1/3 cup (80g) sugar -- Note: amount of sugar may vary from 1/4 cup (50g) to a little more than 2/3 cup (125g) depending on use: see below
1 pinch of salt
1 3/4 cup (250g) flour
4.5 ounces (125g) softened butter - make sure to take out of the refrigerator in advance
If using the recipe to make cookies, add your prefered flavoring: cinnamon, vanilla, rum, lemon zest, etc...
Cookware
1 bowl
1 baking sheet
1 rolling pin
Preparation
Beat the egg, sugar and salt together in a bowl.
Add the flour all at once and mix together with your fingertips. The dough should take on a sandy, crumbly texture (in French, the name for shortcrust pasty is literally "sandy pastry")!
Add the softened butter (but not melted), then your preferred flavoring and knead the dough by hand to blend everything together.
Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in a cloth and let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour in a cool place.
When enough time has passed, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface: your dough is ready to be used to make a pie crust, tart, or shortbread cookies.
Blind bake (pre-bake) on a buttered baking sheet in the oven at low heat. Don't let it overcook: take the crust out of the oven as soon as it turns a golden blond color.
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Final Thoughts
THE recipe for pie crusts, tarts, cookies, and shortbread biscuits :)
Note: The amount of sugar used varies from 1/4 cup (50g) for a pie crust to a little more than 2/3 cup (125g) for cookies
WARNING: Shortcrust pastry is fragile! To prevent the dough from cracking, roll it on the rolling pin and then unroll it on the baking sheet. It is also fragile after baking, so be careful when handling it
To blind bake (pre-bake) (= without filling): prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork then cover with apricot kernels (or dried vegetables, beans, etc) and cook for 10 to 15 minutes in a warmed oven. Keep an eye on the coloring of your crust!
A tip: keep the kernels in a box to reuse for the same purpose in the future
