How to roll out pastry for a tart
Rolling out pastry from a block and lining a tart mould or tin is not as straighforward as all that. To help you to succeed every time, here is a very simple tip. It will to change your opinion of tarts...
299 K 4.0/5 (60 reviews)
25 min.
Easy
1 tart
1 IngredientLast modified on: October 13th 2010
For 1 tart, you will need:
300 ml 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: 19:10.Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 1 min.
To start with, it is necessary to use pastry:
- Which is not in a ball, but rather flat like a thick pancake.
- In a ball, you will break it rather than spread it with the rolling pin.
- Which is very cold, straight from the fridge if possible.
- If pastry is warm, therefore soft, it will be easy to roll out but will stick to the rolling pin and will be practically impossible to put in the mould.
Stage 2 - 10 min.
Dust working surface and rolling pin generously with flour (don't worry about using too much, the surplus will be removed before baking).
Roll out pastry with the rolling pin, and for that here is the most important knack: you should always roll from the centre out to the edge of the pastry.
Roll out pastry with the rolling pin, and for that here is the most important knack: you should always roll from the centre out to the edge of the pastry.
Stage 3
Never pass the rolling pin over the whole surface of the pastry, you will inevitably made a bump in the middle.
You should work as quickly as possible so that your pastry stays very cold. Flour the top, and/or turn the pastry during this operation.
Roll out to the required thickness (2 or 3 mm usually), or size, depending on your mould (to try, put your mould gently on the pastry, which should be about 2 cm larger all round).
You should work as quickly as possible so that your pastry stays very cold. Flour the top, and/or turn the pastry during this operation.
Roll out to the required thickness (2 or 3 mm usually), or size, depending on your mould (to try, put your mould gently on the pastry, which should be about 2 cm larger all round).
Stage 4 - 3 min.
Once the pastry is rolled out, it is necessary to transfer it to the mould, which is a delicate operation.
For this, the best way is to pass a metal spatula or slice underneath, then wrap it around the rolling pin, and then unroll it over the mould.
You can watch a video demonstration on the right.
For this, the best way is to pass a metal spatula or slice underneath, then wrap it around the rolling pin, and then unroll it over the mould.
You can watch a video demonstration on the right.
Stage 5 - 3 min.
Then, you need to press the pastry into the bottom and sides of the mould, so that it is properly lined, and so that the bottom of pastry when cooked will be nice and solid.
You can watch a video demonstration on the right.
You can watch a video demonstration on the right.
Stage 6 - 3 min.
Once this operation is complete, trim off the surplus pastry with a knife by following round the top of the mould.
Note: With this surplus, you can make small tarts, or if it is a sweetcrust pastry, small biscuits to serve with coffee for instance.
Note: With this surplus, you can make small tarts, or if it is a sweetcrust pastry, small biscuits to serve with coffee for instance.
Stage 7 - 2 min.
Remove any surplus flour with a brush.
Stage 8 - 1 min.
And finally, prick over the bottom of the mould with a fork or a "pique-vite", to avoid the pastry bubbling up during baking.
Put the mould in the fridge for one hour so that pastry firms up before baking, it is then ready for use.
Put the mould in the fridge for one hour so that pastry firms up before baking, it is then ready for use.
Remarks
In the photographs I'm using a tart ring (which is a kind of bottomless mould) rather than a classic mould, I recommend it to you because it's much more practical and easy to remove a tart from the circle than from a mould. You can find all sizes in specialist stores, choose stainless ones.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 270 RDI=100 % | 1,520 RDI=140 % | 1,140 RDI=170 % | 17,440 RDI=870 % | 73,010 RDI: 870 % |
| Per 100 g | 90 RDI=30 % | 510 RDI=50 % | 380 RDI=60 % | 5,810 RDI=290 % | 24,340 RDI: 290 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 1 tart : 1.55 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Croute à thé, Late summer tart with plums and apricots, Apple custard tart, Pear tart with almond cream, Lemon tart, ... See them all 43
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