Getting ready to teach a Pie Camp with Barbara Swell at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC means I’ve been playing with dough.  This weekend it was the UK Hot Water Dough traditionally used for meat pies.  It’s a sturdy dough meant to handle the weight of  lots of meat filling and gravy or “jelly” without the crutch of a pie pan aka Raised Pies.  You’ve seen them. They’re pretty impressive in their medieval formality.  The dough is made in a completely different way from regular pie dough.  Fat is melted with water and poured over flour which is stirred together like a batter then briefly kneaded to bring it all together. Sometimes a beaten egg is add to the flour for more richness. You work with the dough hot or warm rather than cold.  And you end up with a texture that is flaky and not tender, but delicious.  I decided to sweeten the dough a bit and use it for hand pies.

Here’s the recipe for the Hot Water Dough

Print Recipe

Hot Water Pastry

Course

Dessert, Dough, Snack

Cuisine

American, British

Servings

Ingredients

• 140 gms AP flour
• 40 gms butter cut into teaspoon sized pieces
• 50 gms rendered leaf lard
• 2 tbsp sugar optional
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 34 ml (or gms) boiling water

Course Dessert, Dough, Snack Cuisine American, British Servings Ingredients 140 gms AP flour 40 gms butter cut into teaspoon sized pieces 50 gms rendered leaf lard 2 tbsp sugar optional 1 tsp kosher salt 34 ml (or gms) boiling water

Instructions

1. Weigh the flour in a mixing bowl.
2. Rub the butter into the flour.
3. Put the water, sugar, salt and lard into a small saucepan. Heat so that the lard melts, the sugar and salt dissolve. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

   
4. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the flour. Mix the liquid into the flour using a spoon or fork. As soon as it's cool enough to handle (yet still warm) bring the dough together using your hands. The flour will immediately begin to cool down the hot liquid.

   
5. When the dough is formed into a loose ball it will be a bit sticky. Knead it briefly on a lightly floured surface to bring it together a bit more.

   
6. Let it rest for 10 minutes than roll out the dough. Use with sugar for hand pies, without for raised meat pies.

   

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