Chef Juliette
Flan aux Carottes
A pale short-paste shell holds silken, lightly sweet carrot purée beneath neat glazed half-discs, their butter syrup catching the light: a classical tart poised between vegetable course and sweet.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Ordinary Short Paste
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2356, Ordinary Short Paste, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Pâte brisée ordinaire turns four plain ingredients into a calm, workable pie paste: soften the butter, knead exactly twice, then let time take away the spring before you roll.
Pastries & Cookies
French
Make Ahead
Meal Prep
Budget Friendly
15 min
Active Time
0 min cook•4 hr 15 min total
YieldAbout 435 g paste, enough for one 23 cm (9-inch) double-crust pie or two single crusts, 6 to 8 servings
Pâte brisée ordinaire (ordinary short paste) teaches one true thing: rest is part of the work. This paste is deliberately kneaded until smooth, which gives it elasticity, then left in the cold until that spring relaxes and the rolling pin no longer has an argument on its hands.
The source formula assumed a broad mixing-board, linen for wrapping, a cool pantry, and a batch beginning with a pound of flour. Here the quantities are halved exactly for one home pie, while a wide bowl or clean counter replaces the board and snug wrapping plus the refrigerator replaces linen and a cool room. The larger batch and old storage arrangement were scaffolding; softened butter, two complete kneadings, and the long rest are the paste itself, so those stay.
Properly rested, the dough is smooth, butter-ivory, and pliable without being greasy. Make it a day ahead if you can. The step that decides everything is the wait before rolling, because hurried pâte brisée fights back, while rested pâte brisée goes where you ask.
Pâte brisée belongs to France's national pastry repertoire rather than one region, moving between pâtisserie, cuisine bourgeoise, and the savory kitchen as a plain shell for tartes and tourtes. The label ordinaire did not mean careless or inferior; it distinguished this dependable flour-water-butter foundation from richer, egg-enriched, or layered pastes. Its prescribed double kneading followed by a cool rest corrects a common misconception: in this formula, the paste is deliberately smoothed first, then its elasticity is allowed to fade before rolling.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
plain flour
Quantity
1⅞ cups (445 ml / 227 g)
sifted
fine salt
Quantity
⅜ teaspoon (1.9 ml / 2.4 g)
cold water
Quantity
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (95 ml / 95 g)
unsalted butter
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 113 g)
well softened but still cool
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| plain floursifted | 1⅞ cups (445 ml / 227 g) |
| fine salt | ⅜ teaspoon (1.9 ml / 2.4 g) |
| cold water | 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (95 ml / 95 g) |
| unsalted butterwell softened but still cool | ½ cup (120 ml / 113 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Kitchen scale
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Wide mixing bowl or clean pastry board
- •Flexible bench scraper
- •Rolling pin
- •Reusable wrap or airtight container
Instructions
- 1
Temper the butter
Soften the butter until a fingertip presses into it easily, but keep it cool enough to remain matte and hold its shape. Measure the cold water separately. If the butter looks shiny, oily, or partly melted, chill it for 5 to 10 minutes before continuing; softened butter combines with the flour, while melted butter soaks it and makes the paste greasy.
Softened does not mean warm. The butter should bend without cracking and accept a clean fingerprint without leaving oil on your finger. - 2
Build the flour well
Sift the flour onto a clean pastry board or into a very wide mixing bowl. Make a deep hollow in the center and put the salt, cold water, and softened butter into it. Work from the center outward with your fingertips, drawing in a little flour at a time so the hollow thickens gradually rather than breaking and sending water across the counter.
- 3
Mass the paste
Once the center has become a thick paste, use your hand and a bench scraper to bring in the remaining flour. Mass the whole together for 1 to 2 minutes, pressing and gathering only until no dry flour remains. It may feel soft and slightly tacky at first. Use the scraper instead of throwing in extra flour, because changing the flour-to-water ratio now makes the baked crust heavy.
- 4
Knead exactly twice
Apply The Kneading of Pastes (No. 2357) to the whole mass once, gather it together, then repeat the treatment once more. Stop when the paste is thoroughly combined and smooth. Twice means two complete treatments, not prolonged bread-style kneading. If butter begins smearing across the board or the paste turns glossy, stop and chill it for 10 minutes, then finish the second treatment. Ça se rattrape.
The two kneadings are the dish, not disposable ceremony. They combine and smooth this particular paste; the long rest will deal with the elasticity they create. - 5
Wrap and rest
Roll the paste gently into a ball without further kneading. Wrap it snugly so no surface is exposed, then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours and preferably a full day. During this rest the flour hydrates evenly and the elasticity subsides, giving a paste that rolls more cleanly and bakes to a clearer, lighter color.
A loose covering lets the surface dry into a skin, which later cracks under the rolling pin. Press the wrapping directly against the paste. - 6
Roll it calmly
Take the paste from the refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes before rolling, just long enough for the butter to become pliable. Divide it now if making two crusts, dust the work surface sparingly, and roll from the center outward without stretching the paste. If it contracts or springs back, cover it and wait another 20 minutes. More force only strengthens the resistance; more rest removes it.
Chef Tips
- •Weigh the flour if you can. A cup of flour changes considerably according to how it is filled, while 227 grams keeps the source proportion intact.
- •Use real butter and soften it carefully. Margarine and spreadable substitutes contain different amounts of water and fat, so they change both the handling and the baked texture. We don't apologize for butter.
- •Add neither sugar nor egg. This is a neutral working paste of flour, salt, water, and butter; enriching it produces another member of the pastry family.
- •Do not blind-bake by reflex. A wet custard filling may require a pre-baked shell, while a covered fruit or meat pie generally does not. The recipe using the paste decides.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare the paste a full day before rolling whenever possible. The overnight rest removes its spring and makes lining a pie tin considerably easier.
- •The tightly wrapped paste keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Let it soften for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.
- •For longer storage, divide and wrap the paste before freezing it for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator so the butter remains evenly distributed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 54g)
Calories
205 calories
Total Fat
12 g
Saturated Fat
7 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
4 g
Cholesterol
30 mg
Sodium
120 mg
Total Carbohydrates
22 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
3 g
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