarine (butter)
- one egg
- a pinch of salt
- two tables. lie sugar (fine)

Cooking method:

We rub the cottage cheese through a sieve, then cool it along with other ingredients. Mix flour with salt and sugar. Break the egg into the core. We distribute the cottage cheese and pieces of butter over the flour and, without wasting time, chop it with a knife until crumbly, after which we bring the dough until smooth with our hands. Next, put it in the refrigerator and off you go!

Recipe 3: Shortcrust pastry with cheese

Try making this pie dough with fish and potato filling - you will certainly be pleased.

Ingredients:

- 200 gr. flour
- 200 gr. hard salted cheese
— 150 gr. oil drain
- a pinch of salt and sugar
- a pinch of ground pepper
- one egg

Cooking method:

Pour a heaping amount of flour onto a cutting board. Sprinkle salt and sugar on top. Make a well in the middle of the flour and break the egg into it. We grate the cheese on a coarse grater (by the way, don’t forget to cool it first) and distribute it over the surface of the flour. We do the same with pieces of butter. Chop everything with a knife, bring the dough with your hands until ready (as quickly as possible). Roll the finished base for pies into a ball, put it in the cold and take it out as needed.

Recipe 4: Shortbread dough with sour cream

An excellent base for cakes, pastries, pastry sausages, cookies and other sweet pastries.

Ingredients:

- three glasses of flour
- 200 gr. drain oils
- one and a half glasses of sour cream (medium fat content)
- two or three tables. l. Sahara
- egg
- soda on the tip of the knife
- vanillin

Cooking method:

Mix sugar, soda, vanillin with flour, add butter, egg (one), sour cream in pieces and chop until crumbly with a knife. Next, we finish the dough until soft and homogeneous with our hands, roll it into a ball and, wrapping it in cling film, put it in the freezer until needed (for 1-2 hours).

— The shortcrust pastry must be rolled out into even, thin enough layers so that it bakes well. Optimal thickness – from 3 to 7 mm;

— Partial replacement of whole eggs with yolks alone increases the friability of the products. This approach is especially relevant when using flour with a high level of gluten;

— Before putting into the oven, baked layers of shortcrust pastry should be pierced in several places to avoid the appearance of unsightly bubbles on their surface from the released carbon dioxide;

— The baking tray for baking shortbread products must be dry. It is not necessary to lubricate it, since shortbread dough does not stick to the bottom during heat treatment. The optimal temperature for baking is from 220 to 250 C.

This is an intermediate option between shortcrust pastry and puff pastry. It is crumbly but firm, making it suitable as a base for large pies and quiches.

In a recipe, you can add the word “cold” before each ingredient and item, and this should not be neglected. The water should be ice cold and the oil should be rock hard. It's a good idea to keep bowls, knives and even the board on which you will work with the dough in the freezer. It is better to move the cutting table away from the radiator or open the window.

The secret of shortcrust pastry is in oil. It is thanks to him that the baked goods turn out crumbly.

All this trouble to prevent the butter from melting. Because otherwise you will get a completely different product.

Classic way

Ingredients

200 g butter;
300 g flour;
a pinch of salt;
50–100 ml of water.

Preparation

Chop the cold butter into small cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. At this time, sift the flour and salt and pour it onto the table or board. Place the butter cubes on top, sprinkle them generously with flour and use a knife or two to cut into the dough.

It is important to touch the oil with your hands as little as possible: body heat will quickly melt it, and the consistency will not be what you need.

When the butter and dough come together and turn into small grains, add water little by little, kneading the mass into a plastic ball. Place it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then roll out the dough, put the filling, for example, and put it in the oven.

Lazy way

Technological progress does not stand still, why not use it in cooking. You will need the same ingredients and a food processor with blades. It is not necessary to chop the butter into small cubes: the device will handle it itself. Place butter and flour in a bowl and whisk. The main thing is not to overdo it; in the end you should get the same grains.

Gradually add ice water until the dough begins to come together into a ball. The following instructions are the same as in the classic recipe.

Shortbread dough can be stored in the freezer for several weeks.

Supplements

You can deviate from the basic recipe. Here are some ideas:

Place 50–100 g of sugar into the sweet pie dough.
Replace 30 g of flour with the same amount of cocoa - you will get chocolate dough.
Add up to half a glass of finely chopped nuts.
Flavor the mixture with citrus zest or vanilla.

