Hot Water Crust Pastry

Hot water crust pastry is simple to make, happy to be manipulated and reliably stable when baked. It is a great introduction to pastry making, and is also delicious.

Ingredients:

Makes 4 individual pies

Pastry:

• • 190g plain flour
  • 190g strong flour
  • 70g butter, unsalted
  • 90g lard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 100ml water

Method:

1. Mix the strong and normal flour in a bowl and add the salt
2. Heat the water, butter and lard in a pan on a medium heat, until all the fat has melted
3. Once it’s all melted, bring to a boil for a few seconds, then remove from the heat
4. Mix it in with the flour immediately, using a spoon or spatula to combine everything quickly
5. As soon as it is safe and comfortable to do so, get your hands in there and start kneading it together
6. It needs to be uniform in texture and appearance, with no streaks or dry area
7. It’s best to work the pastry while it remains warm and moist, so get your filling ready beforehand and it won’t have time to cool down or dry out
8. Separate it into equal portions, one for each pie. Then divide each of those into a larger and smaller piece (the base and the lid) and work a little in your hands before rolling out.
9. Spoon a decent amount of filling onto the base, place the lid on top and then wrap the sides up around it, pinching the two pieces together at the top
10. Work your way around the top, making sure there is a seal all the way round
11. Glaze the tops of the pastry generously with beaten egg
12. Cool the pastry in the fridge, giving the fat time to solidify (an hour is enough)
13. Preheat the oven to 190C
14. Glaze the top of the pies again and cut or puncture a small vent in the top
15. Bake for 50 minutes (using a meat thermometer to make sure they are cooked through)
16. Serve!