Sometimes you want to enjoy some baked goods. And the more successful it is, the greater the feeling of satisfaction. Each of us has a favorite delicacy, the basis of which is shortbread dough. A skilled housewife can complement a classic recipe with her favorite ingredients, which will allow her to create an individual culinary masterpiece.

Shortbread dough

This is a semi-finished product that is used in the preparation of flour products both on an industrial scale and at home. It is obtained by mixing different ingredients and is the basis of many recipes, so how tasty the finished dish will be depends on it. At the same time, you need to know what dough is being prepared for what purpose and how to knead it correctly.

The dough can be prepared using two different technologies:

  • yeast;
  • yeast-free.

In production using the first technology, yeast is used as a leavening agent. There are two possible methods here: sponge (first the starter is kneaded, and then the dough itself) and straight (the dough is used immediately after kneading).

Yeast-free dough is divided into biscuit, shortbread and puff pastry. Each of them is prepared using its own technology and differs significantly in taste.

The classic recipe of which is based on maintaining a 3:2:1 ratio (flour/butter/sugar), is used for baking cookies and pies, and is also found in some recipes for pastries and cakes.

Classic shortbread dough

The correct shortbread dough turns out to be very tasty and tender. The classic recipe has several options:

  • flour, butter, sugar, water, egg yolk;
  • flour, butter, sugar, water;
  • flour, butter, sugar, eggs, soda, vanillin;
  • flour, butter, sour cream, sugar, soda, baking powder.

This dough is prepared easily and quickly, it turns out very tender and crumbly.

Shortbread dough, the classic recipe of which necessarily includes butter, is kneaded in several ways. It depends on what consistency the oil is in. Frozen butter is grated, hard butter from the refrigerator is cut into cubes with a knife, softened butter is placed in flour and mixed with it with a mixer, melted butter is poured out and also mixed. If you need to get lean shortbread dough, then replace the butter with vegetable oil.

Cookie dough

Freshly prepared homemade shortbread cookies have a unique taste and delicate aroma. This is a case where the simplest is the best. Such cookies, intended for use, will probably take longer to cook than to show off on the dinner table.

Classic does not contain any frills or unnecessary ingredients. The good thing about such cookies is that they are served warm, sometimes still hot, as they say, piping hot. This is where its charm lies. What makes these cookies especially attractive is their shape: you can cut out little animals, flowers and stars.

So, let's take the necessary products:

  • 200 g butter;
  • 100 g granulated sugar;
  • 2 eggs;
  • 2 cups of flour;
  • 0.5 tsp. soda

Let's start cooking:


If desired, you can add raisins, cocoa powder, and nuts to the mixture before baking.

Pie dough

The classic recipe for shortcrust pastry for a pie allows you to well retain the moisture that is released from the fruit during baking. At the same time, the pie remains crispy on the outside, and to prevent it from leaking, you need to put a little starch in the filling.

The minimum version of such a test looks like this. Let's take as ingredients:

  • 235 g flour;
  • 115 g butter;
  • 115 ml water.

Preparation:

  1. Place all food and equipment in the refrigerator for ten minutes.
  2. Using a knife, cut the butter into small cubes and then chop it with flour.
  3. Add ice water to the fine butter crumbs and gather the dough into a ball.
  4. Wrapping it in film, place the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour.
  5. Place it on the table, roll it out, add the filling and put it in the oven.

If you do everything using this technology, the dough will turn out crispy and will not form bubbles during baking.

The pie can be decorated open or closed, on a baking sheet or in a mold. As a filling for such a pie, you can use strawberries, cherries, wild berries, and apples. You can simply sprinkle the filling with sugar, or you can pour gelatin dissolved in yogurt over the berries or fruits. This delicacy will be appreciated by everyone.

Wonderful dessert

Classic shortbread dough forms a beautiful golden brown crust when baked. The recipe with a photo of the finished product is a vivid example of this.

The dough made according to the previous recipe is very suitable for a pie with berries. The only thing you can add to the ingredients is granulated sugar. In addition to sweetness, it also forms a pleasant aromatic crust, which will give the finished product a beautiful appearance.

This pie would be a wonderful dessert; it goes very well with milk, juice, and compote. Enthusiastic praise from loved ones will be a reward for your efforts in preparing the pie.

Various shortcrust pastry products

Recently, shortcrust pastry products have become very popular because they are easy to prepare and have a homemade taste.

Dough made correctly has a crumbly structure and a sweetish taste. You can use it to make closed and pastries, cakes, bagels, and tartlets. They will decorate a festive table and are also suitable for a modest evening tea party.

Wonderful shortbread dough, the classic recipe of which is supplemented with kefir, will be used for bagels with jam. Kefir makes the dough very elastic, which allows you to roll a bagel filled with aromatic filling.

Shortbread dough, the classic recipe of which allows you to roll it out very thin, will be an excellent basis for cheesecake with cottage cheese. Children love this pastry because it has a very delicate creamy taste.

Hello, my dear readers and guests of my blog. Today I’ll tell you all the secrets of successful shortcrust pastry. Depending on what product you will bake, you will choose the recipe you need.

I’ll be honest, I wrote this post for a long time, a very long time, because I got confused. I collected information on the Internet, checked it in books and even from French bloggers. I tried to structure it so as not to miss anything. The dough seems like dough - everything is simple, not like yeast, but it’s the methods of preparation that led me into difficulty.

Have you noticed in the recipes how to prepare shortcrust pastry, two different options are described everywhere.

  1. Grind the softened butter with sugar and eggs, then add flour.
  2. Cold butter is ground (chopped) with flour, and then eggs beaten with sugar are added.

Sometimes we prepare the same recipe in these different ways. Do your baked goods end up the same? Let's figure it out.

So the first option is shortcrust pastry, and the second option is considered chopped dough.

