Pâte brisée is a type of short dough. It is an unsweetened pastry used for raised pies with meat fillings and savory custard filled quiches like Quiche Lorraine.[1] [2]
The name "pâte brisée" translates to "broken pastry"[3] in English, which refers to the crumbly or mealy texture of the dough.
Pâte brisée is, according to the French-American Cultural Foundation, a classic of French pastry.[4]
The pastry has a long and storied history in French cuisine, dating back to the Middle Ages. The concept of using flour and fat to create a pastry dough can be traced back to ancient civilizations, but it was the French who refined and popularized the technique. The recipe for pâte brisée is believed to have evolved from a medieval pastry called "coffin" or "coffyn," which was a sturdy, vessel-like pastry used to encase and cook various fillings.
Pâte brisée is made with flour, cold or softened butter, eggs, salt, and icewater.[5] Pate brisée should be flaky and sturdy, rather than crumbly.
According to the Traite de Patisserie Moderne it should not include sugar.[6] [7] If sugar is added, the dough is instead called pâte sucrée.
According to Marie-Antoine Carême pâte brisée was made by rubbing in the butter and folding the dough several times by hand on a pastry board. According to Carême, pâte brisée is "used particularly for gateaux des rois".[8]
Common savory applications include quiches.