Rich shortcrust pastry — how to make shortcrust pastry at home!
Tags: Recipe, Italian Food, Tarts, Ingredients

If you are here you might be looking how to make rich shortcrust pastry, one one of the most important preparations of our cuisine.

Today I want to share with you not only how to make it, but also what kind of shourtcrust pastry are there, how to use it and … a little anecdote in the tough life of a food blogger 🙂

What kind of pastry are there?

In Italian cuisine there are three basic types of rich shortcrust pastry (or pasta frolla, in Italian):

classic one — all the ingredients apart the flour are mixed. Flour is added only at the end;

one — all the ingredients apart the flour are mixed. Flour is added only at the end; whipped (montata) — the first step requires the butter and sugar to be whipped together;

(montata) — the first step requires the butter and sugar to be whipped together; sabbiata or sablée — my favorite and the one I will share with you today.

What is rich shortcrust pastry used for?

The rich shortcrust pastry you are learning today is incredibly versatile.

It will become your golden standard for:

your tarts — I simply love jam tarts, and for me the best way is to prepare your own jam with seasonal fruit, like in this persimmon jam tart.

— I simply love jam tarts, and for me the best way is to prepare your own jam with seasonal fruit, like in this persimmon jam tart. Crunchy cookies , perfect for tea or coffee time . As a child, I simply loved using some of the dough to create my own biscuits. It is the simplest task ever: just roll out the pastry with a rolling pin, then with a mold for cookies cut some shapes and bake them (180 °C, about 15 minutes). Actually, if you are looking for easy Italian biscuits for coffee, you will love how the taste of this pastry perfectly pairs with coffee and tea.

, perfect . As a child, I simply loved using some of the dough to create my own biscuits. It is the simplest task ever: just roll out the pastry with a rolling pin, then with a mold for cookies cut some shapes and bake them (180 °C, about 15 minutes). Actually, if you are looking for easy Italian biscuits for coffee, you will love how the taste of this pastry perfectly pairs with coffee and tea. Raviole bolognesi! Well, this is a typical recipe from my hometown Bologna… they are a type of biscuits filled with mustard, tipically made to celebrate Father’s Day. I guess I will make a post for them 😉

How do you say ‘rich shortcrust pastry’ in Italian?

Before we get to the recipe, I need to share with you a special thank to a lady who is always available to clarify my doubts about the exact term to translate into English, Chef Catherine McBride. In this specific case, understanding that pasta frolla in Italian had to be translated into rich shortcrust pastry took me a while, and she was fully supportive. If you don’t know Catherine, I highly recommend to follow her on twitter: she will make your day with her genuine mix of sense of humour and culinary skills. And if you are looking for a freelance writer into food and health, I can (at least) assure that when she talks about Italian food she knows what is all about!

But now, let’s learn how to make rich shortcrust pastry 🙂

To read my step-by-step guide, visit: https://www.eatalianwithroberto.com/rich-shortcrust-pastry/

Buon appetito!