Lesson 4 of 5 · Pie & Tart Crust Masterclass

Sweet tart shell (pâte sucrée)

  • Free video
  • Intermediate
  • Pies & Tarts
  • 7 min
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Video by Chef Rachida on YouTube: “Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Tart Dough) Recipe” Watch on YouTube ↗

What you'll learn

Lesson 4 of 5

Make pâte sucrée, the crisp, cookie-like French sweet tart dough, and line a tart pan neatly.

  • Pâte sucrée is creamed, not cut, so it's tender and sandy
  • Roll it cold between parchment
  • Bake until evenly golden for a crisp shell

Ingredients for this lesson

Madagascar Vanilla Extract, 4 oz BottleVanillaGoods$19.00
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Tahitian Vanilla Beans, Grade B, 5 BeansVanillaGoods$12.00
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Lesson notes from VanillaGoods

How it differs

Unlike flaky pie dough, pâte sucrée is made by creaming butter with powdered sugar, then adding egg and flour. The result is sweet, tender and crisp, like shortbread, and it doesn't puff.

Step by step

  • Mix just until the dough comes together; overmixing makes it tough
  • Flatten into a disc and chill at least an hour
  • Roll between parchment to about 1/8 inch thick
  • Fit into the tart pan, pressing into the fluted sides, and trim the top
  • Chill again, then bake at about 325–350°F until golden

VanillaGoods tip

A little vanilla bean or extract in the dough makes the shell taste as good as the filling, especially for fruit tarts and pastry-cream tarts.

← Lesson 3Next: Fruit pie fillings that set →

Tools for this lesson

The equipment that makes this easier. VanillaGoods vanilla is always our own; these tools are from Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that fit what you're learning.

Put it into practice

Bake along with a VanillaGoods recipe that uses this technique.

Find vanilla pie recipes

Videos are embedded from YouTube with the official player and belong to their creators. VanillaGoods is not affiliated with these creators unless stated; lesson notes and product suggestions are our own.