Common Suet-crust for Pies
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the paste
Chop the suet extremely small.
Add from six to eight ounces of suet to a pound of flour, with a few grains of salt.
Mix these with cold water into a firm paste.
Work the crust
Work the mixture very smooth.
Beat the paste with a paste-roller until the suet is perfectly blended with flour; the crust is lighter without this.
If the suet is not firm enough to chop, slice it as thin as possible and well beat it into the paste after it is worked up.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the crust once mixed with water and worked into a paste.
- Suet (in the method)
- Fat that coats flour particles, keeping the crust short and tender rather than tough.
The step that matters
Beat the paste until the suet is perfectly blended with flour. Fat that is evenly distributed coats the flour and limits gluten development, which keeps the crust light. Unblended pockets of suet leave uneven texture, and overworking the dough can make it tough.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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