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What is the difference between Pate Sucree and Pate Sablee? I'm specifically interested in the difference from the bakers perspective, as I understand the final product for sucree to be a bit more flaky, and sablee a bit more 'sandy'.

I thought it could be either the method of adding butter or the use of yolks vs whole eggs, but I've found conflicting recipes on google, some suggesting that sucree needs creaming and others suggesting that sablee does, or others suggesting both. Same with yolks. I thought it might also be sifting the dry ingredients, but that doesn't seem consistent either.

What is the difference and how do the ingredients and process cause it?

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  • Hey all, I would like to remind you that we do not accept answers in comments. If you have to say something about the difference, write it as an answer - even if it is not a full answer, partial ones are fully OK.
    – rumtscho ♦
    Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 7:34

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Since my comment was deleted I will post what I can remember from it as an answer, even though it is highly incomplete. In 'On food and cooking', McGee writes 'Pâte sucrée and pâte sablé — "sugar pastry" and "sandy pastry" — are versions of crumbly pastry made with sugar. The large proportion of sugar in pâte sablée gives a distinctly grainy character to the pastry'. In the table on page 570, a baker's percentage of 50% sugar is given for pâte sablée. Annoying pâte sucrée is not listed.

In summary, this seems to point to a textural difference caused by undissolved sugar.

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