[Sca-cooks] Best bulk pie crust recipe?

[Antonia Calvo]

jimandandi at cox.net wrote:
> I am embarrassed to admit I have never made pie crusts from scratch for a feast.

That's ten lashes with a gluten-free noodle for you!

> I would prefer not to use vegetable shortening (yuck), but butter would be too expensive and lard means even fewer vegetarian dishes. Oil pastry doesn't have enough stability for a coffin-style pie.
>
> What is your favorite bulk pastry recipe? Have you made hard pastry cases for feasts? How were they received?

I usually make hot water pastry.  It's not quite as tender as cold-water 
pastry, but if you really want free-standing crusts, you need the 
stiffest, least-short version. Keep in mind that a coffin isn't really 
meant to be eaten.

Anyway, recipes:

Hot Water Crust

500g flour
150g butter, shortening, lard, or other hard fat, or a combination of 
butter and one other.
200ml water
pinch of salt

Put the flour in bowl with the salt.  In a small pot, heat the water and 
fat 'til it just boils and all the fat is melted.  Pour the hot liquid 
into the flour and mix together.  Knead a little 'til you have a smooth 
ball. 

For a richer crust, use the following amounts
300g fat
150ml water

For a stiff version that will make standing crusts
90g fat
300 ml water

The first two versions are quite edible, although not as tender as 
cold-water pastry.  The final version is a bit marginal for 
palatability, but is very sturdy.  I don't do hard cases very often-- 
it's a bit tricky, and I'm not very good at it, so for the sake of 
expediency, I usually use pie pans.

-- 
Antonia di Benedetto Calvo 

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Habeo metrum - musicamque,
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