This recipe will yield a more flexible dough that is easier to roll out. Baked goods made from it crumble less. By the way, in culinary disputes, some confectioners refuse to call chopped dough shortbread. They believe that only with the help of such a recipe can they obtain a classic base for tarts and baskets.

The oil should not be cold, but chilled. It is impossible to explain how one state differs from another. Just remove the product from the freezer an hour before cooking.

Ingredients

100 g butter;
100 g sugar (preferably powdered sugar);
250 g flour;
1 egg (or 2 yolks).

Preparation

It is better to mix the ingredients with a spatula or spoon, and use your hands only at the last stage, when you need to gather the dough into a ball. Cream butter and sugar, add flour, then egg.

If you have a food processor, delegate all these responsibilities to it.

You can chill the dough and then cut it. You can first give it the desired shape and then put it in the freezer. It is important that it goes into the oven cold.

3. Curd shortbread dough

This dough is less finicky to work with than its counterparts without cottage cheese, and has less calories, since the fermented milk product replaces half the butter.

Ingredients

100 g cottage cheese;
100 g butter;
180 g flour;
½ teaspoon of soda;
½ teaspoon salt.

Preparation

Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve, grate the cold butter. Mix both ingredients with a fork, add flour, soda and salt. Quickly knead the dough until smooth, put it in a bag and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.

What to do next

If there is a pie on the menu, roll out the dough to the size of the mold, pierce it several times with a fork to prevent it from swelling, cover with parchment paper and cover with a weight. Special heat-resistant balls or beans and peas can be used as a weighting agent. This design is baked for about 15 minutes at 180 °C. Then remove the weight, add the pie filling and cook until done.

It is better to choose the filling adjusted for the sugar content in the dough. Unsweetened chopped is suitable for quiches with filling, pies with meat and vegetables. Dough with added sugar will be the basis for fruit and berry

Baskets are baked in the same way, only the cooking time must be reduced in proportion to the reduction in the size of the cakes. It is enough to bake cookies and other small products in the oven until lightly browned, otherwise they will be too hard.

Homemade shortcrust pastry is simply delicious! Crumbly cookies and cake layers, chestnuts and truffles... So many delicious things you can prepare!

Today I will tell you the simplest recipe for shortcrust pastry, on the basis of which I bake most of the crumbly delicacies. The recipe is simply gorgeous: there’s no ingredients at all, no fuss, and the taste of the baked goods is amazing!

This was originally a recipe for Truffle cookies that I read in the newspaper. But, after experimenting, I was convinced that the dough is excellent for other culinary delights - like “Chestnut” cookies and “Korzinochki” cakes.

There are, of course, other, more complex recipes for shortcrust pastry, for example, egg yolk pastry, or tart pastry. They are also good and tasty, perhaps you will like some options even more. But this recipe was the first that I mastered, and the cookies made from it invariably delight the household. That's why I'm sharing with you! 🙂

Ingredients:

1 pack of margarine, or better yet butter, especially if you are cooking for children! (250g);
2 cups of flour;
2 tablespoons sugar;
1 teaspoon of soda without top;
1 tablespoon vinegar.

Shortcrust pastry recipe:

I’ll share the main secret right away. It is very important what margarine you use for the test. I once bought it loose, inexpensive, and the dough turned out completely different. Not crumbly! So take margarine in packs, and the best effect is given by the special one, marked “for fluffy baked goods” or “Dumpling for fluffy cake”, if you live in Ukraine 🙂 .

Better yet, buy good butter for baking. Not spread or margarine, but butter - will be more expensive, but better for health.

So, pour the flour into a bowl or on the table, whichever is more convenient for you. Cut softened margarine into flour into pieces. To soften it, you don’t need to melt it - just leave it for 20 minutes at room temperature.

We knead the margarine with flour with our hands, and soon you will get “sand crumbs”. Pour sugar and soda into it, quench it with vinegar and continue kneading. If it seems that there is not enough flour, you can add a little.

At one point the crumbs will begin to stick together, and you will end up with a whole lump of shortcrust pastry. Before shaping the product, keep it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Then the dough will cool and will not soften sharply when placed in the oven.

