Pâte sablée is characterized by the soft crumb that gives way when you bite into it. It’s imperative that the butter and flour form a sandy consistency before you add any wet ingredients, hence the name sablée, from the French for ‘sandy’. The same mechanics behind a perfect scone are also behind a great pie crust. Flakiness occurs because a butter molecule is surrounded by flour molecules. If kept in a cold state and put into a hot oven, the butter will instantly create steam, which creates tiny pockets of air, in turn creating the lovely flakiness we look for in a pie crust. Overworking the dough also creates gluten, which removes the flour molecules’ role in coating the butter clumps, so no flakiness forms either. Treat the dough gently and it will reward you.
250 g/1¾ cups plain/all-purpose flour
120 g/1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 2-cm/¾-inch cubes and chilled
70 g/¾ cup icing/confectioners’ sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
23-cm/9-inch tart pan/pie plate, greased
baking beans
makes enough for 2 x 23-cm/9-inch tarts
Put the flour and butter in a large bowl and rub between your fingertips until a nice golden, sand-like texture emerges. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Add the icing/confectioners’ sugar and stir in. Add the eggs and knead lightly with your hands until it comes together into a smooth ball. The butter must be fully incorporated, but don’t overknead it. Cut the dough in half. Flatten each half lightly into a disc, wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. You will only need one portion of dough, so freeze the other one for another time.
Preheat the oven to 170˚C (340˚F) Gas 5.
On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the disc until 5 mm/ 3⁄8 inch thick. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and lift it over the prepared tart pan. Unroll it and smooth out the dough inside the pan. Roll the pin over the pan to trim off the excess dough around the edge. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Line the pastry base with parchment paper and fill with baking beans. Blind-bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes until dry and a light golden colour.