These used to be one of my favourite things to make as a pastry chef, and again, they’re not too difficult! Breton Shortbread is a speciality from Brittany, North of France, and they know their stuff! I found this recipe on Road to Pastry – where you can find loads of amazing pastry recipes! Just make sure your crème patisserie is thick enough to hold its shape.. and the raspberries.
Ingredients
Breton shortbread (Sablé breton)
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 140g Caster Sugar
- 160g Unsalted Butter, diced
- 210g Plain Flour
- 6g Baking Powder
- 2 Pinches Sea Salt
Crème Patisserie
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 60g Caster Sugar
- 30g Plain Flour
- 2 Tsp Cornflour
- 280ml Milk
Directions
For the Breton Shortbread:
- Preheat the oven to 180ᵒC.
- Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl.
- Add the diced soft butter. Whisk until you have a smooth mixture and then add in the salt.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder and then fold into the mixture using a spatula.
- Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to 1cm thick. Remove the top layer and bake in the centre of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- As soon as you remove the short bread from the oven, cut out as many circles as you can but leave to cool on the tray.
For the Crème Patisserie:
- Beat the egg yolks and sugar for a few minutes until pale and slightly thickened. Stir in the flours.
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan until starting to boil. Whisk the milk into the egg mix. Put the mixture back into the pan, stirring constantly until thick and boiling. You should have a thick custard consistency as the crème patisserie will need to be piped later.
- Take the pan off the heat, transfer the crème patisserie to a small bowl and cover with cling-film to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool before using.
To assemble the Raspberry Bretons; once the biscuits are cool, pipe a large dollop of crème patisserie into the centre and decorate with raspberries. Dust with icing sugar to finish.
