Pâte Sucrée

Makes 1 (10-inch) crust

Often mistaken for pâte sablée thanks to their similarly sandy textures, pâte sucrée is in fact the more structured of the two—less tender, more cooperative. It’s the dough you turn to when you want crisp, cookie-like walls that won’t slouch in a tart ring. The French pastry chef Pierre Hermé famously called it the dough “that stands up straight.” What sets it apart is the method: Sugar is creamed with butter first, building air and emulsification, before flour is folded in last. This reverse technique means gluten development is kept to a minimum—structure comes not from elasticity, but from fat, sugar, and a delicate bake.

Ingredients

½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup (80 grams) confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt at medium speed until pale and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape paddle and bottom and sides of bowl. Add egg, and beat until combined, stopping to scrape bottom and sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, beating until just combined and stopping to scrape paddle and bottom and sides of bowl.
Turn out dough, and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. If refrigerating dough for longer than 30 minutes, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling out. Let frozen dough thaw overnight in refrigerator before using.

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