Paste for Raised Pies
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Put the flour and salt in 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.
Mix well with a spoon until cool enough to knead by hand.
Knead and rest
Knead the mixture well, keeping it warm during the process.
Let it rest near the fire for about 1 hour, then re-knead and use 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together once gluten develops with kneading.
- Lard
- Adds fat that keeps the crust tender and flaky by coating flour particles.
- Water
- Hydrates the flour so gluten can form, and when boiled with the lard it helps shorten the dough.
The step that matters
Boiling the lard and water. The mixture must be hot enough to melt the lard fully and blend it with the water before pouring. Partly melted fat leaves uneven pockets, which change how tender and flaky the crust turns out.
“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
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 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.