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...
294 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 g 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .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: Blackcurrant and chestnut verrines, Mini almond-morello tarts, Tarte Jurassienne, Late summer tart with plums and apricots, Hazelnut and chocolate biscuits, ... See them all 42
Other recipes you may also like
Old style brioche
Classical version of brioche use yeast to raise the dough, but in this recipe some leaven is added. This make a more rustic brioche, with a small taste of leaven.December 19th 2014299 K4.6 14 hours 6 min.
Leavened bread
It might be harder to achieve good results than with traditional yeast bread, but what a flavour! It also keeps better. This recipe is designed for baking bread in a wood-fired oven but, of course, you can use the conventional oven in your kitchen.May 23th 20171.19 M 23.8 6 hours 30 min.
Salmon and spinach quiche
This quiche recipe uses a traditional filling mixture, but adds slices of smoked salmon and blanched spinach.April 17th 2022406 K 14 1 hour 15 min.
Pan bagnat
Pan Bagnat is a traditional recipe from the Nice area. The name means "soaked bread", as it consists of a round bread roll that has been drenched with a mix of oil and vinegar then filled vegetables and fish. Years ago this was the snack that fisherman took with them on their boats, but this is a...October 18th 2020153 K4.1 45 min.
Bounty-style tart for Alison
This Bounty-style tart combines, as you might expect, chocolate and coconut in a sweetcrust pastry case.June 2nd 2015130 K 14 1 hour 35 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-11-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 2 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.