Press-In Flaky Tart Dough
A no-roll tart dough that skips the rolling pin entirely. Cold butter is pulsed into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then simply pressed straight into the pan for a flaky, foolproof tart shell.
Story
Forget the rolling pin and the stress of tearing pastry. This Press-In Flaky Tart Dough comes together entirely in the pan. The trick is a quick pulse in the food processor, leaving distinct pockets of cold butter intact to guarantee a tender, flaky bake. Once those crumbly clumps hit the tart pan, just use your fingertips to press the mixture up the sides and across the bottom. Pay a little attention to keeping the walls an even thickness, and you'll never have to worry about burnt edges before the base is done.
Ingredients
all-purpose flour
1.5 cups
salt
1 teaspoon
baking powder
1 teaspoon
cold unsalted butter
10 tablespoons (1.25 sticks)
cold water
2 tablespoons
Instructions
1
Step 1
Place the flour, salt, and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the butter and pulse about 8-10 times, until the ingredients begin to combine but small pieces of butter are still visible.
2
Step 2
Add the water and pulse a few times. At this point, the dough should look like separated clumps of dough, similar to a crispy topping. If it is over-mixed into a ball, you will only be able to roll out the dough.
3
Step 3
Invert the food processor bowl over the tart pan to empty the dough. Carefully remove the blade and transfer all the dough into the tart pan.
4
Step 4
Use a fork to distribute the dough in the pan: spread an even layer of the crumb mixture, then push some of it from the center outward, creating an area about 1 inch (1 cm) high—twice as high—along the inner edge to cover the pan walls
5
Step 5
Begin to gently press the crumb mixture with flour-dusted fingertips so it sticks together into a coherent dough. With your thumb perpendicular to the pan, press the dough onto the pan walls. Ensure the dough thickness on the walls is even—if the top is thinner, the edges will burn during baking
6
Step 6
Finally, with your thumb inside the pan and your index finger on the rim, press inward and downward simultaneously to flatten and even out the top edge of the pastry.
