Sweet shortcrust pastry dough is known as pasta frolla in Italian. It is one of the most simple and versatile Italian pastry doughs used for a variety of delicious desserts. This easy recipe ensures the best results.
Cut ½ cup of cold unsalted butter into 18 small pieces and place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
In a food processor combine the dry ingredients and pulse a few times.
Add the cut-up butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse ground meal.
Add the slightly beaten eggs and pulse until the dough comes together.
Turn out the dough on a lightly floured wooden board and form it into a smooth disc by pressing the dough together.
Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimal time of 30 minutes before using it.
Step by step photos can be found in the article.
Hand Mixing Method
Place a box grater and ½ cup of butter (113 grams) in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together thoroughly.
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Remove the icebox grater and butter from the freezer.
Using the large holes of a box grater, quickly grate the cold butter.
Quickly but gently toss the grated butter with the dry ingredients with your fingertips.
Then rub the mixture together in order for the butter to coat the flour particles. The mixture will become coarse.
Create another well, and add the lightly beaten eggs.
Use a fork to incorporate the eggs. Work quickly and continue stirring until coarse crumbs form about 30 seconds.
Gather into a ball. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimal time of 30 minutes before using it.
Step by step photos can be found in the article.
Video
Notes
The recipe will yield one 9-inch pie with a lattice top.A serving size is ⅛ of the pie.
Chilling the butter, and the box grater makes it easier to incorporate it quickly into the dry ingredients.
Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes makes rolling it out a lot easier.
To prevent the dough from drying out while it is in the refrigerator, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
When it comes to rolling out the dough, make sure your surface is lightly floured so that the dough doesn't stick. Remember to use a minimal amount of flour.
Rolling out the dough on a sheet of floured parchment paper helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter.
Avoid overworking the dough, which leads to an overly developed gluten structure, making your dough tough.
To make a dough with a finer texture, replace the granulated sugar with icing sugar as it is more evenly distributed throughout the dough.
*adapted from Nick MalgieriPlease keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.