Hello Dear Reader,
For many years, I had no success whatsoever with normal pastry. I then saw the Hairy Bikers make pastry in a food processor and followed suit. From hence forth, I’ve never used my hands ever again. Maybe, I have hot hands or I’m heavy handed but any pastry I make by hand is inedible. I have no idea why, but my first few attempts at gluten free pastry were all handmade. You would think I would’ve learned my lesson and just got the food processor out. This time, I’ve used real butter and the food processor and there was no surprise but it was really good this time.
The recipe I used was
300g of Dove’s gluten free flour
pinch of salt
150g cold butter in cubes
1 teaspoon of Xanthum gum
1 beaten egg
water to bind if required.
- Add flour, salt and Xanthum gum to FP
- Add butter
- Pulse until breadcrumbs
- Add egg - pulse - this maybe all the fluid you need
- Add drops of water if required, trickle into the FP whilst pulsing
- When big lumps stop and place on floured board
- Shape into a dough and chill - the longer the better
I cooked braised steak yesterday, purposefully cooking enough to have in a pie tonight. I also cooked enough potatoes and veggies to add to the meat and gravy and add the pastry to make a pie.
Cook the pie for 30 minutes at 180 degrees which is long enough to steam some spring greens. Having been pastry deprived this buttery, crumbly deliciousness was just what I needed.
This is my fifth attempt to make GF pastry and I’m so glad it was edible this time! It also makes a really affordable meal to use leftover and make a pie for not just supper but subsequent packed lunches too. Here in England, a pie has meat! Steak and Kidney pie is my favourite!
Over to you Dear Reader, what do you like in a pie? What’s special to your region? What pies are you eating in the US? Canada? Australia? NZ? France? Germany? or the regions of the UK? What do you have in your pies in Ireland? Scotland and Wales? Come and join in the pie-arty………..the more ideas the better!
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yum! Your pie looks delicious. Here in he USA pie means dessert. Usually filled with fruit or custard. The only pie I ever make throughout the year is pumpkin, and only because it's a favorite of my famiy. My mother used to make'pocket pies for my dad. They were made of biscuit dough (American biscuit-not cookie dough). She rolled a small dough ball out into a circle, filled with a spoonful or two of sweetened fruit or jam, then folded over, crimped edges, then cooked in a buttered cast iron skillet until each side golden brown. I've never made these because the calories are high, but they are good, especially with peaches and cinnamon inside.
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Your pie looks delicious. Like you I'm not all that good at making pastry, but I found the catering packs of pastry mixes I got from Approved Foods were really good. Unfortunately I made up the last pack a few weeks ago and only have a couple of lumps of pastry left in the freezer now. As for pies, I love both sweet and savoury pie. My fave savoury one is steak and my fave sweet is Apple and Blackberry. I have a huge chicken and mushroom one and a steak one in the freezer for another day.
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I live in Nova Scotia, Canada and our favourite pie is Chicken Pot pie. Also love a quiche. Carla
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We like ham and potato pie on a white sauce with lots of nutmeg. There is never any left overs if I only make one nights worth.
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Looks great Froogs! I will try this recipe soon! As for what we eat locally in Sylva, NC the “pies” the limit! We enjoy everything from chicken pot pie to fried pies made with biscuit dough to Indian fry bread filled with chili and eaten like a taco or Mexican pie topped with a cornbread crust! All fattening and all good!
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In Kansas we have Chicken Pot Pie also….after Thanksgiving it's Turkey. Love love love pies!
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I have long admired your talent with pastry. I am terrible at it x
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I live in the USA and we make both meat pies and fruit pies in our house. However, I grew up eating pie as dessert mostly. For meat we do either eggs, turkey, beef, chicken or pork with veggies. For desserts almost anything sweet goes.
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I am originally from Lancashire now Somerset and Meat and Potato pie was a staple when I was growing up and my boys loved when they were growing up but I must say my Mum and me always used either mince not a lot, or corned beef again not a lot, might have to make on tomorrow now.
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I am lucky to be able to make pastry , really good too even if i say it myself , its the best skill i learnt at school , you do need to handle pastry as little as possible as if not its overworked , anyway it doesn't matter how you make pastry to make your pies , i make meat and potato too and ham and cheese and if anybody is interested i have a blog in my old posts with step by step instructions on how to make pastry xxx
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Here in snowy southwestern Ontario Canada, we enjoy chicken/turkey, or beef pot pies. Also a favourite is tourtiere:-).
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I've hit the publish button 3 times now and it comes up with an error? Hopefully it doesn't appear 3 times lol!
Anyway… my favourite here in Northern Ireland is Steak and Guinness pie with buttery champ (mash potato and scallions and a load of butter) and peas! Yum!