But let's start with the basics of cooking. We will remember and sort out the completely obvious properties of products that are known to you without me and there will be nothing new here. The point is to further learn how to apply this knowledge about preparing the perfect shortcrust pastry.

Properties of ingredients

Shortcrust pastry should be crumbly. How to achieve this? You need to know a little about how each component in the test works.

  • Flour. Flour, as you know, can be different, but what is important to us here is the amount of gluten, gluten. Translated from Latin, gluten means glue. The less it is, the looser the dough will be. Sometimes starch is added to flour to remove the viscosity. It is possible to add another type of flour, for example, oatmeal cookies contain an admixture of oatmeal.
  • Oil. Butter is fat; it prevents the flour from sticking together. The higher quality and fattier the oil, the tastier the baked goods will be. Oil in some recipes is replaced with cooking fat (such as lard). Previously, it was sold on the same basis as margarine and in the same 250 g packages, but now I have not seen it anywhere in stores. You can replace butter with margarine. In Soviet times, all recipes in culinary notebooks were made with margarine. Look at your own financial capabilities. But I still recommend using butter. Do not forget that margarine is a combination of fats that are difficult to digest by the body and are poorly excreted from it.
  • Eggs and water. This is the link between flour and butter. Depending on the recipe, it is added in a certain amount so that the mass is kneaded into dough, otherwise everything will not come together. Protein is like glue, so for a more sandy effect it is better not to use them. Cookies made with yolks are more crumbly and remain soft longer, for example, Palets Breton (Breton cookies).
  • Sugar. Since the dough must be prepared quickly so that the butter does not have time to melt, it is best to replace it with powdered sugar. Another option is to grind with eggs until the crystals are completely dissolved.
  • Salt. Salt must be present in any dough, even in sweet ones; a small pinch is enough to highlight the taste; salt brings out the taste of sugar and makes it brighter. With salt, the dough will not seem fresh.
  • Baking soda or baking powder. Soda is not placed in the shortbread dough; flowability is achieved through proper preparation. But some housewives who are not confident in their abilities resort to the help of baking powder. Baking will definitely be a success with it. So it's your choice.
  • Additional flavoring ingredients. By adding different components, such as vanilla, cocoa, lemon zest, a variety of nuts, dried fruits, drops of chocolate, ground ginger, cinnamon, you will get a new exquisite taste and aroma.

Cooking rules

Now you know how the ingredients work, but there are still mandatory conditions, so to speak, a technological process that must be followed, no matter what recipe you use below.

  1. All ingredients must be weighed on a scale. A recipe in cups or spoons is not suitable here; the recipe must be followed strictly in grams. Of course, you can use measuring cups, but be sure to stick to the recipe more closely. Use the table of weights and volumes.
  2. Dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda or baking powder, cocoa powder, ground nuts) are mixed before cooking. But remember that cocoa is equivalent to bulk cocoa, i.e. to the flour. Therefore, if you add cocoa powder to the dough, then reduce the same amount of flour in the recipe. For example, reduce 1 tablespoon of flour and add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
  3. If you are preparing chopped dough, then all kitchen utensils (beating container, whisks, rolling board, rolling pin) should be cold.
  4. You can’t knead the shortbread dough for a long time, just combine all the crumbs into a lump and knead it a couple of times. Strike out.
  5. The finished shortbread dough must be cooled. Place in a plastic bag, seal tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour. To make the dough cool faster and better, do not put it in a ball, flatten it slightly. Why do you need to refrigerate at all? Look, when heated, butter separates into milk fat and liquid. You could observe this if you were preparing ghee, and remaining cold in the mixture with flour will prevent the flour from absorbing moisture, because flour contains gluten, which combines with the liquid and adds viscosity to the dough. And this cannot be allowed.
  6. The dough must be rolled out evenly, otherwise thinner layers will dry out more in the oven. If you are baking one large cake, prick it all over the surface with a fork.
  7. Bake shortcrust pastry products in a preheated oven at 200°C, placing the baked goods in the middle of the oven in the standard “top-bottom” oven mode until slightly golden brown.

Shortcrust pastry recipes

France is considered the founders and unsurpassed leaders of confectionery art. So in France, shortbread dough is divided into three types.

  1. pâte brisée – basic basic chopped dough.
  2. pate sablee – chopped sweet.
  3. pate sukree – tender sweet shortbread dough.

Completely unfamiliar names, incomprehensible to ordinary housewives, but familiar to everyone based on the cooking technology.

Basic chopped shortcrust pastry or pâte brisée

It is considered the most universal, basic test. It is usually used to make savory baked goods, such as meat pies, open pies with vegetables or quiche.

Pate Brise is a minced pastry made with just flour, water and a moderate amount of butter, without adding sugar or salt.

Ingredients:

  • flour – 250 g;
  • butter – 125 g;
  • ice water – 50 ml;
  • salt - a pinch.

It is prepared using a food processor or mixer, but you can easily knead it with your hands.

  1. Place well-chilled butter on flour and chop with a knife (grate or cut into small cubes), grind with flour until fine powdery crumbs are obtained.
  2. Gradually add cold water and quickly form the dough into a ball.
  3. Place in the refrigerator.

Due to the large grains of cold butter, when the moisture evaporates during the baking process, the dough acquires layered properties. Sometimes this dough is called “false” or “pseudo-layered”.

Depending on the proportions of water, flour and butter, you can even prepare the dough for the layers of the famous and beloved Napoleon cake.

Chopped dough or pate sablee

This is the same chopped dough as the basic one, but with slightly different proportions of ingredients, or rather, with the addition of sugar, eggs and, if necessary, water.

Ingredients:

  • flour – 250 g;
  • salt - a pinch;
  • butter – 125 g;
  • sugar – 60 g;
  • eggs – 1 pc.


