Pasta flora is one of the classic Greek desserts that you can find in Greece. I remember my mom making it when I was little and using whatever type of jam we had at home, and my dad enjoying a slice in the morning with his coffee. This Greek jam tart recipe is so simple to make and you can find step-by-step instructions on how to make the perfect shortcrust pastry for it. It’s sweet, crumbly and so aromatic from the orange zest. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a dessert after your meal, or have a slice with your morning coffee or tea.
Origin of pasta flora
Pasta flora or Pasta Frolla as it is called in Italy is a tart made with a shortcrust pastry, usually filled in with jam and has a lattice top. It’s a popular dessert in Italy, Argentina, Egypt and Greece and it was probably introduced to all these countries by italian people.
Jump to:
Why you should try my recipe
- Easy steps to follow to make the perfect Greek jam tart.
- Instructions with or without a food processor to cover every household.
- How to make the pasta flora using mini tart tins or a big tin.
- Perfect for Valentine’s Day and other special occasions.
Ingredients & How-to
To make this Greek Pasta Flora tart, you will need flour, eggs, sugar, jam or jelly, butter, orange (zest + juice), baking powder and vanilla extract.
1. Preparing the dough
01. To start, I add the dry ingredients to a bowl or food processor, the sugar, baking powder and plain flour. If you don’t have a food processor, that is absolutely fine, I’ve often made the pasta flora tart using just my hands. Watch the video at the end of how to make it without a food processor.
02. Now it’s time to add the butter. I’m using cold butter, straight from the fridge and this is particularly important if you are making the dough without a food processor. I cut the cold butter into big cubes and add it to the mixture.
Mamazilla's Product Recommendations
Great for puree, chopping, slicing and shredding vegetables. I also occasionally use it for baking when mixing flour and butter!
Buy On Amazon03. If you are using a food processor, then give it a couple of spins until the butter is broken down and the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. If you are using your hands, then start rubbing the butter with the dry ingredients until it’s all incorporated and you get a breadcrumb like mixture.
04. Now it’s time to add the wet ingredients. I’m adding one egg, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, the zest of an orange juice and two tablespoons of orange juice. I give it a few spins with the food processor or mix it with my hands while pressing everything together to form a dough.
05. I add a handful of flour to my working surface and empty the bowl. Then, I knead the dough for a few seconds to form a round shape and wrap it with some cling film. Because the pasta flora dough contains butter, we will have to put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool down and become more firm. This will help us roll the dough into shape and make the jam tart.
2. Assembling the Pasta Flora
01. Now that the dough has rested and is firm, I take it out of the fridge and cut it into two pieces using a dough scraper or a knife. I’m using ⅔ for the bottom of the tart and the rest to decorate the top.
02. I’m placing the large piece of dough between parchment paper and roll it out into a circle with a thickness of a coin. This recipe for pasta flora is for a tart tin of 9 inches size, or smaller ones of 4 inches. Then I remove the top parchment paper and place it inside the tart tin or if I’m using the smaller tart tins, I cut it first into small circles and place each one in the individual tin. Since this pastry is quite buttery, I find that I don’t have to brush the tin sides with any butter. However, if you are using a tin or a pan that is not non-stick and doesn’t have a removable bottom, I recommend brushing with a little bit of butter just in case.
Mamazilla's Product Recommendations
This one is one of my favorite kitchen tools. I use it for dough and baking but also when I want to move my chopped vegetables from the chopping board to the pot. Love it!
Buy On Amazon03. If the dough breaks while you are moving it inside the tin, there is no need to worry! Just press it with your fingers and it won’t affect the end result at all, you will see. I remove any excess pastry from the sides and the prick the bottom with a fork. That will help the steam to escape instead of build up under the pastry and also to cook uniformly.
04. Now, I’m adding the jam to the tart pan and spread it around evenly. You could use any type of jam you like, I usually have it with strawberry or apricot jam. For the top layer, I’m rolling the remaining dough into a circle again. Then with a knife, I cut it into long strips of 1cm width and I’m going to use them to make a lattice top. You could be creative here and decorate the top as you like!
Mamazilla's Product Recommendations
I love this tart pan. It cooks evenly and it's non-stick. I can easily remove the bottom when the tart has cooled down.
Buy On Amazon05. Finally, I use some egg wash to brush the strips at the top that will give my tart a nice golden brown color after it’s been baked.
06. Instead of a lattice, you could also decorate the top of pasta flora with shapes using some cookie cutters. Same as before, roll the remaining dough into a circle and then cut it into shapes to decorate the tart. If you decide to use mini tarts instead of a big tart tin then remember that they need less time in the oven as they are smaller. Around 15 minutes should be enough to bake and get a nice color.
Mamazilla's Product Recommendations
Little tart pans for making mini tarts with a removable bottom so it's easier to come out and serve.
Buy On AmazonServing suggestions
We usually have a slice of pasta flora in the morning with a cup of coffee or tea or in the afternoon. You could also serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that really compliments the flavors.
Storage
I recommend storing the greek pasta flora jam tart at room temperature and consume within a week.
FAQ
-
What can I do with leftover pastry? If you have any leftover pastry, then you could freeze it for another time or make mini tarts and fill them with a tablespoon of jam. As the pastry already has some sugar in it, you could also use it to make biscuits.
-
How can I make the jam tart dairy-free? For a dairy-free version of pasta flora, you could substitute the butter with a dairy-free one of your choice.
-
What type of jam can I use for pasta flora? Usually, you can find pasta flora with strawberry or apricot jam but you could use any type of jam you like and have available at home.
Watch the video
Pasta Flora - Greek Jam Tart
This Greek jam tart is called Pasta Flora and comes with a crumbly, sweet buttery pastry and is topped with strawberry jam or any other jam of your choice. To decorate the top, make a lattice or simply cut some shapes to be more creative. A dessert that can be served after a meal with a bowl of ice cream or with a cup of coffee in the morning. Enjoy!
10 servings
15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups / 335gr plain flour
- 1 ½ sticks / 165gr of butter
- ½ cup / 100gr sugar
- 1 egg + extra for egg wash
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup / 265gr jam
- 1 orange
Equipment
- dough scraper (paid link)
- food processor (paid link)
- tart pan (paid link)
- mini tart pans (paid link)
- Rolling Pin
Instructions
- Add the sugar, flour, baking powder and cold butter to a food processor. Mix for a couple of minutes until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the zest of the orange, the vanilla, the egg and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Mix again for a minute until it all binds together.
- Drizzle some flour on your working surface and empty the dough. Coat it well with the flour and wrap it with some cling film. Leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool down.
- Take ⅔ of the dough for the bottom of the tart. Place the dough between parchment paper and roll into a circle.
- Add the dough to a tart tin and cut any excess from the sides. Prick the bottom with a fork. Add the jam and spread it around.
- Roll the rest of the dough into a circle and then cut it into strips. Use the strips to lace the top of the tart.
- Brush the top of the tart with egg and bake for 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven to 170°C/350°F.
- When you take it out of the oven, leave it to cool down before you cut it as the jam will be hot and runny.
Notes
- You could use any type of jam you prefer.
- For a dairy free version, you could substitute the butter with margarine.
- You could make mini tarts instead of a big one. In this case, bake them for just 15 minutes.
Storage
Store the pasta flora at room temperature for up to a week.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
