Shortbread dough classic recipe - for cookies, pies, juicy

Good delicious day, dear readers! I really like shortcrust pastry. As a child, my mother baked crumbly and tender cookies from it. And what is doubly nice - it can be used for both sweet and savory pastries. Today I will share with you a classic shortbread dough recipe that is suitable for making pies, cookies and even a cake.

Have you ever wondered where shortcrust pastry came from? And I became interested in the history of the emergence of a delicious recipe, and I began to study it. Unfortunately, there is very little information about this on the Internet.

It is only known that the recipe appeared somewhere in the 12th-13th centuries in Scotland and Britain. Initially, bread was baked, and small pieces of crackers or even crumbs were dried from the remnants of the dough at low temperatures. Then they began to add butter and sugar, and so gradually, the dough became the way we know it now.

Moreover, the components of the dough can be varied - done with or without eggs, add sour cream or cottage cheese, replace butter with margarine on fasting days. The quality of baking did not change. It is only necessary to take into account that if there is butter in the dough, the baking turns out to be very high-calorie.

And if you are on a diet, then you should refrain from tasty, but adding volume to the waist, desserts. But if summer is still far away, and you have not joined the team of those who are losing weight, then you can treat yourself to delicious pastries. You will not regret.

Another interesting fact from history. They say that our Empress Catherine II was very fond of a crumbly and tasty dessert. And every morning she started with a cup of aromatic coffee and a sweet basket of dough that melts in her mouth. Let's learn how to make shortcrust pastry.

Classic shortcrust pastry recipe

The classic recipe for shortcrust pastry consists of butter, flour and sugar taken in different parts.

For example:

• 100 grams of sugar;
• 200 grams of oil;
• 300 grams of flour.

For cooking, all foods must be cold, otherwise they may come into conflict with each other and separate. At the same time, the dough will turn out to be tight and poorly rolled out, baking will become tough.

First, mix sugar and butter. I cut the butter into pieces for convenience. Then add the sifted flour and knead the dough with your hands until crumbly. Just do it quickly before the butter melts. At the last stage, knead the dough very quickly with your hands, roll it into a ball, wrap it with cling film and send it to the refrigerator to rest for 30-50 minutes.

This is the easiest shortcrust pastry recipe. It is ideal for sweet pies, cookies and cakes.

Shortcrust pastry without eggs

My all-time favorite version of this recipe without the use of eggs. I tweaked it to my liking.

What you need:

• Butter - 170 grams;
• Sugar - 80 grams;
• Wheat flour - 210 grams.

I make it in a combine. In a bowl, beat sugar and butter, cut into pieces for convenience, at high speeds. The oil has previously stood for a little while until it is slightly softened, so that it whips more easily. Then I add flour. Beat on low speed just a little bit, until it begins to gather in lumps. After that, I transfer it to the form and ram it. This is the recipe I use to make lemon bars, you can see the full recipe here.

For other pastries, roll the mass into a lump, into a bag and rest in the refrigerator.

Shortcrust pastry for tartlets

I like to serve appetizers in the form of tartlets. It is both aesthetically pleasing and delicious. But again, high in calories, because the composition includes butter. In this case, you can take a lighter filling to balance the usefulness and calorie content.

What do we need?l

• Butter or margarine 200 grams;
• Flour 250 grams;
• Egg 1 piece;
• A pinch of salt.

This time we will cook savory dough. It is ideal for tartlets and open pies, such as quiche or tart... First cut the butter into pieces. But it must be cold. Combine with flour until smooth.
Break the egg into a separate bowl and add a pinch of salt. We beat everything and send it to a cup with flour and butter. Thoroughly and quickly knead delicious dough for tartlets at home.

We wrap the finished lump of dough in cling film or put it in a plastic bag and send it to rest in the refrigerator. During this time, you can prepare the filling.

Options for fillings for tartlets:

1. From eggs, cheese and garlic;
2. Overcook mushrooms with onions;
3. Ham with cheese and cucumber;
4. Olivier salad;
5. Crab sticks with egg;
6. Caviar;
7. Red fish with potatoes;
8. Liver paste.

I will not dwell on the fillings in detail - they are not difficult to prepare.
After the dough has rested, roll it into a thin layer and cut it out with a shape or glass of notch. If you have cupcake molds, then we put our blanks there. You can not lubricate the walls, since the dough is very fatty in consistency due to oil. Prick all over the bottom with a fork.