Sweet or buttery shortbread cookie dough (pate sukree)

This is the simplest dough and the easiest to make of all, in my opinion. Cookies from it turn out to be crumbly, they simply melt in your mouth, and the shapes of cookies can be formed into a wide variety of shapes.

The following products can be prepared from shortcrust pastry:

  • Kurabye;
  • Viennese cookies;
  • rings with nuts;
  • baskets with protein cream;
  • envelopes with jam;
  • sugar bagels;
  • and many, many other tasty treats.

Shortbread dough is an excellent base for cakes with curd and fruit fillings, and is also suitable for jam pie.

Depending on the amount of flour, the dough will be either softer or denser. The ideal proportion is 1-2-3, i.e. 1 part sugar, 2 parts butter and 3 parts flour. And, note, this is in grams.

The classic one-two-three recipe for shortcrust pastry looks like this:

  • sugar – 100 g;
  • butter – 200 g;
  • flour – 300 g;
  • egg – 1 pc. whole or two yolks;
  • salt - a pinch;
  • baking powder – 1 tsp.

But sometimes a different proportion in a recipe is more justified, namely twice as much flour as butter, especially if milk or sour cream is added to the dough.

How to prepare shortbread dough?


It is good to prepare this dough in advance, the night before, put it in the cold overnight, and quickly form cookies in the morning so that you can be content with fresh pastries for tea for breakfast.

Have you noticed that there are no grains of butter during the cooking process? The butter is ground with sugar and eggs, which means that large voids do not form when heated in the oven, as in chopped butter. This will make the cookies more tender.

I hope you understand the cooking features. Maybe I missed something or made a mistake, write in the comments and we’ll discuss it together.

Many housewives love making baked goods with their own hands, putting their whole soul into this activity. If you also fall into this category, be sure to remember how to make shortcrust pastry at home, because it is suitable for a lot of products: crumbly cookies, pies, tarts, baskets and other dishes. Do you like this kind of baked goods? Then find out how you can make a base for it in different ways.

What is shortbread dough

This is the name for a dense flour mass with sugar, butter, vegetable oil or other fat, such as margarine. No baking powder is added. The dough has a crumbly structure. Sometimes it is prepared with the addition of eggs or only yolks, and a small amount of cold water. There are a lot of different recipes and there are more of them every day. There are many desserts made from this mass and they are all called shortbread.

Compound

In the classic version, fat and sugar are added to the mass. However, over time, the number of recipes and components used has increased. What can be added to the “sand”:

  1. Eggs or yolks without whites. They add tenderness and make the sand mass easier to roll out.
  2. Flavorings: nuts, coconut, raisins, cinnamon, citrus zest, vanilla.
  3. Fermented milk products (sour cream, kefir). Raise the baked goods and make layers in them.
  4. Baking powder. Adds airiness.
  5. Vodka. Retains tenderness and friability.
  6. Milk. Gives elasticity.

Kinds

There are several types of shortcrust pastry depending on the added components and purpose. The following types are distinguished:

  1. Saber. Classic sand base.
  2. Brise. Sugarless. For savory tarts and open pies.
  3. Sucre. Sweet fatty and brittle base.

The sand mass is also divided into groups according to the kneading method. This affects the finished product's texture and taste. There are these types:

  1. Chopped. The butter is chopped into crumbs with flour. The mixture is suitable for shortbread pies that are baked immediately with filling.
  2. Chopped puff pastry. Products are chopped not into small, but into large crumbs. The mixture is suitable for the top of closed pies because it rises well.
  3. Ground. Grind the flour and butter with your hands and cool before baking. The mixture is suitable for pies with liquid filling, cheesecakes and other dishes in which the cakes are prepared in advance.
  4. Whipped. Beat butter with sugar, gradually adding eggs and flour. The mixture is suitable for homemade cookies and muffins.

Shortbread pastry

There are a huge number of sweet and savory dishes that you can make from sand. They are all different, but very tasty, so everyone will find something suitable for themselves. A few examples of what you can bake:

  • cakes;
  • pies: open, closed, grated;
  • tarts;
  • cookie;
  • Kurabye;
  • products with curd fillings;
  • cakes;
  • bagels;
  • cheesecake pies;
  • pizza;
  • baskets;
  • nuts with condensed milk;
  • Sochniki;
  • cottage cheese.

How to make shortbread dough

All products are pre-cooled well for a long time. Then, in most cases, the butter is cut into small pieces and ground with flour into crumbs. Sometimes the mass is chopped with a knife. There are other recipes. In them, the liquid ingredients are first beaten by hand or with a blender, and then butter and sifted flour are added. The mass is then rolled into a ball, cooled and used.

Shortcrust pastry recipes

There are a lot of options and a person with any taste preferences will definitely find something suitable for themselves. The mass can be made either according to the basic recipe or according to a modified one: sweet and unleavened, with sour cream, with yolks, with milk, without eggs (lean shortbread), sugar. Some options are more suitable for dessert baking, others for hearty pies. You can even make chocolate shortbread. Check out the best recipes.

Classic recipe

  • Cooking time: 1 hour.
  • Number of servings: 9 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 418 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: dessert.
  • Cuisine: Scottish.

To make the perfect shortcrust pastry according to the classic recipe, the formula 3:2:1 is used. This means that for 3 parts flour there are 2 butter and 1 sugar. Be sure to add egg yolks for binding. Sometimes, if the kneading fails, add a little water. All components of the dish must be very cold. Only then will the mass become plastic.

Ingredients:

  • yolks – 3 pcs.;
  • sugar – 135-150 g;
  • flour – 450-480 g;
  • butter – 320 grams.

Cooking method:

  1. Chill the fat in the freezer. Grate coarsely. Add to sugar-flour mixture.
  2. Rub the ingredients into fine crumbs with your hands.
  3. Add the yolk. Knead, but not for long.
  4. Roll into a ball, place in a bowl, cover with cling film. Keep in the refrigerator for 45 minutes, then use.

