Easiest pie pastry… ever!
Everyone loves pie pastry, but not many people love to make it. We are too quick to reach for the ready-rolled pastry in the frozen section at the supermarket. While these pastries are quick and convenient plus it’s always good to have these on hand as a staple, they just don’t have the same flavour as if you made the pastry yourself. However, there are times you truly just can’t be bothered making your own pastry… and that’s when these ready-rolled frozen pastries are a lifesaver.
Often the thoughts one might have is that making it from scratch will be too time-consuming and difficult. If you mention pie pastry, one might think they’ll need to roll layers of butter into the dough to make the pastry nice and flaky. That might be the case for buttery flaky puff pastry, you can do without this and go with a simpler homemade option.
I can’t sing the virtues of this pie pastry enough. It was honestly one of the simplest dough recipes I’ve ever made. Thank you, Donna Hay, for this. Yes, I found this recipe on her website and what can I say other than it is true brilliance. This recipe has revolutionised the pastry I’ll now be making for pies, sweet and savoury. This is one of the best pastries I’ve made because it’s so simple to make, holds the filling well, reheats beautifully and of course has a wonderful homemade flavour.
Want another delicious recipe?
If you like this recipe, you’ll also love others available here. From pastas to risottos, cookies to desserts, and bliss balls to gluten-free options with everything in between. There is truly something here for everyone. I have developed this website to provide family-friendly recipes where I maximise both fresh produce while minimising cost.
Pie Pastry
Ingredients
- 150 g butter, chopped
- 160 ml water
- 375 g plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Place the butter and water in a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the flour and salt until a smooth dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
- To make one large pie, split the dough into two with one a little larger than the other. The larger one will be the base of your pie, the smaller one the top. Roll base into 2mm thickness and transfer into a lightly greased pie dish. Add pie filling.
- Roll top into 2mm thickness and transfer onto the top of the pie. Press the edges to seal and trim the excess pastry. Use a small, sharp knife to cut a slit in the top of the pies.
- Brush with the egg and cook for 30–35 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and golden.