In an article dedicated to this subject, I explained in detail how to create pâte sucrée, but today I’ve decided to take you step by step through the various problems you may encounter, and the main questions that apprentice pastry chefs ask themselves!
Which flour for sweet pastry?
For pie doughs, especially when you’re just starting out, it’s best to use a flour that contains a little less gluten. This reduces the risk of the dough shrinking. T55 flour is ideal for making sweet dough.
Retractable sweet dough
Shrinking pastry is the No. 1 problem when making pie. This is due to the gluten that develops in the dough when it is worked. Gluten is necessary for the elements to amalgamate, but too much gluten causes the dough to shrink during baking, limiting the height of the edges. To avoid this, you can use T55 flour, which is slightly lower in gluten than T45 flour. To limit the development of the glutinian network, it is also important not to overwork the dough once the flour has hydrated.
The last technique is to put the dough to rest in the refrigerator: in a ball when it is amalgamated and a second time when the tart tin or circle is dark with the dough. These 3 techniques will help you avoid a sweet pastry that shrinks during baking.
Crumbling sweet dough
Crumbling dough is due to a lack of gluten. As much as too much gluten is a problem for baking, a dough that lacks gluten will crumble. So we need to find the right mix. To do this, you need to knead the dough until it is homogeneous, but stop as soon as it is. And to prevent the pastry from shrinking during baking, remember to let it rest in the fridge before rolling it out and putting the tart in the oven.
Sweet dough that breaks
A dough that breaks is the result of a high butter content. It’s difficult to work with, but it’s also what makes the dough so delicious. You can add a little almond powder to the dough to make it a little less brittle. But the real trick to prevent the dough from breaking is not to roll it out too cold. You have to leave it
Sweet paste that sticks
If your sweet dough sticks, it’s too hot. Put it back in the fridge for ten minutes or so to bring the temperature down. Don’t forget to dust the work surface with flour to prevent the sweet dough from sticking to the work surface.
Sweet dough that sags or falls over
A sweet pastry that sags is due to 2 things: an over-worked pastry that has developed too much gluten (I refer you to the section “sweet pastry that sags” and a poor fonçage. When you’re deep-drawing a tart dough, you need to press down with your thumb to press the dough against the edge of the circle. When baked, it will adhere well to the circle and should not sag or droop.
