Olive Oil Pastry: Shortcrust and Flaky Doughs Without Butter
Olive oil pastry is pastry made with olive oil instead of butter, and it is more versatile than most recipes let on. With the right method you can make two quite different doughs from the same bottle: a crisp, short olive oil shortcrust for tarts, quiches and jam tarts, and a layered, flaky dough for hand pies and turnovers that uses a folding technique borrowed from Chinese flaky pastry. Both are dairy-free and egg-free, and both are written below in grams and US measures. We also explain why oil pastry behaves differently from butter pastry, how to get real layers without solid fat, which fillings suit each dough, and how to fix the usual problems: crumbling, tearing and toughness. If you only need a single pie case for a quiche, our dedicated recipe for an olive oil pie crust covers that in full.
For the oil we bake with ourselves, see our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml).
The Short Answer
- Olive oil makes good pastry, but not butter pastry: liquid oil coats the flour evenly, so a simple oil dough bakes crisp, tender and short rather than flaky.
- Our olive oil shortcrust uses 250g plain flour, 90g extra virgin olive oil and about 75ml ice-cold water; a sweet version adds icing sugar, lemon zest and a splash of orange juice.
- For flaky layers without butter, wrap a stiff flour-and-oil paste inside a soft water dough, then roll and fold it like puff pastry. The layers come from the folding, not from solid fat.
- Use the shortcrust for tart cases, quiches, jam tarts and biscuits; use the flaky dough for hand pies, turnovers and free-form galettes.
- Bake both at 200°C conventional, 180°C fan, 400°F or gas mark 6, and roll oil doughs between sheets of baking paper rather than on a floured worktop.
- Sidr & Stone's olive oil is a single-estate extra virgin oil from our own farm outside Marrakech; in pastry, where the oil is about a third of the flour weight, its flavour comes through in savoury bakes.
Two Olive Oil Pastries, Two Different Jobs
Classic pastry depends on solid fat. In shortcrust, butter is rubbed into flour until it looks like breadcrumbs; in flaky and puff pastry, cold butter is kept in sheets or lumps so that it separates the dough into layers. Olive oil is liquid at room temperature, so it cannot sit in lumps. It coats every particle of flour instead, which limits gluten and gives a short, crumbly, crisp texture. That is ideal for a shortcrust and wrong for flakiness, unless you build the layers another way.
The table below sets out the two doughs in this article next to our single-crust pie recipe, so you can pick the right one for what you are baking.
| Dough | Texture | Effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil shortcrust (below) | Crisp, short, biscuit-like; holds a filling | 10 minutes plus 30 minutes' rest | Tart cases, quiches, jam tarts, cut-out biscuits |
| Flaky olive oil pastry (below) | Crisp, separate layers; lighter than shortcrust | About 1 hour, mostly resting | Hand pies, turnovers, galettes, pinwheels |
| Olive oil pie crust | Tender, short; pressed or rolled | About 10 minutes | One 23cm (9in) pie or quiche case |
Both recipes in this article are egg-free and dairy-free as written. They contain wheat flour, so they are not gluten-free.
Olive Oil Shortcrust Pastry Recipe (Savoury or Sweet)
This makes enough to line one 23–25cm (9–10in) tart tin with a little left over, or to make about twelve 7cm (2¾in) tartlets. Weigh the flour if you can; cup measures vary with how they are filled.
| Ingredient | Metric | US (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| Plain (all-purpose) flour | 250g | 2 cups, spooned and levelled |
| Fine salt | 4g (savoury) or 2g (sweet) | ¾ tsp or ⅓ tsp |
| Icing (powdered) sugar, sweet version only | 30g | ¼ cup |
| Finely grated lemon zest, sweet version only | 1 lemon | 1 lemon |
| Extra virgin olive oil, chilled | 90g (about 100ml) | 6½ tbsp |
| Ice-cold water (sweet version: half water, half orange juice) | 70–80ml | About 5 tbsp |
- Chill the oil. Put the measured oil in a small jug in the freezer for 15–20 minutes, until it is very cold and slightly thickened but still pourable.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour and salt (plus the icing sugar and zest for the sweet version) in a bowl.
- Emulsify the liquids. Whisk the cold oil with 70ml of the cold liquid until cloudy and slightly thick. It spreads through the flour more evenly than oil and water added separately.
- Combine with a fork. Pour it over the flour and stir until there is no dry flour left. Squeeze a handful: if it holds, stop; if it crumbles, add the rest of the liquid a teaspoon at a time.
- Rest it cold. Press the dough into a flat disc, wrap it and chill for 30 minutes. The oil firms as it chills, and the dough becomes noticeably easier to roll.
- Roll between paper. Roll the disc between two sheets of baking paper to about 3mm (⅛in), peel off the top sheet and turn the pastry into the tin. Press any cracks together.
- Blind-bake. Prick the base, line with baking paper and baking beans, and bake at 200°C conventional, 180°C fan, 400°F or gas mark 6 for 15 minutes; remove the beans and bake for 8–12 minutes more, until dry and pale gold.
