Pâte Brisée is a classic all-butter French pastry crust that forms the basis for many different kinds of tarts, pies, and quiches, both sweet and savory. The name means “broken dough,” referring to the flaky texture of the baked crust. All-purpose flour, salt, and unsalted butter are all you need to prepare pâte brisée. However, pies with sweet fillings may call for the addition of sugar. The ingredients are combined and gently worked until they form a cohesive dough, chilled before rolling and baking. The bits of butter in the dough provide richness and flaky layers.
It’s crucial to handle pâte brisée dough gently because overworking it can make the crust tough and chewy. The dough should be chilled for at least one hour before rolling and forming for easier handling and better shape retention in baking.
Blind baking pâte brisée ensures a fully cooked bottom crust for a filled tart or pie. Pie weights or dried beans prevent the crust from puffing up while baking. Blind bake the crust when the filling requires a short baking time, such as a custard filling or quiche. For a pie with a filling that is not baked, such as a pudding type of filling, the crust is fully baked before filling. See How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust. Pâte brisée is a versatile and classic pastry dough staple in French baking. Whether you’re making a sweet or savory dish, its rich flavor, flaky texture, and ease of preparation make it a popular choice among pastry chefs and home bakers.
A food processor can be helpful when making pate brisée. It can mix the ingredients quickly and easily and help get the right consistency for shaping the dough. But you should avoid mixing the dough too much because that can make the crust tough. Using the pulse function on the food processor can help keep things from being mixed too much. With a few pulses and minimal handling, this all-butter crust is flaky and buttery every time.
The recipe makes enough dough for 1 pie shell. If you need enough for a double-crust pie, you can double the recipe. Or you may double the recipe and freeze one portion. To freeze a disk of dough, wrap it well in plastic wrap and transfer it to a freezer bag. Label the bag with the name and date and freeze it for up to 6 months.
Preparation Notes
- Cut the chilled butter into 1/2-inch cubes and put it on a plate in the freezer.
- Measure the flour, salt, and sugar, if using, and combine them in the food processor with the blade attachment. If you can’t weigh the ingredients, make sure you use the spoon and sweep method to measure the flour. Stir the flour, spoon it into the dry measuring cup, then sweep the straight side of a knife or wooden spoon handle across the top of the cup to level it off. Each cup should weigh approximately 4.4 to 4.5 ounces.
- Add about half of the butter cubes and pulse 8 times. Add the remaining cubes and pulse 6 to 8 times. Each pulse should take 1 second.
- The mixture should resemble coarse meal with lots of pea-sized pieces of butter.
- Add 2 tablespoons of ice water to the ingredients. Pulse 3 to 5 times and add another tablespoon. Pulse several times.
- Add more ice water, as needed, about 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing several times after each addition.
- Check the dough by squeezing a bit in you your hand. If it holds together, it is ready. If not, add a little more water and pulse again.
- Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press and squeeze with your hands to form the dough. Avoid overworking the dough. Shape the pate brisée dough into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.
- To line a pie plate, let a disk of dough stand for about 10 minutes, then roll it out to about 1 inch larger than the upside-down pie dish. Carefully fold the dough in half and transfer it to the pie dish or tart pan, placing the fold in the center of the pan. Unfold the dough and press it gently over the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish, leaving a 1/2- to 3/4-inch overhang.
- Fold the overhang under all around the edge of the pie plate and crimp with your fingers or a fork, as desired.
- Blind-bake the shell or fill it and follow the recipe instructions for the baking temperature and time.
How to Store Pâte Brisée (All Butter Pie Crust)
- Once the pie disk is formed and wrapped, it may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To freeze pâte brisée, wrap the disk well in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. Label the bag with the name and date and freeze it for up to 6 months.
- Defrost a frozen pie dough disk in the fridge overnight.
Pâte Brisée (All Butter Pie Dough)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Desserts, Pies
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (163 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.
- Add half of the chilled diced butter and pulse 8 times.
- Add the remaining butter and pulse 8 to 10 more times. The mixture should look like a coarse meal with pea-size pieces.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse several times. Add another tablespoon and pulse 4 to 5 times.
- Slowly add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of ice water, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until you can pinch a portion of the mixture it and it holds together.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to press and flatten it until it holds together. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the disk for at least 1 hour.
- Take the disk out of the fridge and let it stand for 10 minutes.
- Unwrap the disk and place it on a lightly floured surface. Dust the dough with flour and place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on it. Roll it out to a 12-inch circle—it should be about 1 inch larger than your upside-down pie plate. The visible bits of butter ensure a flaky crust.
- Carefully fold the rolled crust in half and place it in a 9-inch pie plate with the fold in the center of the plate. Unfold the dough in the pie plate and press it—avoid stretching—to line the dish.
- Trim the overhanging dough to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch.
- Crimp the edge as desired by using your fingers to make a fluted edge, or press it all around with the tines of a fork.
- Refrigerate the crust until you are ready to blind-bake it or bake it with a filling. At this point follow your pie instructions for oven temperature and timing.
