To Line a Tart Shell with Short Dough

You will need to start with 12 ounces (340 g) Short Dough to line an 11-inch (27.5-cm) tart pan. (Instructions for lining individual tartlet shells.)

1. Work the short dough smooth with your hands, shaping it to a thick disk in the process.

2. Start to roll out the dough to ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick and approximately 12 to 13 inches (30 to 32.5 cm) in diameter (an easy trick to check the size is to use a 12-inch (30-cm) cardboard cake circle for comparison). Sprinkle just enough bread flour on the board to keep the dough from sticking. Keep moving and turning the dough as you roll it, first with your hands and then, as the dough gets thinner, by rolling it up on a dowel. Look closely at the dough as you roll it out. If the edge of the dough is moving and not the middle, the middle is sticking to the table.

   

3. When the short dough is the correct size, roll the dough up on a dowel (not a rolling pin), place the tart pan in front of the dough, and, working as quickly as possible, unroll the dough over the pan (Figure 7-1).
4. Pick up the edges of the dough all around to allow the dough to fall into the pan where the sides meet the bottom. Gently press the dough against the sides and bottom of the pan. Take care not to stretch the dough; when you have finished, it should still be ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.
5. Roll your rolling pin over the top edge of the pan to trim away the excess dough.
6. Prick the dough lightly to be sure trapped air can escape.