Shortcrust pastry for pie

  • Cooking time: 75 min.
  • Number of servings: 7 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 442 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: basis for open or closed pie.
  • Cuisine: American.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

The crumbly dough base is excellent for baking shortbread pies with sweet fillings. It turns out tender, slightly crispy, very tasty. A layer of small thickness prepared in the following way should bake perfectly. It turns out dense, unlike yeast dough. Don't worry about the filling leaking through it. Be sure to take note of the recipe for shortcrust pastry for the pie.

Ingredients:

  • salt - a pinch;
  • flour – 325 g;
  • large eggs – 2 pcs.;
  • butter (butter) – 175 g;
  • granulated sugar – 90 g.

Cooking method:

  1. Sift the wheat flour. Add coarsely grated cold butter.
  2. Grind the mass. It should be crumbly.
  3. Add sugar, eggs and salt. Quickly knead the mixture and roll into a ball.
  4. Wrap in film and keep in the refrigerator for an hour.
  5. Bake the pie at 180 degrees in the oven on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. You need to lubricate the sheet with a small amount of oil.

For cookies

  • Cooking time: 55 min.
  • Number of servings: 12 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 510 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: dessert.
  • Cuisine: Russian.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

The taste of shortbread cookies has been familiar to most people since childhood. During the Soviet Union, absolutely every housewife knew how to cook this. Even in home economics classes in schools, girls learned to prepare dough for shortbread cookies. You can even serve this dessert on a holiday table. Although the cookies look simple, they will amaze guests with their great taste.

Ingredients:

  • margarine – 0.2 kg;
  • powdered sugar – 205 g;
  • soda – 0.5 tsp;
  • flour – 410-440 g;
  • salt – 0.5 tsp;
  • eggs – 2 pcs.

Cooking method:

  1. Cut the margarine into small pieces. Mix with powdered sugar, salt, eggs, soda.
  2. Add flour in small portions.
  3. Roll into a ball and place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

For pies

  • Cooking time: 75 min.
  • Number of servings: 8 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 412 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: snack.
  • Cuisine: Latin American.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

Shortbread pies made from crumbly dough are prepared in many cuisines around the world. In most countries, variations of these with different savory fillings are called “empanadas.” These pies with minced meat and mushrooms are especially tasty. The inside of the product remains juicy, and the top is covered with a crispy golden brown crust. Find out how to make refrigerated dough for them.

Ingredients:

  • butter – 220 g;
  • water (ice) – 160 ml;
  • vinegar 9% - 2 tbsp. l.;
  • flour – 560 g;
  • salt – 2 tsp;
  • eggs – 2 pcs.

Cooking method:

  1. Mix dry ingredients. Grind with cooled, cut into pieces butter. Better use a blender.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with vinegar and water.
  3. Combine the butter mixture with the egg mixture. Mix and roll into a ball. Leave in the refrigerator for an hour.

For cakes

  • Cooking time: 75 min.
  • Number of servings: 4 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 395 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: dessert.
  • Cuisine: French.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

The simple recipe for shortcrust pastry that you will learn now is easy to remember and reproduce. Using it, you will make an excellent base for baskets and other cakes with different creams: butter, butter, chocolate, fruit. The recipe is so easy that anyone can master it, even those who have never cooked desserts before.

Ingredients:

  • flour – 1.5 cups;
  • soda - a couple of pinches;
  • sugar - half a glass;
  • salt - a pinch;
  • margarine – 150 g;
  • egg – 1 pc.

Cooking method:

  1. Grind the egg with salt and sugar. Add soft margarine. Whisk.
  2. Mix the remaining dry products and sift. Add to bowl.
  3. Knead into a homogeneous soft sand mass and roll into a ball. Leave for a quarter of an hour under film at room temperature.

On margarine

  • Cooking time: 45 min.
  • Number of servings: 10 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 485 kcal (100 g).
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

It is not necessary to add butter to baked goods. It can be perfectly replaced with special margarine. It costs significantly less and is available in all grocery stores. Using the following recipe, you can easily make crumbly dough for pie, cakes, and cookies. Desserts prepared on its basis will appeal to both adults and little delicacies.

Ingredients:

  • soda – 2 tsp;
  • sugar – 300-320 grams;
  • eggs – 2 pcs.;
  • margarine – 0.3 kg;
  • flour – 0.7 kg.

Cooking method:

  1. Place margarine in a steam bath. When it dissolves, add sugar. Stir.
  2. Beat by adding eggs.
  3. Add sifted flour in small portions.
  4. Quench the soda with vinegar and add to the product. Knead the dough. Roll into a ball. Wrap with film. Keep in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

On the yolks

  • Cooking time: 45 min.
  • Number of servings: 18 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 396 kcal (100 g).
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

Making shortcrust pastry using yolks is an easy process that will not take much time and will be enjoyable. This mass is most suitable for cookies sprinkled with crushed nuts, coconut flakes or cocoa powder. It can also make an excellent base for an open or closed pie. Learn how to make this versatile dough.

Ingredients:

  • salt - two pinches;
  • butter – 0.4 kg;
  • powdered sugar – 0.3 kg;
  • ripper – 1.5-2 tsp;
  • egg yolks – 8 pcs.;
  • flour - 3.5-4 cups.

Cooking method:

  1. Beat softened butter with powdered sugar and salt in a mixer or food processor.
  2. Add the yolks. Continue whisking until the powder is completely dissolved.
  3. Mix flour and baking powder. Sift.
  4. Add in small portions, kneading into a loose mass.
  5. Refrigerate for a while and use.

With sour cream

  • Cooking time: 2.5 hours.
  • Number of servings: 10 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 423 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: dessert.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

The dough prepared according to the following recipe is perfect for shortbread cakes, pies, cookies; it turns out very tender and crumbly. For variety, you can also use some flavoring additives, for example, a little vanillin or almond flavoring. The mass is mixed without using a mixer or blender, so it turns out very light.

