Basic Tart Doughs

A dough is a flour-based preparation that, once formed and molded, acts as a container for a filling. Pastry dough that has been fitted into a mold and baked is called a tart or pie shell. All pastry doughs have four basic ingredients: flour, fat, salt, and a liquid. Different pastry types are achieved by varying the proportions of the basic ingredients and the methods of combining them.

In Italian pastry, two types of doughs are most frequently used for tarts: pasta brisée and pasta frolla. Pasta brisée, made without sugar, is the most basic tart dough and is suitable for both sweet and savory tarts. With the addition of sugar, the character of the dough changes, and it becomes pasta frolla.