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Pasta Frolla Recipe (Italian Sweet Shortcrust Pastry)
Pasta frolla is the classic Italian sweet shortcrust pastry used to make crostata, tart shells, tartlets, cookies and many traditional Italian desserts.It's made with a few simple ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, eggs and flavorings such as lemon zest or vanilla. Once mixed and chilled, the dough becomes easy to roll and bakes into a crumbly, buttery pastry with the perfect balance between tenderness and structure.
Ingredients
- 250 g Italian "00" flour - about 2 cups
- 100 g granulated sugar - ½ cup
- 120 g cold unsalted butter - about 1 stick, cut into small pieces
- 1 medium egg - at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk - at room temperature
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ lemon zest - optional
Instructions
- Place the flour on a work surface or pastry board and make a well in the center. Add the sugar, the grated lemon zest if using, the salt, the whole egg and the egg yolk.
- Add the cold butter, cut into small pieces.
- Start mixing the ingredients quickly with your fingertips, working the butter into the flour, sugar and eggs without warming it too much.The secret to good pasta frolla is to keep the butter cold and to work the dough as little as possible. If the butter melts too much, the pastry can lose its crumbly texture and become greasy or tough after baking.Knead quickly, just until the ingredients come together and form a smooth, compact dough. Do not overwork it. You don't need to make the dough elastic, as you would with bread or fresh pasta.If your hands are very warm, rinse them under cold water and dry them well before kneading. A marble or stainless steel pastry board can also help keep the dough cool.
- Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.This resting time is important because it allows the butter to firm up again and makes the pasta frolla easier to roll out. It also helps prevent the dough from shrinking too much during baking.
- After chilling, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out with a rolling pin. For a crostata or tart shell, roll it to about 4 mm thick, about ⅙ inch. For cookies, you can roll it slightly thicker, depending on the shape and size.At this point, your pasta frolla is ready to use for crostata, tart shells, tartlets or cookies.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 382kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 6gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 206mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 585IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 2mg
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