For tartlets, cut rounds with a fluted cutter and press them into a bun or muffin tin; they need 12–15 minutes in total. For biscuits, roll the sweet dough to 4mm, cut shapes and bake for 12–14 minutes until the edges colour. Unlike butter shortcrust, this dough does not mind warm hands, and it does not need to be rubbed in.
Flaky Olive Oil Pastry: The Water-Dough and Oil-Paste Method
You cannot get flakes from olive oil the way you get them from butter, but you can get layers. The method used for many Chinese flaky pastries wraps a soft, stretchy water dough around a stiff paste of flour and fat, then rolls and folds the parcel so the two doughs form alternating sheets. Lard is the traditional fat; oil also works, though it is softer to handle and the result is a little denser. Morocco has its own version of the idea in msemen, a square flatbread whose dough is spread thin with oil, often with butter and semolina too, then folded into layers and cooked on a griddle. Our recipe applies the same principle to olive oil and the oven.
Ingredients (makes 8 hand pies or one 28cm galette)
| Ingredient | Metric | US (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| Water dough | ||
| Plain (all-purpose) flour | 200g | 1⅔ cups |
| Fine salt | 3g | ½ tsp |
| Caster sugar (optional, for sweet fillings) | 10g | 2 tsp |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 40g | 3 tbsp |
| Warm water | 100ml | About 7 tbsp |
| Oil paste | ||
| Plain (all-purpose) flour | 130g | 1 cup plus 1 tbsp |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 60g | 4½ tbsp |
Method
- Make the water dough. Mix the flour, salt, sugar (if using), oil and warm water, then knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 30 minutes; this is the dough that needs gluten, so it can stretch around the paste.
- Make the oil paste. Rub the flour and oil together until it looks like damp sand and holds when pressed. Press it into a 12cm (5in) square on baking paper and chill for 20 minutes.
- Enclose. Roll the water dough into a 22cm (9in) square. Set the paste square in the middle at an angle, fold the corners of the dough over it like an envelope and pinch the seams closed.
- First folds. Roll the parcel gently into a rectangle about 15 x 40cm (6 x 16in). Fold it in three like a letter, turn it 90 degrees, roll out again and fold in three again.
- Rest, then repeat. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes, then give it two more roll-and-fold turns. If the paste breaks through, dust the spot with flour and carry on.
- Shape. Rest for a final 15 minutes, then roll to about 3mm (⅛in) between sheets of baking paper and cut 12cm (5in) rounds or squares for hand pies, or one large round for a galette.
- Bake. Fill, seal and brush the tops with a little olive oil. Bake at 200°C conventional, 180°C fan, 400°F or gas mark 6 for 22–28 minutes (35–40 minutes for a galette), until deep golden with visible layers at the cut edges.
Four letter-folds give, on paper, 81 sheets of oil paste; in practice some merge, which is why the result is crisp and layered rather than tall and puffed. Expect something closer to a good turnover crust than to all-butter puff pastry, and you will not be disappointed.
Savoury and Sweet Uses for Olive Oil Pastry
Extra virgin olive oil keeps much of its flavour through a bake, so it is worth matching the dough and the oil to the filling. A few combinations that suit each pastry:
- Spinach, onion and chickpea hand pies (flaky dough): soften a sliced onion in olive oil, add wilted spinach, mashed chickpeas, cumin, lemon zest and black pepper, and cool before filling. Top with sesame or nigella seeds.
- Caramelised onion and olive tart (shortcrust): slow-cooked onions with thyme and halved black olives in a blind-baked case, finished for 10–15 minutes in the oven.
- Roasted vegetable galette (flaky dough): sliced courgette, peppers and red onion tossed in oil and herbs, piled in the centre with a 5cm border folded over.
- Apple and cinnamon turnovers (flaky dough, sweet): diced apple cooked briefly with sugar, cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon, then folded into triangles.
- Apricot jam tart (sweet shortcrust): a crostata-style tart with a thick layer of apricot or fig jam and a lattice of pastry strips, baked for 30–35 minutes.
- Lemon shortcrust biscuits (sweet shortcrust): cut shapes, sprinkled with caster sugar before baking.
Two practical points apply to every filling. Keep it cool and fairly dry before it goes into the pastry, because steam from a hot, wet filling softens the base; and seal hand pies firmly, pressing the edges with a fork, because oil pastry is less sticky than butter pastry and seams can open in the oven.
Troubleshooting: Crumbly, Tough, Greasy or Not Flaky
Most problems with olive oil pastry come from the amount of liquid or from how much the dough is worked.
- Too crumbly to roll: it needs a little more water, a teaspoon at a time, or a longer rest so the flour can absorb what is there. Rolling between baking paper also stops it breaking apart.
- Tough or chewy shortcrust: it has been kneaded. Shortcrust only needs stirring until it holds; save the kneading for the water dough of the flaky pastry.
- Greasy or oily to the touch: the oil was warm or poured onto the flour on its own. Chill the oil and whisk it with the water first.
- No visible layers in the flaky dough: the paste was too soft, so it smeared into the water dough rather than forming sheets. Chill the paste and the parcel between turns, and roll with gentle, even pressure.
- Soggy base: blind-bake shortcrust cases fully before adding a wet filling, and bake hand pies on a preheated tray.