Ingredients:

  • butter – 130-150 g;
  • yolks – 2 pcs.;
  • baking powder – 1 tsp;
  • homemade sour cream – 150 ml;
  • vanilla sugar – 2 tsp;
  • flour – 360 g;
  • salt – 0.5 tsp;
  • sugar – 2 cups.

Cooking method:

  1. Cut the butter, mix with sugar, salt, vanilla.
  2. Sift the ripper and flour mixture
  3. Rub the mixture with your palms until it becomes crumbly.
  4. Add yolks and sour cream.
  5. Collect the mass into a ball. Wrap with film. Keep in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

With milk

  • Cooking time: 100 min.
  • Number of servings: 6 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 441 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: dessert.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

There are not so many recipes for crumbly dough, and this is surprising, because shortbread baked goods from it turn out excellent. The cookies turn out especially good - tender, with a light milky aroma. This pastry is perfect for morning or evening tea. You can serve the cookies with a little condensed milk, homemade jam or jam. Although even without anything, the dessert will be great.

Ingredients:

  • milk – 0.1 l;
  • flour – 0.5 kg;
  • butter – 360 g;
  • yolks – 4 pcs.;
  • powdered sugar – 200 g.

Cooking method:

  1. Combine flour with sweet powder.
  2. Add soft butter.
  3. Grind everything into crumbs with a fork.
  4. Add whipped yolks and milk.
  5. Make a knead and roll the ball, wrap it in film. Keep in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Quick shortbread dough

  • Cooking time: 45 min.
  • Number of servings: 4 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 428 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: basis for baking.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

The housewife does not always have time to wait until the mass cools down and reaches the required consistency within an hour. If you use the following recipe, you can bake in 40 minutes. This is a great option for those occasions when guests are on the doorstep and there is nothing to offer them for dessert. The dough is prepared from simple ingredients that almost all housewives have at home.

Ingredients:

  • flour – 0.3 kg;
  • cool water – 6 tbsp. l.;
  • salt - two pinches;
  • yolks – 2 pcs.;
  • butter – 150 g.

Cooking method:

  1. Combine flour with salt. Add cold butter.
  2. Knead the mixture into crumbs with your hands.
  3. Add yolks and water.
  4. Stir. Make a ball.
  5. Keep in the refrigerator for half an hour and use.

Crumbly

  • Cooking time: 85 min.
  • Number of servings: 6 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 438 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: basis for baking.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

Crumbly dough is loved by many people, because it turns out sandy, very tender and melts in the mouth. It makes especially good sweet baked goods: tarts, baskets with cream. Showing your imagination, you can use this dough for savory shortbread pies with meat, mushrooms or vegetables. Be sure to thoroughly cool all ingredients for the dish before you begin cooking.

Ingredients:

  • flour – 0.5 kg;
  • water – 3-4 tbsp. l.;
  • butter – 0.3 kg;
  • eggs – 2 pcs.;
  • sugar – 2 tsp;
  • salt – 2 tsp.

Cooking method:

  1. Grind the flour with finely chopped butter.
  2. Put eggs, sugar, salt.
  3. Quickly knead the mixture by adding water.
  4. Roll into a ball. Wrap it in film and let it stand for half an hour in the refrigerator.

Soft

  • Cooking time: 35 min.
  • Number of servings: 12 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 435 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: basis for desserts.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

The dough prepared according to the following recipe turns out to be very pleasant to the touch and soft. Suitable for shortbread desserts because it is sweet in itself. By kneading this mass, you can prepare delicious fruit pie and baskets. The dish contains a minimum number of ingredients. All you need is flour, egg yolks, and a little granulated sugar.

Ingredients:

  • yolks – 4 pcs.;
  • sugar – 0.2 kg;
  • butter – 0.5 kg;
  • flour – 0.6 kg.

Cooking method:

  1. Cut the melted butter and mix with sugar.
  2. Beat the mixture with a mixer.
  3. Add the yolks. Whisk.
  4. Using a spoon, add sifted flour in small portions.
  5. Knead the dough and use.

No eggs

  • Cooking time: 35 min.
  • Number of servings: 10 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 484 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: base for dessert.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

It is not necessary to put eggs in baked goods, because some people, for one reason or another, do not eat this product. If you use the following recipe, you will understand that the shortbread dish will turn out wonderful even without them. You will get a homogeneous shortbread and curd dough, which can serve as the basis for a wonderful fruit pie. Find out how to cook this correctly.

Ingredients:

  • sugar – 100 g;
  • sifted flour – 0.4-0.5 kg;
  • salt – 0.5 tsp;
  • cottage cheese – 0.4 kg;
  • butter – 250 g;
  • baking powder - 2 tsp.

Cooking method:

  1. Mix butter (soft) with cottage cheese.
  2. Add sugar. Stir, and when the mass becomes homogeneous, add salt.
  3. Add sifted flour and baking powder in small portions. Keep stirring.
  4. Knead the mass. Roll into a ball. Keep in the freezer for a quarter of an hour.

Sugarless

  • Cooking time: 45 min.
  • Number of servings: 6 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 431 kcal (100 g).
  • Purpose: basis for baking.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

The elastic dough prepared according to the following recipe is universal and suitable for any baking, both sweet and savory pie. With it you can make cakes, shortbread pies, pastries and tartlets, pizza, buns and many other delicious dishes. This sugar-free recipe will come in handy for any housewife in her culinary repertoire. Find out how to cook it.

Ingredients:

  • cold water - 4 tbsp. l.;
  • butter – 200 g;
  • flour – 340 g;
  • egg yolk – 2 pcs.;
  • salt – 2 pinches.