Today we will talk about all types of crumbly dough, which are usually called “short”, “chopped”, “sugar”. They make wonderful cookies, tartlets and all kinds of pies.
The composition of all these types of dough is the same and simple: flour, butter, a small amount of liquid and a pinch of salt, and, if necessary, sugar or powdered sugar. However, different ratios of ingredients, the introduction of additional flavors and aromas, as well as changes in the way the products are combined allow you to obtain dough with different tastes, textures and properties.

Secrets of making shortcrust pastry

Flour, which we use to prepare crumbly dough, should not be high in protein. In our reality, this is ordinary premium flour. 30% of the weight of flour required for the recipe can be replaced with corn, rice, rye, buckwheat or whole grain wheat flour, oatmeal, ground nuts or cocoa. This substitution will make the dough more crumbly and complicate its taste.

Butter must be of good quality with a fat content of at least 82%. The proportion of butter in the dough is quite large, and it is its taste that determines the taste of the finished pie. Some recipes use beef tallow instead of butter. This dough is both dense and crumbly.

UNTIL FLOUR AND LIQUID ARE IN THE DOUGH, YOU CAN STIR IT, WHIP, KNEAD IT, BUT ONCE THE LIQUID IS ADDED, KNEADING THE DOUGH MUST BE COMPLETED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, OTHERWISE IT WILL BECOME HARD.

The flour to butter ratio varies from recipe to recipe and usually ranges from 1:1 (equal parts flour and butter by weight) to 2:1 (twice the flour and butter). The higher the oil content, the more crumbly and tender the dough will be. This factor is especially important to consider when choosing a recipe for the base of an open pie: a dough that is too crumbly will not hold a heavy and/or bulky filling.

Amount of sugar in crumbly dough is determined mainly by the filling with which this dough will be combined. Perhaps this is the only type of dough whose sweetness can be adjusted to your taste without the risk of hopelessly spoiling the finished product. You don’t need to add sugar at all to the dough for pies with savory filling. In some recipes, the sugar content can be up to 80% of the flour weight. Excess sugar makes the dough too brown and tough.

Dark or light cane sugar gives the dough not only sweetness, but also a molasses flavor. In any case, it is advisable to use sugar with small crystals. Powdered sugar is often used instead of sugar. It makes the dough softer and at the same time denser.

Liquid used in quantities necessary and sufficient to bind the dough together.

The role of liquid can be given to water, eggs (whole egg, white only or yolk only), milk and almost all dairy products: cream, buttermilk, sour cream, etc. You need to understand that the egg yolk is mainly fat, and the white is water. And the more “fatty” the liquid, the more rich the dough turns out. That is, dough made with water is denser and simpler in taste than dough made with yolk and milk.

Salt necessary as a “unifier of tastes”, don’t forget about it! It is advisable to use fine salt.

Cream dough. This is the most tender of all possible thanks to the almost complete absence of water and the presence of fat. This dough retains its shape well when rolled out.

Dough with sour cream. It is a light textured dough with a buttery flavor. The acid contained in sour cream softens the gluten, making the dough less elastic and more crumbly; it does not shrink as much when baking. To prepare this dough, replace the water with an equal amount of sour cream.

Yogurt dough. Light, crumbly, tender, with the sourness of yogurt.

Shortbread dough kneading technique

To prepare crumbly dough, butter is mixed with flour in the form of tiny particles, no matter how it is done.

Fat quickly envelops the flour particles, almost completely blocking the formation of gluten, and since there is relatively little liquid for the development of gluten in butter and eggs, it turns out to be quite weak. The result is a crumbly dough.

There are mainly three methods of kneading crumbly dough:

cream method;

Italian way;

"chopped dough" method.

Cream method

Result. The dough mixed in this way turns out really “sandy”. When the finished product is broken, a homogeneous structure with small pores is visible, and if you press on a piece of such dough, it will crumble into small crumbs of grains of sand.

Equipment. You can knead with a spoon, mixer or food processor.
Application. This dough is used to make cake layers, as a basis for sweet pies with a light filling, and for making cookies.

Butter should be at room temperature. This means that it needs to be removed from the refrigerator about an hour before cooking. During this time, the butter will become pliable when pressed with a spoon, but will not lose its shape (will not float).

