Hot water crust pastry

Hot water crust is a type of pastry used for savoury pies, such as pork pies, game pies and, more rarely, steak and kidney pies. Hot water crust was traditionally used for making hand-raised pies.

As the name suggests, the pastry is made by heating water, melting the fat in this, bringing to the boil, and finally mixing with the flour. This can be done by beating the flour into the mixture in the pan, or by kneading on a pastry board. Either way, the result is a hot and rather sticky paste that can be used for hand-raising - shaping by hand, sometimes using a dish or bowl as an inner mould. As the crust cools, its shape is largely retained, and it is filled and covered with a crust, ready for baking. Hand-raised hot water crust pastry does not produce a neat and uniform finish, as there will be sagging during the cooking of the filled pie. This is generally accepted as the mark of a hand-made pie. It is possible, however, to bake the pastry in a mould, as with other pies.

When baked, the crust acquires a rich, shiny, golden-brown exterior, which is fairly crisp and water-resistant. This allows the pies to be filled with a savoury jelly or gravy as they cool, often through a central hole in the crust made expressly for the purpose during raising.

As it contains lard, it is unsuitable for vegetarians. Vegetable fat/shortening can be substituted in equal measure, but the texture will be slightly different (and mouthfeel will be somewhat lighter) due to the "grain" of lard.