Cooking method:

  1. Sift the flour. Add soft, diced butter.
  2. Chop the mixture with a knife until it turns into crumbly crumbs.
  3. Using a fork, beat the yolk with water.
  4. Add to crumble. Knead. Form into a ball. Keep in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Without flour

  • Cooking time: 65 min.
  • Number of servings: 8 persons.
  • Calorie content of the dish: 384 kcal.
  • Purpose: basis for baking.
  • Cuisine: European.
  • Difficulty of preparation: medium.

In some cases, baked goods are made without flour, although this is extremely rare. Lots of eggs are added. Margarine, sugar and a little lemon zest also go there. The main component can be replaced with starch. You, as in all previous cases, can make shortbread cake, basket cakes, and cake. Try making the dough according to this recipe, it will turn out no worse than flour dough.

It’s hard to even count the number of shortcrust pastry recipes. Each recipe has its own characteristics, but they all have one thing in common - the mandatory presence of a large amount of oil.

The basic recipe for making shortcrust pastry uses a minimum of ingredients, and based on it you can prepare a wide variety of desserts.

The standard set of products consists of 12 tbsp. l. high-grade flour, 200 g fatty oil, 4 tbsp. l. Sahara. Vanillin is added at your discretion.

Instead of butter, it is permissible to take high-quality margarine, and instead of sugar, powdered sugar. Large crystals make the mass more rigid, so it is even better to grind regular coarse sugar in a coffee grinder until it becomes powdery.

Preparation:

  1. Remove the oil until it reaches room temperature.
  2. Sift the flour. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix.
  3. Grind the flour with the butter, being careful not to overcrowd the mixture. Cookie dough should not be kneaded vigorously like yeast dough. The mass should be soft and elastic. Sometimes a little ice water is added to the mixture for this purpose.
  4. Form a ball, carefully roll it in flour, cover with film and put in the refrigerator for ½ hour. It is not recommended to keep it in the cold for longer, as the butter will begin to harden, and then it will be difficult to roll out such a mass into a cake of the required thickness.

The finished dough can be frozen or used immediately for its intended purpose.

Recipe for making pies

Based on this dough, you can bake open and closed pies with different salty and sweet fillings. For salty baked goods, you need to remove sugar from the list of ingredients.

In addition to standard products (4 tbsp. flour, 1 stick of butter and 25 g of sugar), you will also need the following components:

  • eggs – 2 pcs.;
  • baking powder – 5 g;
  • vanilla sugar - at personal discretion.

The preparation algorithm is not at all complicated:

  1. Melt the butter on a barely warm stove in a suitable container.
  2. Add sugar and stir. Wait until the mixture has cooled completely.
  3. Beat the eggs into the cooled mixture and stir.
  4. Combine the sifted flour with other bulk products.
  5. Combine all components and knead an elastic mass.

Roll it up and put it in a cold place for 25 minutes so that it compresses better. Then the shortbread dough for the pie needs to be rolled out into a layer of the required thickness, sides formed along the edges and the pre-prepared filling laid out.

It is desirable that the filling is not too liquid, but has a thick consistency.

The pie must be baked in the lower part of the oven, otherwise the top will be covered with a burnt crust and the bottom will not have time to bake. If the top of the cake is already burnt, but the inside is still wet, the situation is quite easy to correct - just cover the top of the baked goods with foil.

Classic shortbread cookie dough

Every housewife needs to know the classic shortcrust pastry recipe for making cookies.

Ingredients:

  • flour – 12 tbsp. l.;
  • butter – 1 pack;
  • powdered sugar – 4 tbsp. l.;
  • 2 yolks or 1 whole egg.

Baking powder is not needed, as the baked goods are loose due to the large amount of fat.

Preparation:

  1. Place the butter in the freezer until it becomes hard. Grind on a coarse grater.
  2. Sift flour and mix with sugar. Add the crushed butter and rub with your hands until crumbs form.
  3. Add the yolks and knead into an elastic but dense dough. Cool.

The mass can be rolled into a sausage and cut into thin pieces or rolled into a layer and cut out cookies using cutters. The pieces are placed on a baking sheet and baked for 10-15 minutes at a temperature of 220 degrees. There is no need to grease the baking dish with oil, since there is plenty of fat in the products, they will not stick.

Sour cream based option

The dough made with sour cream is more tender and soft. It stays fresh longer and is good for making cakes and soft pies.

In addition to Art. 12 l. flour, 100 g butter and 3 tbsp. l. sugar you will also need the following products:

  • sour cream - 10 tbsp. l.
  • lemon zest;
  • baking powder - 2 tsp.

Preparation:

  1. Cut the butter into small squares and leave until softened.
  2. Remove the peel from the lemon using a fine grater.
  3. Add sour cream, sugar and lemon zest to the butter. Mix with a spoon.
  4. Add sifted flour with baking powder and knead the dough. The mass should be homogeneous, soft and not stick to your hands.

Yeast base for baking

Shortbread yeast dough combines the best qualities of both types. Such products do not have a specific fat content. But since the mass is very dense, you should not expect the dough to rise much. It will just be more tender and layered.

In addition to 500 g of flour, 250 g of butter and 2 eggs, you will need the following products:

  • water - 4 tbsp. l.;
  • dry yeast - 2 tsp;
  • sugar - 2 tbsp. l.;
  • salt and vanillin.

Preparation:

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
  2. Chop the butter into cubes and knead the dough. Gather the mixture into a ball, cover with a clean towel and let rise for 2 hours.
  3. Roll out the dough into a layer 5 mm thick. If necessary, add flour. Cut out shaped cookies using cookie cutters. If desired, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for no more than 10-12 minutes at 180 degrees. As soon as the baked goods are browned, it’s time to remove them from the oven.

Mix without eggs

Without eggs, baked goods are no less tasty.