It is also better to remove the eggs from the refrigerator an hour before cooking, then they will quickly and evenly combine with the oil.

This dough keeps well in the freezer. Knead a large portion at once, conveniently when you have ready-made dough on hand.

If you take the same set of products, but combine them in different ways, the dough will have a different texture. However, whatever method you choose, remember: you don’t need to knead the dough for a long time and thoroughly! As soon as the dough has gathered into a ball and does not fall apart, it can be considered ready.

Italian way

Using this method, you can prepare crumbly dough according to any recipe.
Result. The dough prepared in this way is elastic, strong, and quite easy to roll out. This is the strongest of all types of crumbly dough.
Equipment. Stand mixer or electric mixer with paddle attachment.
Application. As a base for sweet pies in which the filling is closed with a lattice (“semi-closed”), for sweet pies with a heavy filling, for baskets, as well as for the preparation of so-called “free-form pies”.
Pay attention to the temperature of the oil: it should be cold, but not from the freezer, but from the refrigerator. The cubed butter should retain its shape, but when pressed with a knife, the cube should flatten easily. Under no circumstances should the butter have the consistency of sour cream!

Chopped dough method

In this method, flour is "chopped" or rubbed with cold butter until crumbs form, then liquid is added and the dough is quickly kneaded.

If the crumbs are small, like bread crumbs, the dough will be similar to shortbread. If the crumbs are the size of a pea or small beans - more
layered. The combination of small and large pieces will give an interesting layered sandy texture.

Chopped dough can be either savory (brize) or sweet (sugar dough).

Result. Products made from dough mixed in this way are not only tender and crumbly, but also slightly flaky.
Equipment. Food processor or knead by hand.

Application. This dough is used as a base for open pies and tarts.

The butter, liquid and eggs (if used) should be cold from the refrigerator.

Types of shortcrust pastry

Sweet shortbread dough

For 2 pie bases with a diameter of 22-24 cm:

250 g flour

175 g butter at room temperature

200 g sugar

1 yolk

1 egg

salt on the tip of a knife

1. Remove the butter from the refrigerator about an hour before cooking so that it becomes pliable when pressed with a spoon.

2. Place the butter in a bowl, add sugar and rub until light cream.

3. Stir the egg and yolk into the butter mixture until the eggs and butter are completely combined.

4. Sift the flour with salt and add to the butter-egg mixture. Knead the dough quickly. If you are using a mixer, keep it running on low speed.

5. Once all the flour has been combined with the butter-egg mixture, the dough is ready. It turns out very soft, it is impossible to roll it out without preliminary strong cooling.

Pie dough

For 1 half-closed pie with a diameter of 24-26 cm:

400 g flour

120 g fine sugar or powdered sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cut the butter into 1 cm cubes.
2. Place sifted flour, salt and sugar in a mixer cup.

3. Set the mixer to low speed.
4. At the moment when the butter is almost rubbed into flour, stop beating.
5. Put sugar in the bowl and beat a little more until the sugar dissolves.
6. Add the butter-flour mixture and eggs and stir until smooth, 5 seconds.

7. Place the dough on the table, knead 2-3 times. Shape the dough into a round shape and refrigerate for an hour.

Sweet chopped dough (sugar)

For 1 open pie with a diameter of 26-28 cm:

250 g flour

200 g cold butter

100 g sugar

2 yolks

1-2 tbsp. l. cold milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cut the butter into pieces of any shape.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl or onto a work surface and sprinkle with sugar and salt.

3. Place pieces of butter on the surface of the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the flour into the butter until fine crumbs form.

4. Collect the crumbs in a heap, make a “well” in the middle and pour the yolk and 1 tbsp into it. l. milk.

5. Using your fingertips, mix the ingredients into a soft dough and form into a ball. If the dough crumbles, add another 1 tbsp. l. milk. Knead the dough 2-4 times until it becomes homogeneous. Form into a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably 4 hours.

Unsweetened chopped dough (breeze)

For 1 open pie with a diameter of 24-26 cm:

150 g flour

110 g butter at room temperature

1/2 tsp. salt

1 yolk

1-2 tbsp. l. cold milk

1. Place a dough cutter (plastic or steel) into the bowl of the food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces.

2. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and, turning the food processor on and off several times for 2-3 seconds (pulse mode), chop the butter and flour into crumbs.

3. Add the yolk and milk. Turn on the processor until the dough comes together into a ball. This will happen literally in 1 minute.
4. Transfer the ball of dough to a work surface, flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

The dough can be kneaded by hand, following the sequence described in the sweet chopped dough recipe.

Working with ready-made dough

As a rule, it is recommended to put any crumbly dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking. During cooling, the small amount of water that is in the dough will be evenly distributed, the gluten will soften and “relax”, due to which the dough will become more elastic and pliable and will not shrink from the heat of the oven. You can chill the disc of kneaded dough, or you can form a pie base and put the dough pan in the refrigerator. It is especially important to refrigerate doughs with a high oil content.

To form the base for the pie, do one of the following:

1. Wet your hands with cold water. Pinch off small pieces of dough and “glue” them to the bottom of the pan. Start from the middle of the mold and gradually move towards the sides. Make sure the dough is the same thickness everywhere. When the bottom is closed, start forming the sides.

When the sides of the pan are also covered with dough, run your thumb or forefinger along the entire perimeter of the bottom, pressing the dough. Then the layer of dough at the junction of the bottom and sides of the mold will not be too thick.

2. Roll out the dough on a work surface and transfer it to the pan.

How to roll out the crumbly dough and put it into a mold:

1. You can roll out the dough on a floured work surface. However, additional flour can make the dough rougher, and it is not always possible to shake it off the dough. Therefore, it is convenient to roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper or cling film. In addition, in this case it is much more convenient to turn the dough. You can also transfer the dough into the mold on paper or film: remove the top sheet of paper, transfer the dough into the mold, turn it over so that the paper is on top, and remove the second sheet of paper or film.

2. Do not roll out the dough by moving the rolling pin back and forth. Start from the center - move up. Move the rolling pin to the center - downward motion. To the center - to the left, to the center - to the right. Continue rolling out the dough to the desired thickness.

3. Try to ensure that the size of the rolled dough layer is 4-5 cm larger than the size of the mold. Then the dough will freely cover both the bottom and sides of the mold, and the excess can always be trimmed off.

4. To transfer the dough into the mold (if you did not use the advice from step 1), wrap it around a rolling pin and transfer it on it. Or fold the circle of dough in half and in half again (i.e. in four), transfer, place the “top” in the center of the mold and unfold.

5. Press the dough into the pan so that it lies loosely without tension. Pay attention to the place where the bottom meets the side: gently press the dough so that it is not too thick there.

6. If the dough breaks at the bottom or does not cover the sides somewhere, make patches. Simply cut off pieces of dough where there is too much of it and use your hands to form a “patch” into the desired shape. Lightly moisten one side of it and glue it in the desired place.

7. Run a rolling pin around the edges of the pan, removing any excess dough.

Baking pies

Bake crumbly dough pies at the temperature specified in the recipe. As a rule, it is 180-200 °C.

The oven must be preheated to the desired temperature in at least 15 minutes. before you put the dough pan in it. If the oven is not hot enough, the butter will melt and leak out of the dough. As a result, the finished pie will be tough and tasteless.

Pies made from crumbly dough can be baked in two ways:

1. Dough at the same time as the filling: the filling is laid out or poured onto the raw dough, if necessary, covered with a decorative lattice or top crust and baked until fully cooked.

2. The dough base (basket) is baked until half cooked, after which the filling is placed in it and baked along with the dough. Thanks to pre-baking, the dough does not become sticky from the juicy or wet filling.

To ensure a good shape for the dough basket, the “blind baking” method is often used.
This means that the dough is baked in the mold without filling, but under a load. This simple technique is usually used for open-faced pies to ensure that there is a well-baked dough underneath the filling.

This is done like this:

1. Transfer the dough into a baking dish. Cut a piece of baking paper large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Crumple the paper and unfold it again - the paper will become soft and will not leave creases in the dough.
2. Cover the dough in the mold with paper and pour half the load onto it. Distribute the load along the sides of the mold: it is important that the dough is pressed well in this place.
3. Pour the remaining weight into the mold.
4. Bend the edges of the paper so that the dough on the sides is covered.
5. Place the pan in the oven, preheated to 190-200°C, for 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the oven, carefully remove the weight, remove the paper. Return the pan with the dough to the oven and bake the dough for another 5-7 minutes. The load allows the dough to maintain its shape - the bottom does not rise, the walls do not settle.

