Pâte Sablée Tart Dough
Pâte sablée is one of the classic French sweet tart doughs, with a tender, sandy texture and a lightly sweet flavour. Once baked, it becomes a buttery, crumbly shell that’s rich rather than crisp. It’s a good choice for baked or set fillings and is best served at room temperature, when the butter softens, and the texture really comes through. It can also work with curds if you like a softer and more delicate crust.
About this recipe
This pâte sablée recipe is made with flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, butter, and egg. The butter is rubbed into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine sand. The egg binds the dough without adding too much moisture, which helps the tart shell keep its shape in the oven. Pâte sablée can also be mixed by gently creaming the butter and sugar, but the mixing is stopped early so the dough stays short, crumbly, and delicate once baked.
The dough has two chill times, one before rolling and one after it’s in the tart pan. Both make a big difference. They help stop the crust from shrinking and keep the edges clean and neat. I bake it at a lower temperature so it browns evenly and stays nice and flat.
Pâte sablée can be fully baked or baked with the filling, depending on whether the filling sets in the oven or is added after baking. If baking before use, you don’t need pie weights for this one. The low oven temperature and well-chilled dough keep it from puffing up.
Another French tart dough you’ll often see and that I’ve also got on the blog is pâte sucrée. It’s mixed a little differently, with the butter and sugar creamed first, which gives the baked shell more structure and cleaner slices.
What you need
Step-by-step
Combine the dry ingredients
- Whisk the flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt together.
Add the butter
- Work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like fine crumbs.
Mix in the egg
- Mix in the egg until the dough comes together into a soft ball.
Fraisage: Tip the mixture onto the bench and use the heel of your hand to gently push portions of the dough forward. This is called fraisage and it helps the dough form a smooth, cohesive mass without overmixing. Do this just a couple of times until the dough comes together into a soft ball.
Wrap and chill
- Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. This firms the butter and relaxes the gluten.
Fit into tart pan
- Roll the dough 3 to 4 mm thick, fit it into a 9 or 10- inch tart pan and trim the edges.
Dock and chill again
- Dock the base with a fork and chill the lined pan for 15 to 20 minutes.
Bake until golden brown
- Bake until dry and lightly golden.
Pâte sablée in a food processor
You can make this dough in a food processor instead of mixing it by hand. Add the flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt to the bowl and pulse to combine. Then add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine sand. Add the egg and pulse again until the dough starts to clump together. Tip it out, bring it into a ball, and chill as usual. It gives the same sandy, tender texture and is a great shortcut if you want the dough ready in a few minutes.
FAQs about pâte sablée
Uses
Pâte sablée makes a short and tender tart shell that works with many fillings.
- Chocolate ganache tarts and chocolate caramel tarts
- Almond or other nut frangipane tarts, plain or with fruit. Here’s my blueberry frangipane tart that uses this recipe.
- Baked custard tarts like vanilla or coffee custard
- Fruit tarts with pastry cream when a tender, crumbly crust is the goal
- It can work with curds too if you prefer a softer, more delicate crust rather than perfectly sharp slices.
Pâte Sablée Tart Dough
Ingredients
- 220 g all purpose flour
- 60 g powdered sugar
- 15 g almond flour optional
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 113 g unsalted butter cold, cubed
- 1 large egg lightly whisked
Instructions
- Add the flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt to a bowl.220 g all purpose flour, 60 g powdered sugar, 15 g almond flour, 1/4 tsp salt
- Add the cold butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut and rub it into the flour until the mixture looks sandy. 113 g unsalted butter
- Add the egg and mix until the dough starts to clump. Tip it onto the bench and use the heel of your hand to gently push small portions of the dough forward. This is called fraisage and it helps bring the dough together without over mixing. 1 large egg
- Shape into a disc, wrap, and chill for an hour.
Pre-Baking The Pastry
- Pre-baking is needed for chilled or no-bake fillings. If you are using a baked filling like frangipane or baked custard, the pastry can be partially baked or baked with the filling instead.
- Heat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
- Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. It should still feel cold, but not rock hard. If it cracks immediately when you try to roll, it is too cold.
- Roll pâte sablée on a lightly floured bench or between two sheets of parchment. Rolling the dough between parchment keeps it clean and makes it easier to transfer to the tart pan. Aim for an even thickness of about 3 to 4 mm and roll it a few inches wider than your 9 or 10 inch tart pan so you have enough overhang to lift and fit it easily
- To fit the pan, lift the dough with your rolling pin or forearms and lower it gently into an ungreased tart pan. Press it into the base and up the sides without stretching it. If you get cracks or thin spots, patch them with extra dough. Sablée patches blend in once baked, so it’s completely fine to do.
- Trim the edges and dock the base with a fork, then chill it again for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until dry and lightly golden all over. Cool completely.
Food processor option
- Add the dry ingredients to the processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until sandy. Add the egg and pulse again until the dough starts to clump. Tip it out, bring it together, and chill as usual.
