For those daunted by pie and tart dough, a pat-in-the-pan crust can be a saving grace. The method, which involves pressing crumbly dough into the base and sides of the pan, is both simple and ultraforgiving, allowing novice bakers to commit a multitude of sins. But the technique has its limits: Pat-in-the-pan crusts are nearly impossible to distribute in an even layer, so they always bake up a bit chunky, leaving less room for the contents. This means that either the filling must be assertively flavored or you have to build above the edge of the tart, as you would for a classic fruit tart. For a truly elegant, slim crust that can cradle the maximum amount of filling, the training wheels have to come off: You must graduate to a classic rolled-out crust.
Now, before you panic: You needn’t be a professional pâtissier to attain such a shell. While many methods for this type of crust are intimidatingly fussy, involving repeated chilling, precise rolling, and careful shaping, I managed to find a way to simplify and streamline the process such that it’s just