To prevent the edges of the basket from burning during the second stage of baking, you can cover them with foil.

The load can be reused many times: cool it completely and pour it into a container with a lid. The crumpled paper can be folded and stored in the same container.
The recipe says which baking method should be used for open pies. However, the general rule is that if the filling is runny, wet or juicy, it is best to pre-bake the crust. Pies with thick, crumbly fillings can be baked in one batch.

Shortbread dough is easy to prepare. Surely, many have noticed that some types of baked goods - cakes, cookies, pastries - have an unusual crumbly structure, similar to sand. Similar products are baked from shortcrust pastry. Its recipe differs from other types of dough, but even at home, if you have great desire and follow basic rules, you can prepare the shortbread base for confectionery dishes yourself.

How to prepare shortbread dough - cooking technology

The traditional, classic recipe for shortcrust pastry is based on the following principles:

flour is sifted in a heap on a cutting board;
put sugar on top, soda quenched in lemon juice, vanilla and butter cut into small cubes;
the butter is chopped with a sharp knife along with the rest of the ingredients, eggs are added at the end;
The dough is kneaded by hand, then put away in a cool place for an hour, and then used for the intended purposes.

Shortbread dough - preparation of products

Remember: dry ingredients are always mixed with flour, and liquid ingredients are always mixed with egg, and only at the end are they combined.

In some variations, part of the flour for making shortcrust pastry can be replaced with ground nuts, grated almonds or starch. Another important nuance: remove the finished dough from the refrigerator only as needed - in portions.

In addition to the basic recipe for sweet shortcrust pastry, there are alternatives that were obtained as a result of culinary experiments.

The recipes described below will help not only diversify your table, but also get real pleasure from joint, family creativity.

Shortbread dough - classic recipe

Ingredients:

2 eggs
250 grams butter
1 cup of sugar
3 cups flour
1 packet vanilla sugar
0.5 teaspoon baking powder

Classic shortcrust pastry for pie or cookies - step-by-step recipe with photos:

Grind the eggs and sugar until white, immediately add vanilla sugar. Add softened butter to this mixture.

If desired, you can add some chopped nuts to the dough for a piquant taste. I sometimes add 100 grams of almonds or walnuts. I grind the nuts into dust with a blender.

Mix flour and baking powder. Combine butter, eggs, sugar, flour and knead the dough.

Knead the dough on the table, after sprinkling the table with flour. Knead the dough until elastic and smooth.

Place the dough after wrapping it in cellophane film in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. We divide it into several parts, roll out each part and cut out hearts, stars, circles, etc. with molds.

Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven. The oven is heated to 180 degrees.

Shortcrust pastry for pie

In addition to cookies, we also love shortcrust pastry pies. They can be prepared with cottage cheese, berries, jam and other fillings. If you haven't tried these pies yet, I highly recommend them, they're delicious.

Ingredients:

200 grams of flour
150 grams butter
100 grams of sugar
1 small egg
1 teaspoon baking powder

Agree, the ingredients are quite simple, and photographs and a step-by-step recipe will make it easier to prepare shortcrust pastry:

To prepare the dough, combine flour with baking powder, add diced or grated cold butter.

Grind all the crumbs, you need to do this with your hands. Add sugar and egg to the resulting mass and knead the dough.
The result is a very elastic dough with a creamy aroma, and if you add vanilla to the dough, you will get a creamy vanilla aroma.

Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Just wrap the dough in cellophane film or place it in a cellophane bag.

After half an hour, you can start preparing the shortcrust pastry pie.

The pie is usually prepared in a springform pan or frying pan. I cook in a springform pan. I repeat, you can use any fillings.

I like to cook with cottage cheese or jam, as well as fresh berries and fruits.

You can leave some of the dough to decorate the pie on top. You can make strips of dough and lay them out so that diamonds form on the surface of the shortbread pie, or you can grate the dough. This will already be a grated pie.

