Paste for Raised Pies
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and mix
Put the flour and salt into a warm bowl and let it sit near the fire until dry and warm.
Boil the lard and water for 5 minutes, then pour into the center of the flour and mix with a spoon until cool enough to knead.
Knead, rest and use
Knead the mixture well, keeping it warm. Let it rest near the fire for about 1 hour.
Re-knead the dough and use it immediately.
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.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the dough together.
- Lard
- Fat that coats flour particles and shortens gluten strands, giving a tender, rich texture.
- Water
- Hydrates the flour so the dough can form and be kneaded.
The step that matters
Mixing the boiling lard and water into the flour. The hot liquid partly cooks the starch and melts the lard, so the dough binds and stays pliable. If it cools too far before kneading, the dough becomes stiff and crumbly.
“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.
More pie dough recipes
You might also like
Cornbread345 recipes
Bread Pudding336 recipes
Milk Bread Rolls242 recipes
Potato Bread124 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.