Ingredients:

  • flour - 250 g;
  • butter - 125 g;
  • water - 70 ml;
  • powdered sugar - 25 g;
  • salt - on the tip of the knife.

Shortbread dough without eggs is in no way inferior to its “brothers”.

Preparation:

  1. Remove the butter from the refrigerator in advance and grind with sifted flour.
  2. Add salt and sugar to the water, stir until dissolved. Pour into remaining ingredients.
  3. Place the mixture on the table and knead until it stops sticking to your hands. This will take 1-2 minutes.
  4. Place the rolled out dough into the prepared pan and fill with any filling. Sliced ​​fruits - apples, pears, plums - work well with this dough. They are beautifully laid out in the form of a circle. It is advisable to sprinkle the fruit slices with a little sugar and place shavings of butter on top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 200 degrees. The finished product should be browned around the edges.

The Lazy Way to Cook in a Food Processor

Housewives who have a food processor at home are very lucky. This machine can knead dough in minutes.

Ingredients:

  • flour - 300 g;
  • butter - 150 g;
  • sugar - 150 g;
  • cold water - 90 ml;
  • salt - to taste.

Preparation:

  1. Cut the cold butter into pieces.
  2. Sift the flour.
  3. Add ingredients to food processor bowl and pulse to form crumbly crumbs. There is no need to knead for a long time.
  4. Dissolve salt and sugar in water. Pour into the crumbs in small portions and stir.
  5. Transfer the mixture to another container, cover with film and place in a cool place for ½ hour.

After this, the dough can be used for its intended purpose.

Unusual chopped shortbread dough

Chopped dough is the best choice for preparing bases for various desserts.

Ingredients:

  • flour - 12 tbsp. l.;
  • butter - 150 g;
  • egg - 1 pc.;
  • sour cream - 30 g;
  • sugar - 0.5 tbsp;
  • salt - on the tip of the knife.

Using this recipe, you can prepare unsweetened chopped dough by removing sugar from the list of ingredients.

Preparation:

  1. Sift flour and salt onto the table. Add sugar.
  2. Cut the pre-chilled butter into cubes. It is better to do this on a large wooden board with a knife. Mix the flour and butter with your hands or use a food processor.
  3. Beat in the egg and mix. The mass should not be homogeneous, the main thing is that it is thick and crumbly. If it crumbles too much, you can add a little sour cream or the yolk of one egg.
  4. Wrap the dough ball in film and place in the refrigerator.

The main thing is not to knead the dough, collecting it into a ball. It just needs to be compressed.

Cooking with cottage cheese - step-by-step recipe

Cottage cheese gives the dough unusual softness and tenderness. You can use it to prepare both sweet and savory products, which will be lower in calories.

Required components:

  • flour - 300 g;
  • butter - 1 pack;
  • cottage cheese - 200 g;
  • sugar - 50 g;
  • salt - to taste.

Preparation:

  1. Cut the butter into pieces.
  2. Place all ingredients except cottage cheese in a food processor bowl and grind into fine crumbs. This will take no more than a minute.
  3. Grind the cottage cheese through a sieve and add to the rest of the mixture. Mix with a food processor for no more than 10 seconds. The mass should gather into a lump.

All that remains is to carefully assemble the dough, wrap it in film and put it in the cold.

Plastic and soft shortcrust pastry

Plastic dough that melts in your mouth is prepared according to this simple recipe.

Ingredients:

  • flour - half a kilogram pack;
  • powdered sugar - 1 tbsp;
  • butter - 1 pack;
  • 2 eggs or 4 yolks - your choice.

Preparation:

  1. Remove the butter from the freezer an hour before cooking.
  2. Grind it with sugar with a spatula or spoon.
  3. Add flour and eggs.
  4. Carefully form a ball and put it in the cold.

You can first give the dough the desired shape, and only then put it in the refrigerator. The main thing is that the products get into the oven cooled.

Ideal dough for cakes and tarts

You need to know that it is almost impossible to get the perfect dough for baskets in the heat. It does not tolerate high temperatures, so it must be done in a cool room.

Required components:

  • flour - 7 tbsp. l.;
  • butter - ½ pack;
  • egg - 60 g without shell;
  • water - 15 ml;
  • sugar - 1 tbsp. l.;
  • salt - to taste.

The main thing is that all components are cold.

Preparation:

  1. Sift the flour and mix it with the rest of the dry ingredients.
  2. Cut the butter into cubes.
  3. Place the prepared foods in a container and place in the refrigerator.
  4. Beat the eggs with a whisk with water and also refrigerate.
  5. Rub the flour and butter into crumbs using your palms. It is better if you use a mixer to do this so that the oil does not come into contact with warm hands.
  6. If the butter does not melt, you can immediately add the egg mixture. Has the baby become warm? This means that before adding the eggs it needs to be cooled and only then stirred for a few seconds at low speed.
  7. Quickly knead the dough without unnecessary movements. The mass should not stick to the table, and if it sticks, it means the dough is overheated.
  8. Place the dough on baking paper dusted with flour, roll it out, cover with another sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  9. Roll out the dough a little if necessary and place in the pan. Wait until it settles, then gently press it against the walls. Cut off the protruding sides and prick the bottom with a fork.

French confectioners cover the dough with a special film, cover it with rice, and then put it in the refrigerator for 1-1.5 hours. After this, the form with the dough is sent to an oven preheated to 170 degrees and baked until browned. Then the film with rice is removed, and the base itself is baked for another 10 minutes. At the very end, it is carefully laid out on the wire rack and used for its intended purpose.

Sweet or buttery shortbread base for baking

The list of ingredients can be supplemented with cocoa powder, chopped nuts, lemon zest, ginger, cinnamon or chocolate pieces.

Ingredients:

  • flour - 3 tbsp;
  • butter - 200 g;
  • mayonnaise - 200 ml;
  • sugar - 11 tbsp. l;
  • large egg;
  • vanillin - sachet;
  • baking soda and vinegar or lemon juice.

