Learn the difference between four different pie crusts and what recipe you would use for each.
I am a cake person, obviously, but I love love LOVE pies and tarts too! More and more the older I get. I have always made just two styles of crusts, graham cracker or American Flaky.
I never thought much past that. BUT then I was approached about being on Food Network… and in doing that I started to bake even more than normal, trying everything I could get my hands on that I could quickly bake and turn into a dessert
So I discovered the three Pate crusts. Pate Brisee, Pate Sucree and Pate Sablee! So in addition to a classic American Flaky crust I now have a VERY well rounded crust collection!
From Savory to Sweet, soft to crunchy, there is a pie crust for EVERY occasion, never again will I just one one crust for them all! Trust me you NEED these crusts in your life, AND they are all super easy to make.
I’d say the American is actually the trickiest since you have to be careful not to over mix it! But even that isn’t very hard!
AND rather than just write long paragraphs about each crust (which can get hard to read and your eyes just skim over the words… oh wait, is that just me?) I made a video for you. Just in time for the Holidays!
Four pie crust recipes
Flaky – cut the fat (butter and shortening) into the crust, to create a beautifully crunchy and flaky crust. Better baked with a filling over blind if you can
Pate Brisee – no sugar, perfect for savory dishes, very flaky, but softer than the American style. Also better baked with a filling, than blind baking
Pate Sucree – sweet, full of sugar, butter and cream, softer than the others, similar to a thin crunchy baked scone (best I can describe), beautiful blind bake
Pate Sablee – A cross between a Sugree and a shortbread cookie, a great crunch, sweet and a beautiful blind bake.
I’ll eventually create a different post for each recipe, the traditional Flaky is here.
I hope you enjoy pies as much as me, AND love these crusts as much as I do! I have more than one of each style of dough in my freezer right now so whenever I want I can thaw a round and make fresh pie or pot pie or quiche! In fact I’m craving my favorite quiche right now… of to thaw some pie dough!
Connect with Ashlee Marie Online!
To watch me make these different pie crusts play the video in the recipe card.
You can find all my cooking show style recipe videos on YouTube, or my short recipe videos on Facebook Watch, or my Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Pate Brisee
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 10 Tbsp cold butter cubed
- 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 6 Tbsp ice water
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine flour, butter, shortening, and salt. Process to a coarse meal.
- Add in vinegar and water and process again until dough is moistened and pulls together in a mass.
- Turn dough out and pat into two discs. Wrap and chill dough 15-30 mins (freezer 10 mins)
- Roll out or pat the pastry evenly in the bottom and up the sides of an 8-9 inch tart pan, cover with plastic wrap and chill 30 mins or freeze 10
- If your filling the pie follow those directions
for Blind Baking
- preheat oven to 400
- lightly prick the bottom of the pastry crust and press aluminum foil into the crust, fill with pie weights
- bake for 5 mins
- reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake for 10 mins, take out foil and weights
- bake another 10+ mins
- If your going to fill the crust brush with beaten egg white and put back in the oven for 2 mins to seal.
Video
Nutrition
Pate Sucree
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold butter cubed
- 1 Tbsp vegetable shortening
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine flour, butter, shortening, and sugar. Process to a coarse meal.
- Add cream and process again until dough is moistened and hold together when squeezed.
- Turn dough out and push a few times with the palm of your hand until it comes together. Form into two discs. Wrap and chill dough 15-30 mins (freezer 10 mins)
- spray a pan
- pat the pastry evenly in the bottom and up the sides of an 8-9 inch tart pan, cover with plastic wrap and chill 30 mins or freeze 10
- If baking filled follow the pie directions
for Blind Baking
- preheat oven to 400
- lightly prick the bottom of the pastry crust and press aluminum foil into the crust, fill with pie weights
- bake for 5 mins
- reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake for 10 mins, take out foil and weights
- bake another 5-10 mins
Video
Nutrition
Pate Sablee
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp salt
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream butter, sugar, yolk, and salt until smooth.
- Add flour and slowly mix until dough is uniform.
- Turn dough out and using your hands, form into two discs. Wrap and chill dough 15-30 mins (freezer 10 mins)
- Roll or pat the pastry evenly in the bottom and up the sides of an 8-9 inch tart pan, cover with plastic wrap and chill 30 mins or freeze 10
- if baking filled follow pie directions
for Blind Baking
- preheat oven to 400
- lightly prick the bottom of the pastry crust and press aluminum foil into the crust, fill with pie weights
- bake for 5 mins
- reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake for 10 mins, take out foil and weights
- bake another 5-10 mins
Video
Nutrition
Senait
This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing this info. Which crust would you use for a savory hand pie?
Ashlee Marie
oh that’s a great question – I’d stick with a flaky pie crust for a hand pie. It has the strength to hold up and yet be a little flexible
Cynthia Frascari
Great video tutorial regarding the different pie crusts. I love it!
Ashlee Marie
you are so welcome – thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment!
RF Rodriguez
Thank you very much for the video. I do a lot of Scandinavian baking and notice I have made these different pie/tart crusts. I noticed the ingredients are all similar with a portions being different. I now can make the right dough for each pie/tart I make. I make a lot of tarts with cream fillings and fresh fruit so the Sablee is perfect! I read some of the posts regarding lard, and I used my own rendered lard in place for shortening. I used pasteurize liver fat because it does not have the porky flavor when I render it.
Ashlee Marie
that sounds amazing! And yes that pork flavor is never a good thing so super smart to render your own to avoid that.
Katie
Loved your video on the differences between the four crusts and I really appreciate the end when you taste each one and describe the differences. I have been trying to find a perfect crust for a chocolate cream pie with peanut butter topping and the American pie crust recipe I use is perfect for a fruit pie and everyone loves it but it just never blind bakes very well for cream pies. Then as I was thinking about it and preparing to bake yet another pie, I remembered Pate Brisee and Pate Sucree from years ago and decided to google the subject to see if that would be a better way to go and that led me to your post. I found your video informative and entertaining to watch so the 14 minutes goes quickly unlike some videos which are painful to watch for more than a few minutes. So anyway I’m getting ready to mix up the Pate Sucree and possibly the Pate Sablee and I’ll see which I prefer for this pie. Thanks again!
Ashlee Marie
Did you decide that you liked one over the other?
Marann
What can I use in place of shortening? Can’t find it where I live. Love your pâte recipes. I’d like to try them. Thanks for sharing.
Ashlee Marie
do you have lard maybe? you can just use more butter, but it will be more stable with the shortening. Trex or White Flora are in the UK
Aphrodite
Hi Ashlee
Thank you for the recipes. Can’t wait to try.
I wonder in Pate Sabree is there any substitute for white vinegar?
Thank you
Ashlee Marie
you can use another vinegar, but it will change the flavor slightly
Carol chan
Which crust will you recommend for fresh fruits tart? That will stays crunchy even for all day with filling and fruits in it. Been searching for a good crunst for fruits tarts
Ashlee Marie
the sablee or sucre would both work. I’d go for the sablee, remember to do an egg wash if your going to be blind baking and adding a wet filling.
Michelle Martens
Hi Ashlee! Thanks for this awesome post!
When baking the pate sablee, can I leave it unbaked, add my filling and then bake it in the oven together with my filling?
TIA,
an inexperienced pie baker.
Ashlee Marie
totally depends on the filling. I like to par-bake my crust for pumpkin pie (half bake before adding the filling and baking the rest of the way. Follow the directions of the pie itself. It should tell you in the pie recipe if you start with a raw, baked or partially baked crust
Giovanni
Great comparison demonstration! Thanks!!
Ashlee Marie
you are so very welcome!