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Sweet Pastry Crust

Homemade Dough Serves as Base for Rich Coffee Tart

Nov 14, 2008 Michael Vyskocil

With a food processor and a few basic ingredients, you'll be able to produce a homemade pastry crust for the Rich Coffee Tart.

Preparing a homemade pastry crust can be intimidating, especially for the novice baker, but the process doesn't have to be daunting. There are a few pointers you need to keep in mind as you prepare the crust. First, make sure that all of your ingredients are cold. One hour prior to making the dough, refrigerate all of your ingredients to ensure they'll have a chance to chill. Second, make sure you measure all of your ingredients accurately. Baking is a science, and differences in measurements can also mean the difference between the success and failure of a recipe.

Third, while a food processor is the tool of choice for making a pastry crust, you can prepare this crust by hand using a pastry blender. Finally, make sure you don't overprocess the dough. Overprocessing tends to toughen the crust, which will result in a less flakier crust than desired. You only want to process the dough just until it begins to come together.

When chilling your pastry crust, always form the dough into a flat round. This will make it easier to roll out later than if you had chilled it in one solid ball. Be sure to wrap your crust well in plastic wrap or parchment paper to prevent it from drying out when storing in the refrigerator or freezer. If you choose to freeze your dough, be sure to let it thaw in the plastic wrap. You want any condensation to accumulate on the plastic wrap, not the dough itself.

Roll out the crust on a lightly floured board, brushing away any excess flour with a dry pastry brush.

If you follow these tips, you'll produce a satisfying pastry crust that will serve as the perfect base for the Rich Coffee Tart.

SWEET PASTRY CRUST

This pastry crust can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator up to two days or frozen up to one month.

Makes One 10-inch Round Crust

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup milk

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Combine the egg yolk and milk in a small bowl. Add the egg mixture to the food processor; process mixture just until the dough comes together. Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Press into a flat round; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour.

The copyright of the article Sweet Pastry Crust in Recipes is owned by Michael Vyskocil. Permission to republish Sweet Pastry Crust in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Pulse the Butter Until Coarse Crumbs Form	Add Just Enough Ice Water Until Dough Forms	Shape Pastry into Flat Round; Refrigerate
Roll Out Pastry; Brush Away Excess Flour	Sweet Pastry Crust