Description
Homemade treacle tart truly is an indulgent dessert. It has a chewy filling resting on buttery flaky pastry and it definitely reaches the spot when you want something sweet.
Ingredients
Scale
For the filling:
- 115g good quality crustless white bread (4 oz)
- 454g golden syrup (16 oz)
- 70g butter, cubed (5 tbsp)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 medium-sized lemon, zested and then juiced
- 30ml heavy cream (2 tbsp)
- 1 egg
For the shortcrust pastry (pie crust dough):
- 190g all-purpose flour (1 ⅓ cups)
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- ⅓ tsp fine sea salt
- 115g butter, cubed and fridge-cold (1 stick)
- 30ml cold water (2 tbsp), you might need a bit more
Instructions
- Prepare the breadcrumbs. Cut the bread into chunks and leave to dry out overnight. I leave mine on a plate loosely covered with a piece of paper towel. The day after, blitz the chunks in a food processor until you have fine breadcrumbs. Set aside for now. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a cheese grater but the bread chunks will have to be pretty dry for it to work. The breadcrumbs won’t probably be as fine if using a cheese grater.
- Make the shortcrust pastry. Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and rub it in lightly until the mixture resembles big breadcrumbs. It might take up to 6 min to get this result. Add ¾ of the water and stir with your fingertips, trying to gather all the flour in the mixing bowl. If necessary, add the rest of the water and more (1 tsp at a time), and stir until there is no more flour left in the mixing bowl. When the dough mostly sticks together, gently press it into a smooth ball. Flatten the ball slightly into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 25 min. Lightly butter a 25cm (10 in) tart pan and set it aside.
- Start the filling. Add the golden syrup, butter, and salt to a medium saucepan. Place over very low heat and gently warm up, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon. When the butter has completely melted, remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cream. Set aside to cool down at room temperature.
- Roll out the pastry. Once the pastry has rested for 25 min, remove it from the fridge. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a circle slightly larger than the pan. The rolled-out pastry should be pretty thin, about 3 mm (in) thick. If the pastry becomes soft and sticky as you roll, don’t hesitate to sprinkle more flour under it and on the rolling pin.
- Line the pan with the pastry. Fold the dough in half and then fold it one more time. Pick it up and brush off any excess flour. Line the pan with the rolled pastry by placing it in the pan and unfolding it. Don’t worry if it tears up while transporting it from the working surface to the pan. Just press it back together with your fingers. Ease the pastry across the bottom and sides of the pan with your fingers. Leave a little excess dough hanging over the edge. If you have more than 2.5cm (1 in) of pastry in some places hanging over the edge of the pan, cut off the excess, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. You might need it later to patch up the crust if there is a small hole or a crack. Fold the overhanging pastry over into the pan to make double-thick walls. Press the pastry along the seam and fluted sides of the pan with your index fingers side by side to create indents.
- Blind bake the crust. Prick the base of the tart case a dozen times with a fork. Place the pan in the freezer (or the fridge if you don’t have a freezer) for 35 min. Cold pastry is less likely to shrink while baking. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Once the pastry has chilled remove the pan from the freezer. Line the pastry with a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover the crust entirely, even the sides. Fill the pan with pie weights or dried beans/lentils/rice. Put the pan on a baking sheet (it’ll be easier to handle). Bake the crust for 20 min and remove it from the oven. Remove the pie weights and the parchment paper. Patch any crack or hole with the reserved pastry. Beat the egg for the filling in a small bowl and use some of it to lightly brush over the blind-baked crust. This will help minimize the risk of leakage. Return the crust to the oven for 5 more min. By then the bottom should be golden and dry to the touch. Remove from the oven.
- Finish the filling and bake the tart. Lower the oven temperature to 170°C (340°F). Whisk the beaten egg into the syrup filling. Tip the breadcrumbs into the blind-baked crust and spread them out evenly. Pour the filling over the top to cover the breadcrumbs. If there are dry patches, gently nudge the dry breadcrumbs into the syrup mixture. Bake for 30 min, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is set with a slightly wobbly center. Put the pan on a cooling rack. Leave the tart to cool down for 15 min before slicing. Serve still slightly warm with clotted cream or ice cream if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 548
Keywords: harry potter recipes, baking recipes with golden syrup, traditional british desserts, dessert with leftover bread