Short pastry is an essential element in the cooking and baking of many cultures around the world. Its origin goes back to French cuisine, where it has traditionally been used to prepare tarts, quiches and other culinary delights. Its popularity has transcended French borders, and today it is used in various cuisines around the world.
This dough is also known as shortcrust pastry or sablée dough. It is named after the “sabler” technique, which in French means to sand or crumble. It consists of mixing flour with butter until a crumbly texture is obtained.
What is short pastry?
Short pastry is a mixture of wheat flour, butter, water and sometimes sugar and salt. The right proportion of these ingredients is crucial to achieve a light, crumbly texture. In addition, the value of this product lies in its mild taste and its ability to adapt to both sweet and savoury preparations.
Types of short pastry
This dough has variations depending on the additional ingredients that are incorporated into the different preparations. Some recipes may add sugar to give it a sweet touch. Others focus on keeping it neutral for savoury dishes. Here are the main types of short pastry:
- Sweet short pastry. Composed of wheat flour, butter, water, salt and a little sugar. This variant is ideal for sweet dishes such as cakes and desserts.
- Wholemeal. This type is made with the same ingredients as the classic dough, but only varies in the type of flour. The inclusion of wholemeal flour makes it a more nutritious version, while maintaining the characteristic crumbly texture of this dough.
- With herbs. For an aromatic dough for quiches and savoury tartlets, there is a variant with herbs. It is made with wheat flour, butter, fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary, water and salt.
Benefits
Pasta brisa provides certain components that can be part of a balanced diet when consumed in moderation. Some of the benefits they provide to the health of the human body are:
Source of energy
The wheat flour in short pastry provides carbohydrates, which are an important source of energy for the body. This keeps energy levels active throughout the day.
Culinary versatility
Short pastry is very versatile and can be used for a wide variety of preparations, from sweet tarts to savoury quiches. This allows for the inclusion of healthy ingredients in the fillings, such as vegetables, lean proteins and fresh herbs.
Protein and fibre
Due to the presence of wheat flour, short pastry provides protein and fibre. These play important roles in the human body and contribute to maintaining a balanced and healthy diet.
Protein is essential for cell development and repair, nutrient transport, enzyme functions, the immune system and hormone balance.
Fibre is important for blood sugar control, digestive and cardiovascular health, disease prevention and weight control.
Culinary uses of short pastry
Thanks to the adaptability of this dough, it lends itself to a wide variety of preparations, both sweet and savoury. These are some of the most common uses:
- Quiches. It is the classic choice for the base of savoury quiches. The crumbly texture of shortcrust pastry complements well quiche fillings, which often include eggs, dairy, vegetables and proteins such as ham or salmon.
- Tartlets. This dough is ideal for creating tartlets, ideal for appetizers, starters or individually portioned desserts.
- Fruit tarts. The short pastry is perfect as a base for apple, pear, strawberry or other seasonal fruit tarts.
- Puff pastry. This product can also be used to create layers in puff pastry, adding a crumbly texture to the mixture.
- Sweet tarts. The chocolate short pastry variant is suitable for sweet tarts of various types, such as chocolate tarts, nut tarts or fruit tarts with custard.
- Pies. Another use is for pies, which can be filled with a variety of products, such as meat, chicken, fish or vegetables.
- Vegetable pie. Thanks to the versatility of this dough, delicious vegetable pies can be created. The short pastry as a base can be combined with ingredients such as spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes or cheese.
Short pastry premium
MARIE is a premium brand of raw dough, which provides gastronomic solutions with its innovative and high quality products to the most demanding chefs. The experience gained over almost 40 years has led to the creation of innovative products that meet the needs of consumers.
This is because MARIE provides added value to differentiate itself from the rest. Year after year, MARIE has managed to win the loyalty of more and more numerous and demanding consumers with products and recipes 100% made in France and with 6 production plants in France. To achieve this, they have a wide range of high quality products for the production of their products.
