Sweet Pastry Tart Shell

This is my go-to sweet tart shell: crisp, buttery, and reliable. It’s simple to make and doesn’t require any special equipment: just a bowl, a spoon, and a rolling pin.

The dough comes together easily and rolls out smoothly after a quick rest in the fridge. It’s also very forgiving. If it tears or cracks while you’re lining the tin, just press a bit of extra dough into the gaps – it patches up beautifully and still bakes evenly.

Once blind baked, you’re left with a golden shell that’s sturdy enough to hold curds, creams, or fruit, but delicate enough to melt in your mouth. Whether you’re making something elegant or just using up what’s in the fridge, this tart shell is a solid base that always delivers.

Ingredients

Ingredients

190g Plain flour
50g Icing Sugar
25g Almond Flour (Almond meal)
1/4 Tsp Salt
100g Salted butter, cubed
1 Egg

Method

Sift the dry ingredients
Sift the flour, icing sugar, almond meal and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Rub in the butter
Add the cubed, softened butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until no large lumps remain. The mixture should resemble loose sand. (Tip: Gently shake the bowl — any larger chunks will rise to the top.)
Add the egg
Add the egg and use a spatula to mix until just combined. The mixture will look quite loose — that’s expected.
Bring the dough together
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and gently work it until it comes together into a ball. Avoid overworking.
Shape and chill
Flatten the dough into a disc about 10 cm wide, wrap in cling film, and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
Roll and line the tin
Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a circle approximately 30 cm in diameter. Drape it over a rolling pin and transfer it to your tart tin. Gently press the dough into the tin, trimming any overhang and patching up any cracks or tears with offcuts.
Dock and chill again
Prick the base of the tart with a fork 15–20 times. Return the tin to the fridge and chill for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan).
Blind bake
Line the tart shell with baking paper and fill with baking weights or rice.

Baking Time

For set fillings (e.g. curds, creams, fridge-set layers):

Bake for 15 minutes with weights
Remove the weights and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp
Cool completely before filling

For baked fillings (e.g. custards, frangipane):

Bake for 10 minutes with weights
Remove the weights and bake for a further 10 minutes, until just starting to colour
Cool before adding filling
Once filled, return to the oven to bake as required. You can cover the tart edges with foil if they brown too quickly.