Italian Shortcrust Pastry: the recipe of the base for biscuits and tarts by Iginio Massari

This Italian shortcrust pastry is signed by the famous pastry chef Iginio Massari. This recipe is one of the basic preparations of classic pastry, perfect for making crumbly biscuits, delicious tartlets and mouth-watering tarts. Easy to make at home, you just need to follow exactly the doses and steps indicated to get a result of a real professional. Starting from the temperature to the choice of the right ingredients, let's find out how to make Italian shortcrust pastry without making a single mistake.

How to make Italian Shortcrust Pastry

Collect the soft butter, powdered sugar and acacia honey (1) in a bowl and knead quickly until you will have large crumbs.

Also add the egg yolk (2) and continue to mix.

Melt the fine salt in the water (3) and then add it to the butter.

Add the vanilla extract and the grated lemon zest (4).

Stir in the flour and knead quickly (5) until you will have obtained a smooth and homogeneous ball. Transfer it to the refrigerator and let it rest for at least 4-5 hours.

After the resting time will be elapsed, roll out the shortcrust pastry and cut out some biscuits with a heart-shaped pastry cutter (6), or any other shape you like, or transfer to a tart mold and cook according to the directions.

How to store Italian Shortcrust Pastry

Once you get the shortcrust pastry, form a ball and wrap it with a sheet of cling film; you can store Italian shortcrust pastry in the refrigerator for half a day or in the freezer for about 3 weeks.