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Shortcrust Pastry and Cookie Dough

Prep
10 min
Total
10 min

Ingredients

  • ½ cup plus 2 tbsp125 ggranulated sugar
  • 2 sticks plus 2 tbsp250 gunsalted butterGerman butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 3 cups375 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.

Method

  1. To make the dough, put all the ingredients in a bowl & work them together as briefly as possible until you have a dough that looks a little like wet sand.

  2. During my apprenticeship, and in the pastry shop in general, you usually put the butter & sugar into the mixer first & let them mix briefly until smooth, & add the flour as the last step so the flour doesn't get overworked.

  3. When you press the dough together, it holds its shape but isn't so sticky that it would, for example, stick to the bowl.

  4. Depending on your taste or the recipe, you can also add egg yolks, milk &/or water, as well as spices, colorings & flavor pastes. Baking powder (German baking powder comes in 15 g packets, each about 1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp of US or UK baking powder) is unusual in shortcrust pastry because you don't want it to rise: the dough should be tender, short and crisp.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/shortcrust-pastry-and-cookie-dough/