Preparation:

  1. Combine sugar with eggs and mayonnaise. Add vanillin, quench the soda with lemon juice.
  2. Add flour in small portions, stirring constantly.
  3. Cut the softened butter into pieces and stir quickly. The mass should be soft, and in no case hard.

This dough can be used to make any desserts.

Shortbread dough for one, two, three

The good thing about this recipe is that the quantities of ingredients can be easily remembered once and for all.

The dough itself is prepared using simple technology:

  • 1 serving of sugar;
  • 2 servings of fat;
  • 3 servings of flour.

Sometimes egg yolks are added for binding. The cooking principle is completely similar to the previous recipes. Thanks to this simple formula, you can make exactly the amount of dough you need.

Kurnik dough - what is special?

Kurnik dough is prepared with margarine or butter.

Products:

  • flour - 2 tbsp;
  • butter - 200 g;
  • sugar - 2 tsp;
  • egg - 1 pc.;
  • salt - 0.5 tsp;
  • a little soda and lemon juice.

Preparation:

  1. Combine butter with sugar and salt. Stir with a fork.
  2. Beat in the egg and mix again.
  3. Add flour in small portions and add slaked soda.
  4. Quickly knead the dough and refrigerate.

After this, the dough is used according to the recipe. It is divided into 2 parts, rolled out into 2 layers, and then one of them is laid out in a mold. Form the sides and distribute the meat filling. The second layer is laid on top and several holes are made in it. The pie takes no more than 40 minutes to prepare.

You can make a huge variety of savory snacks and sweet desserts from regular shortcrust pastry. And the recipe is easy to choose from those proposed in accordance with your own preferences and the availability of the necessary ingredients in the kitchen.

This is an intermediate option between shortcrust pastry and puff pastry. It is crumbly but firm, making it suitable as a base for large pies and quiches.

In a recipe, you can add the word “cold” before each ingredient and item, and this should not be neglected. The water should be ice cold and the oil should be rock hard. It's a good idea to keep bowls, knives and even the board on which you will work with the dough in the freezer. It is better to move the cutting table away from the radiator or open the window.

The secret of shortcrust pastry is in butter. It is thanks to him that the baked goods turn out crumbly.

All this trouble to prevent the butter from melting. Because otherwise you will get a completely different product.

Classic way

Ingredients

  • 200 g butter;
  • 300 g flour;
  • a pinch of salt;
  • 50–100 ml of water.

Preparation

Chop the cold butter into small cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. At this time, sift the flour and salt and pour it onto the table or board. Place the butter cubes on top, sprinkle them generously with flour and use a knife or two to cut into the dough.

It is important to touch the oil with your hands as little as possible: body heat will quickly melt it, and the consistency will not be what you need.

When the butter and dough come together and turn into small grains, add water little by little, kneading the mass into a plastic ball. Place it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then roll out the dough, put the filling, for example, and put it in the oven.

Lazy way

Technological progress does not stand still, why not use it in cooking. You will need the same ingredients and a food processor with blades. It is not necessary to chop the butter into small cubes: the device will handle it itself. Place butter and flour in a bowl and whisk. The main thing is not to overdo it; in the end you should get the same grains.

Gradually add ice water until the dough begins to come together into a ball. The following instructions are the same as in the classic recipe.

Shortbread dough can be stored in the freezer for several weeks.

Supplements

You can deviate from the basic recipe. Here are some ideas:

  1. Place 50–100 g of sugar into the sweet pie dough.
  2. Replace 30 g of flour with the same amount of cocoa - you will get chocolate dough.
  3. Add up to half a glass of finely chopped nuts.
  4. Flavor the mixture with citrus zest or vanilla.

This recipe will yield a more flexible dough that is easier to roll out. Baked goods made from it crumble less. By the way, in culinary disputes, some confectioners refuse to call chopped dough shortbread. They believe that only with the help of such a recipe can they obtain a classic base for tarts and baskets.

The oil should not be cold, but chilled. It is impossible to explain how one state differs from another. Just remove the product from the freezer an hour before cooking.

Ingredients

  • 100 g butter;
  • 100 g sugar (preferably powdered sugar);
  • 250 g flour;
  • 1 egg (or 2 yolks).

Preparation

It is better to mix the ingredients with a spatula or spoon, and use your hands only at the last stage, when you need to gather the dough into a ball. Cream butter and sugar, add flour, then egg.

If you have a food processor, delegate all these responsibilities to it.

You can chill the dough and then cut it. You can first give it the desired shape and then put it in the freezer. It is important that it goes into the oven cold.

3. Curd shortbread dough

This dough is less finicky to work with than its counterparts without cottage cheese, and has less calories, since the fermented milk product replaces half the butter.

Ingredients

  • 100 g cottage cheese;
  • 100 g butter;
  • 180 g flour;
  • ½ teaspoon of soda;
  • ½ teaspoon salt.

Preparation

Rub the cottage cheese through a sieve, grate the cold butter. Mix both ingredients with a fork, add flour, soda and salt. Quickly knead the dough until smooth, put it in a bag and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.

What to do next

If there is a pie on the menu, roll out the dough to the size of the mold, pierce it several times with a fork to prevent it from swelling, cover with parchment paper and cover with a weight. Special heat-resistant balls or beans and peas can be used as a weighting agent. This design is baked for about 15 minutes at 180 °C. Then remove the weight, add the pie filling and cook until done.

It is better to choose the filling adjusted for the sugar content in the dough. Unsweetened chopped is suitable for quiches with filling, pies with meat and vegetables. Dough with added sugar will be the basis for fruit and berry

Baskets are baked in the same way, only the cooking time must be reduced in proportion to the reduction in the size of the cakes. It is enough to bake cookies and other small products in the oven until lightly browned, otherwise they will be too hard.