Pâte brisée is a variation on a traditional short-crust pastry

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening ag ...

. It is used as a base for various

savory Savory or Savoury may refer to: Common usage * Herbs of the genus ''Satureja'', particularly: ** Summer savory (''Satureja hortensis''), an annual herb, used to flavor food ** Winter savory (''Satureja montana''), a perennial herb, also used to ...

and

sweet dishes Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and most parts of ...

. It is sometimes confused with a traditional flaky pie crust, which has similar ingredients, but the pâte brisée is considered superior for use with wet fillings such as custards. It is an unsweetened pastry typically used in savory dishes, though sweet dishes are known. The name "pâte brisée" translates to "broken pastry" in English, which refers to the crumbly or mealy texture of the dough.

History and cultural significance

Pâte brisée is, according to the French-American Cultural Foundation, a classic of French pastry. The pastry has a long and storied history in

French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the r ...

, dating back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The concept of using

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many c ...

and

fat In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple es ...

to create a

pastry dough Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...

can be traced back to

ancient civilizations A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). Civ ...

, but it was the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

who refined and popularized the technique. The

recipe A recipe is a set of instructions that describes how to prepare or make something, especially a dish of prepared food. A sub-recipe or subrecipe is a recipe for an ingredient that will be called for in the instructions for the main recipe. Hist ...

for pâte brisée is believed to have evolved from a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

pastry called "

coffin A coffin is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, either for burial or cremation. Sometimes referred to as a casket, any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for jewe ...

" or "coffyn," which was a sturdy, vessel-like pastry used to encase and cook various fillings. Over the centuries, French

bakers A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains h ...

and

pastry chefs A pastry chef or pâtissier (; the French female version of the word is pâtissière ), is a station chef in a professional kitchen, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods. They are employed in large hotels, ...

perfected the art of creating delicate, crumbly pastry dough, which eventually led to the creation of pâte brisée as we know it today. This versatile dough quickly became a

staple Staple may refer to: *Staple food, a foodstuff that forms the basic constituent of a diet *Staple (fastener), a small formed metal fastener **Surgical staple Arts, entertainment, and media * Staple (band), a Christian post-hardcore band ** ''Stap ...

in French kitchens and

bakeries A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish ...

, forming the basis for a wide range of both

sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, keto ...

and

dishes. Pâte brisée has become an essential element of French culinary heritage, with regional variations and adaptations passed down through generations of bakers. It has also gained popularity worldwide, with pastry enthusiasts and professional

chefs A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitch ...

embracing the buttery, tender texture and the endless possibilities it offers for creative culinary creations.

Influence on global cuisine

and

baking Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferre ...

techniques spread

globally Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

, so did the influence of pâte brisée. Different cultures have adopted and adapted the

to suit their own culinary traditions. In Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, variations of pâte brisée can be found in savory pastries like Turkish borek and Greek spanakopita, showcasing its international appeal.

Ingredients, preparation and variations

The traditional recipe for pâte brisée consists of wheat flour, cold or softened butter, salt, and icewater. Depending on the application, additional ingredients may be called for, such as lemon juice or vanilla. According to the ''Traite de Patisserie Moderne'' it should not include sugar. The dough is prepared by combining dry ingredients, incorporating the butter, and gradually adding the icewater until the dough just comes together, avoiding overworking. The finished dough is refrigerated before being rolled out, both to make rolling easier and to help prevent shrinkage during baking. If sugar is added, the dough is instead called

pâte sucrée Shortcrust pastry is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart, quiche, pie, or (in the British English sense) flan. Shortcrust pastry can be used to make both sweet and savory pies such as apple pie, quiche, lemon meringue or chicken p ...

. If egg is added (mixed in with the water), it is called pâte à foncer.

Usage

For use with wet fillings such as custards, pâte brisée is considered superior to traditional flaky pie dough, which is created by cutting cold butter into the flour and adding icewater. Because softened rather than cold butter is worked into the flour, in pâte brisée the fat particles are evenly distributed in the dough. This forms a less-porous barrier of fat than in flaky pie doughs, which helps prevent the crust from becoming soggy when a wet filling is added. The finished crust is both flaky and sturdy, which means it is appropriate for most fillings. Common savory applications include quiches.

History and cultural significance

Influence on global cuisine

Ingredients, preparation and variations

Usage

See also

References

Further reading