Whats a good recipe to make pastry for a closed meat pie?

Question

I need a good recipe and some advice on how best to make pastry for a meat pie. I made some using lard and four but the pastry was rather brittle.

Any suggestions much appreciated.

Answer 1

8 ozs plain flour, 8 ozs plain flour - good pinch salt, 8 ozs butter.

Put all flour in mixing bowl and add salt. Add chopped butter and using hands work butter into flour to look like breadcrumbs. Add a little cold water to get a consistency that is not too sticky and not too dry, it should be as supple as kids play-do. Put ball of pastry on a plate in fridge covered with plastic film (glad wrap or cling film we call it) - let pastry chill for half an hour. Then put on lightly floured board and roll out not toooooooooo thin. Its a very nice pastry for savoury dishes, melts in mouth - brush top of pastry with beaten egg and milk mix very lightly to give nice golden colour when cooked, dont put oven on too high and always prick base of pastry with a fork a few times before adding meat mix (dont add too much liquid, can thicken juice with bit of flour to stop from making pastry too wet) also prick holes in pastry on top of pie to allow steam to exit during cooking process. Its yum. Enjoy - I might make a pie tonight myself!

Answer 2

When I was a chef, we used to make one for Raised Pies and Pates, it was a hot water recipe, take the water, lard and salt and bring it to the boil, let it cool for 2 minutes, and add it to 90% plain or AP flour and a scant bit of self rising flour or add a teaspoon of baking powder to the other flour. ix the water and flours together, knead it lightly and put in a plastic bag or cover it with a bowl with a kitchen flannel over it.

When it is cool enough to roll, it will take 15-20 minutes and this lets the gluten rest, and then add your filling to the pie, don't cook it like a fruit pie, lower and slower, I would say 150 C/325 F, or gas mark 3, for 45-60 minutes depending on the size of the pie.

Answer 3

DOUBLE-CRUST PASTRY

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening
7 tbsp. water

Combine ingredients as for single crust pastry dough; divide dough in half. Roll out each half into a circle. Place one circle into a 10-inch pie plate and trim even with edges. Fill with pie filling, cover with remaining half of rolled out dough. Press dough edges together and flute with fingertips. Make 3-4 slits in top crust to allow steam to vent.

Answer 4

You can buy ready made pastry at any supermarket- shortcrust or puff. I know it takes all the fun out of making it yourself but it's a lot less hassle

Answer 5

the best tip is to half the ammount of lard and replace the other half with butter then its not so dry and brittle and it melts in your mouth and i find vegatable lard makes it a lot lighter and nicer too goodluck :)