You can pour pre-washed peas, beans or other cereals on the bottom so that the dough does not rise and looks beautiful. You can, of course, just knead it into shape with your hands. But in this case, it is unlikely that it will be possible to achieve a flat surface, and this will be ugly. Therefore, I advise you to first roll out a layer of dough.

If there are no molds, you can cut squares or rectangles with a curly pizza knife or a regular one, chop and bake, and then use them like crackers. You will also get an original serving for decorating the table.

Bake in the oven (be sure to preheat) at a temperature of about 180-190 degrees for 7 - 12 minutes. Each oven has its own characteristics, so if you are baking for the first time, keep an eye on the temperature and condition of the tartlets. As soon as they are covered with an even tan, take them out and let them cool a little. And only after that, release them from the mold, after gently picking them from the walls with a knife.

Shortcrust pastry with sour cream

The dough with the addition of sour cream is softer and more pliable. It makes excellent shortbread cakes and cookies. You can also cook tender ones.

What will be needed?

• Flour 180 grams;
• Oil 75 grams;
• Sugar or powdered sugar 50 grams;
• Sour cream 75 grams;
• Yolk of one egg.

As always, the products must be chilled for the best and correct kneading. Cut the cold butter into cubes, add the sifted flour and sugar. Grind quickly with your hands to crumbs. If you plan to bake cakes more than 1 centimeter high, add half a teaspoon of baking powder. Add yolk and sour cream to a cup with crumbly crumbs.

The main thing here is not to overdo it with kneading by hand. I usually take a piece of dough, squeeze it in my hands and throw it back into the cup. And I do this several times until it gathers into one lump. At the same time, contact with the test is minimal, which is required. I wrap the resulting lump in a film and send it to winter in the refrigerator. Shortbread dough on sour cream is ready for use in 20-40 minutes.

It will make excellent melt-in-your-mouth cookies or pies with berries or jam.

Shortcrust curd dough

Shortbread dough with the addition of cottage cheese is suitable for pies, cookies and cake layers. It is lighter and healthier than the classic recipe. I like the taste of cottage cheese in bulk. Moreover, the consistency of the dough depends on the granularity of the cottage cheese. If the cottage cheese is dry, then the dough absorbs less flour. If wet, then correspondingly more. Here you already need to look, and in the process of cooking, adjust the amount of flour.

So, what do we need for shortcrust curd dough:

• Cottage cheese of any fat content 200 grams;
• Butter 120 grams;
• Sugar 50-70 grams depending on your preference (sweeter or not);
• Flour 200-250 grams;
• Half a pack of baking powder;
• 1 egg;
• A pinch of salt.

Cooking process:

1. Cut the butter into pieces, keep in the refrigerator, and then mix with sugar;
2. Add the egg and mix again thoroughly, but quickly;
3. Pour the cottage cheese into a cup and knead the mass with a fork until smooth;
4. Add some flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Here, already look, if the mass sticks strongly to your hands, then add more flour. You should get a homogeneous piece of dough;
5. Wrap in cellophane and refrigerate.

The shortbread-curd dough is ready for creativity. What to cook from it is limited only by your imagination.

Shortcrust pastry technology

To properly prepare the dough, you need to follow certain rules. Now we will consider them.

1. All products must be refrigerated. Only under this condition is the correct elastic dough obtained;
2. Use only quality products. You can replace the butter with margarine, but I would not recommend it. The quality of margarine is inferior to butter;
3. You can’t knead the dough for a long time - it will become dense, it is more difficult to roll it out and when finished it turns out to be tough and rough;
4. If you shifted the oil, then it will melt and the products will turn out to be too crumbly. The same thing can happen if too many yolks are added to the mass;
5. An excessive amount of flour and water leads to a deterioration in the quality of the product - it becomes tight and non-plastic. I don't add water.
6. The dough should be rolled out with a thickness of 3 mm to one centimeter. If thicker, add baking powder.
7. If the cake is burnt in places, it means that you rolled it unevenly;
8. To obtain a more uniform structure, instead of sugar, it is better to use powdered sugar;
9. Bake on a baking sheet on baking paper, without greasing anything. There is a lot of fat in the dough.

Subject to these simple requirements, shortcrust pastry will always turn out for you, and you will delight your loved ones with homemade cakes, using not only the classic shortcrust pastry recipe, but also all of the options listed above. Soon I will tell you what you can cook from it. If you want to be in the know, subscribe to updates! I wish you a pleasant tea!