Quick shortbread dough for baskets

With these proportions, this recipe yields about 20 baskets, baked in molds with a bottom diameter of 3.5 cm and a top diameter of 7 cm. Yes, the baked baskets can be filled with your favorite ingredient: whipped cream, fruit, nuts, jam or chocolate spread, there are many options.

Ingredients:

300 g flour
200 g butter
100 g powdered sugar
2 egg yolks salt.

Cooking method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Measure the ingredients to the required quantity and start preparing the crumbly dough.

Sift the flour onto the table, add a pinch of dough, add a pinch of salt. Cut the cooled butter into pieces and place on the sifted flour.

Using a sharp butter knife, chop it together with the flour, thoroughly. Now add the powdered sugar and two egg yolks and quickly knead the dough with your hands. Do not knead for too long as the butter will begin to melt due to the heat from your hands and the dough may become sticky.

You can also knead the dough in a food processor. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

During this time, prepare your baking pans. Brush the pans with a thin layer of melted butter using a brush. Place the foil on a table or cutting board and place the chilled dough ball on it. Using your hands, flatten the dough into a rectangle shape. Cover with foil and roll.

During the rolling process, the dough will not stick to the foil. Roll out the plates to a thickness of 3-4 mm. Place the cutters on the dough and cut to shape. Remove excess from the edges. Gently press a piece of dough onto the bottom of the mold and prick it with a fork.

This will prevent any bulges during baking.

Cover the top of the dough with appropriately sized pieces of foil and sprinkle rice or buckwheat on top to maintain the correct shape of the basket.

Monitor the baking and when the threat of losing shape has passed, you can remove the foil with a load of cereal and continue baking. In total, the cooking time will be 10-12 minutes.

Since the baskets turn out crumbly and quite fragile, leave them in the finished products until they cool completely in the mold and only then remove them. This must be done so that the edges do not fray. Fill the shortbread baskets with your favorite filling and serve! Very tasty, the dough just melts in your mouth!

Shortbread dough without eggs - recipe with vegetable oil and sour cream

Ingredients:

wheat flour – 520 g;
odorless vegetable oil – 110 ml;
granulated sugar – 185 g;
sour cream – 110 g;
baking soda – 5 g;
table vinegar – 10 ml;
table salt – 5 g;
vanillin – 1 pinch;
aromatic and spicy additives of your choice - to taste.

Preparation
First, combine sour cream and vegetable oil in a bowl. We also add a pinch of salt, granulated sugar, vanilla or other additives and add soda dissolved in vinegar.

Mix the mass thoroughly, and then sift the flour into the mixture and knead. We achieve a soft, smooth and uniform dough texture. Roll it into a ball, wrap it in film or place it in a bag and place it in the refrigerator for one hour.

After this we can start shaping the cookies. Products made from this dough can be sprinkled with sesame seeds, nuts, poppy seeds or sugar.

Shortcrust pastry recipe without eggs and butter

Ingredients:

wheat flour – 320 g;
odorless vegetable oil – 160 ml;
ice water – 110 ml;
table salt – 5 g.

Preparation:

To prepare the dough according to this recipe, combine odorless refined vegetable oil and ice water in a bowl and shake the mixture until you obtain a kind of emulsion, adding a pinch of salt in the process.

After this, sift the flour into the mixture and knead the shortbread dough.

After about twenty minutes of keeping it covered in film in the refrigerator, we can start baking the pie with the desired filling.

This version of the dough is perfect for lean products, as it does not contain butter, eggs, dairy products and other fast ingredients.

Despite the primitiveness of the dough recipe, the products made from it taste worthy and will certainly pleasantly surprise you.

Video: simple shortcrust pastry with margarine

The shortcrust pastry must be rolled out into even, thin enough layers so that it bakes well. Optimal thickness – from 3 to 7 mm;
Partial replacement of whole eggs with yolks alone increases the friability of the products. This approach is especially relevant when using flour with a high level of gluten;
Before putting into the oven, baked layers of shortcrust pastry should be pierced in several places to avoid the appearance of unsightly bubbles on their surface from the released carbon dioxide;
The baking tray for baking shortbread products must be dry. It is not necessary to lubricate it, since shortbread dough does not stick to the bottom during heat treatment. The optimal temperature for baking is from 220 to 250 C.