Homemade Savoury Shortcrust Pastry for Quiches and Tarts
Homemade savoury shortcrust pastry (pâte brisée) with flour, butter, and water: crumbly and neutral, egg-free. The perfect base for quiches and savory tarts.
Want a crumbly, neutral base for quiches and savory tarts, simple and egg-free? Savoury shortcrust pastry is exactly that: a few ingredients and a very quick preparation.
Pâte brisée is the savory cousin of sweet shortcrust: the same crumbliness, but without sugar and without eggs. It’s the classic French base for quiches, tartlets, and savory tarts, but it also works for more rustic fruit tarts.
It has at least three real advantages: it comes together in ten minutes with flour, butter, and water, it’s incredibly versatile between sweet and savory, and it’s made ahead because it can rest in the fridge or wait in the freezer.
The most important tip is the same as for sweet shortcrust: cold butter and dough worked as little as possible. If you warm the butter too much or knead for long, the brisée turns hard. And always chill it before rolling, so it doesn’t shrink while baking.
For wetter quiches, blind-bake the shell for about ten minutes before pouring in the filling: it will stay dry and crisp.
Ready? Let’s make savoury shortcrust pastry.
To make this recipe
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Digital kitchen scale
In leavened recipes and baked goods, it lets you accurately weigh flour, liquids, and yeast.
Steps
- In a bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Add the cold cubed butter and work it quickly with your fingertips until you have a sandy mixture.
- Add the cold water a little at a time and knead just enough to bring it together, without overworking.
- Shape a block, flatten it into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll the brisée out on a floured surface and line your tin, pricking the base with a fork.
- The base is ready to be filled and baked according to your chosen recipe (quiche, savory tart, pie).
Helpful tips
Use cold butter and work the dough little: that's the secret to a crumbly, not rubbery, pastry.
No eggs: brisée is neutral and works for savory and, with a little sugar, for sweet too.
Chilling stops the dough from shrinking while baking.
For drier bases, blind-bake the shell for 10 minutes before filling.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 30.0 g
- Sugars
- 1.0 g
- Protein
- 5.0 g
- Fat
- 18.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 11.0 g
- Fiber
- 1.0 g
- Sodium
- 180 mg
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