A fair objection is that if you want true puff pastry, butter is simply the better fat, and we would not argue; our comparison of olive oil and butter says so plainly. The case for olive oil pastry is that it is quick, forgiving, dairy-free and egg-free, and that in savoury baking its flavour is an asset rather than a compromise.
Which Olive Oil to Use for Pastry
In both recipes the oil is a large share of the dough (about 36% of the flour weight in the shortcrust), so you will taste it. A fruity or robust extra virgin olive oil adds a savoury, peppery note that suits onions, greens, tomatoes and herbs. For sweet pastry, a mild or medium-fruity extra virgin olive oil works with apples, citrus, apricots and figs; a very grassy, bitter oil can dominate a delicate filling. Refined or "light" olive oil gives the same texture with almost no flavour.
Whatever you choose, the oil should be fresh: a stale oil tastes flat or waxy, and baking does not hide it. Our guide to choosing a quality olive oil explains what to check on the label, and our guide to baking with olive oil covers the butter-to-oil swap in cakes, breads and biscuits.
Why Sidr & Stone
In pastry the oil is not hidden in a crumb as it is in a cake; it is a third of the dough and, in a savoury tart or hand pie, a flavour you can pick out. That makes the oil's freshness and origin matter, and it is the part of these recipes we can speak for. Sidr & Stone's extra virgin olive oil comes from one place, our own farm on the plains outside Marrakech, and we control every step from tree to bottle.
- Single-estate — Sidr & Stone grows its olives on its own family-owned farm near Marrakech, Morocco, with no blending across origins.
- Rain-fed — no irrigation; the trees take what the season gives.
- Organically grown — no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides (not yet certified; certification is in progress).
- Single harvest — a small, limited batch, picked when the fruit is ready; once it is gone, it is gone until the next harvest.
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest — to preserve flavour, aroma and polyphenols.
- Unfiltered extra virgin — minimally processed and never refined; a little natural sediment in the bottle is normal.
- 100% natural — one ingredient, olive oil, with nothing added.
- Dark glass with a gold label — a 500ml bottle that protects the oil from light.
- 10% of profits to charity, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
We will not tell you ours is the best olive oil for pastry; your flour, your oven and your filling matter as much. What we will say is that it is single-estate Moroccan, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, and that the product page carries the details of the current batch, so you can judge its freshness for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make pastry with olive oil instead of butter?
Yes. For an olive oil shortcrust, use 90g of chilled extra virgin olive oil and about 75ml of ice-cold water to 250g of plain flour and a little salt. It bakes crisp and short rather than flaky, and it is dairy-free and egg-free.
Why is olive oil pastry not flaky?
Flakes come from solid fat that stays in separate pieces and pushes the dough into layers as it bakes. Liquid oil coats the flour evenly instead. To get layers with oil, fold a flour-and-oil paste inside a water dough, as in the flaky recipe above.
How do I roll olive oil pastry without it breaking?
Chill the dough for 30 minutes, then roll it between two sheets of baking paper and turn it into the tin using the paper. Press any cracks together; oil pastry patches easily.
Can I use olive oil shortcrust for sweet tarts?
Yes. Add 30g of icing sugar and the zest of a lemon, and replace half the water with orange juice. Choose a mild or medium-fruity oil, and it suits jam tarts, fruit tarts and biscuits.
Is Sidr & Stone's olive oil good for pastry?
It is a single-estate, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil with a fruity, gently peppery character that shows best in savoury pastry. For a delicate sweet tart, taste it on a spoon first and decide how much olive flavour you want.
Can I freeze olive oil pastry?
Yes. Wrap the shortcrust disc or the folded flaky dough well and freeze for up to a month, then thaw overnight in the fridge. Unbaked hand pies can also be frozen and baked from frozen with 5–8 minutes added.
Where can I buy single-estate extra virgin olive oil?
Look for a producer that names one farm and one origin. Sidr & Stone's single-estate Marrakech oil is available to pre-order from its limited single-harvest batch, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
Olive oil pastry works best when you choose the dough for the job. For tart cases, quiches, jam tarts and biscuits, a quick olive oil shortcrust mixed with a fork and rolled between paper is crisp, sturdy and ready in minutes. For hand pies, turnovers and galettes, the water-dough and oil-paste method gives real layers without butter, at the cost of an hour's resting and folding. Neither tries to be all-butter puff pastry, and neither needs to. If you bake with olive oil often, our recipes for olive oil pizza dough and olive oil cookies use the same fat in different ways.
Because the oil is such a large part of the dough, it is worth using one with a clear origin. Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml) — single-estate, rain-fed and unfiltered — is available to pre-order as a limited single-harvest batch, with fulfilment in the UK, EU, and US.
Our extra virgin olive oil is grown organically on our own single-estate farm on the plains outside Marrakech: we control every step from tree to bottle, and no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. It is not yet certified organic — certification is in progress, and we will publish it as soon as it comes through.
Disclaimer: This article shares home-baking recipes and general cooking information at the time of writing; flours, ovens and tins vary, so treat liquid amounts, times and temperatures as starting points. Both doughs contain wheat (gluten). Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.