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Scallions = Spring Onions ;-)
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Mmmmm your pie look really yummy! My fav is chicken & bacon using leftover chicken from our sunday lunch. I make pastry in bulk, freezing it in portions big enough for a pie topping. My DB is lactose intolerant so no butter in my pastry - just the simple half fat to flour using lard.
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If I make pie it is either meat, fish or chicken. I have been known to make fruit pies but often prefer crumbles.
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At my parent's local bakery they have a Ned Kelly pie that has steak, bacon and an egg in the bottom :) The boyfriend loved it. We like good quality pies too - we're getting lots of lovely bakeries in Australia now with a slow food inspired touch
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Oh my, that pie looks really good Froogs. Here in Aust good meat pies with tomato sauce, and Lemmingtons (cakes) are known as the national meal, but with so many people of all cultures living here now there is a big selection of cuisines to be had, but I have found the English immigrants who have moved here to Aust & NZ over the years have made their mark with their good plain wholesome dishes like that pie of yours, these are still big favourites of many today. And the best fish 'n chip shops I've ever bought from have been those that are owned and run by English people here too!
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Chicken pot pie is my husband's favorite with leftover chicken. Will try your GF recipe since I'm GF - thanks!
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Here in Australia. Pie has meat for our tea, or fruit for our dessert. But right now it's just too hot for any pie looking forward to colder days so we can enjoy pie again
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I looove pies! Here in NZ a lot of the tradies have a steak and cheese pie for breakfast! Another one making the rounds at the moment is butter chicken pie! Not to my taste I might add. I make pretty good pastry now I use a pastry blade to mix my butter into the flour. My hands only touch the pastry when I quickly push it together to form a whole. Then it's into the fridge for 3/4 hour before I roll it out. My speciality is quiche but as it is soo full of calories it is a special treat for a birthday tea type of occasion with a big green salad. I love mince and cheese, my other half cannot stand cheese in a pie so his is beef and pepper pie. I make individual pastry topped pies when we have left over chicken I quickly steam some brocolli to add to the chicken and then make a lovely gravy from homemade chicken stock to put in the pie. We have the pie with extra greens such as silverbeet (chard). Your pie looks yummy btw!
Jo in Auckland NZ
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Here in NZ bacon and egg pie is well liked great cold for picnics.
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Here in NZ a mince and cheese pie is popular, but I prefer a chicken and vegetable one. Our local supermarket has some nice butter chicken pies, and chicken/leek/wine pies.
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I can make shortcrust pastry by hand , but still use the food processor as it is quick, easy and foolproof.
Made a couple of pounds of pastry this morning and will make cheese, onion and potato pie, beef and potato pie and cockerel pie this afternoon.
I can also make flakey pastry, but life is too short for the faff, so I always buy ready made puff or flakey from the chiller.
Why the xanrhum gum in GF pastry?
Gill
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I too am from Lancashire and we like to make cheese and Onion pie , one way of using up all odds and ends of cheese , my sons like it with baked beans ( in tomato sauce) for foreign visitors to this site and mash. Lovely recipe on BBC good food website Simon Hopkinson ( chef and fellow Lancastrian) just Google www,bbc.goodfood. I really enjoy your blog lots of good ideas
Sue
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Your pie looks fantastic and I'm so glad you've cracked the gluten free pastry at last, it must have been frustrating.
My favourite pie has to be Cheese and Onion with just a little bit of buttery mash included, but really I think anything popped into a pastry overcoat tastes wonderful. My motto is 'don't know what to do with leftovers… wrap them in pastry'!!
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Xanthum gum makes it soft and crumbly - its tough without it
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When you make pastry in food processor is there a particular utensil you use or just the usual blade? Thanks, would love to try to mak pastry but only have a Lidls best (from Freecycle) food processor. The utensils don't seem to be much good - except for the blade - which is fab. Thanks again.
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Your pie looks lovely. We don't do pies, I never had a pie until I arrived to the UK and I must say I don't like them, the worst one is fish pie closely followed by chicken and leek pie. I think it is down to what you are used to. Most of central Europe I guess uses dumplings and/or bread instead of pastry crust . The dumplings can be plain, filled with meat or veg and then boiled in water. The dough can be with yeast or baking powder, or made of potatoes and flour. As my English husband loves chicken and leek pie, as a compromise I now make your chicken and leek risotto.
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I can write the same, while officially an American, i have strong Fr-Candian roots. I'd also add fruit pies, made seasonally or with home preserved fruits grace our table.
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I looked for something like a pie recipe in my old German cookbook (from the 1950s, where pizza is presented as an exotic speciality), but I found absolutely nothing. And I don´t remember having eaten a pie before my first journey to the UK in 1973, but since then I have cooked lots of them, sweet and savory.
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Your pie looks very appealing, Mr B makes a really mean meat & potato pie, he adds onion to his but if I make it I don't, we can both make good pastry I'm not sure why. We have M&P pie with mushy peas and gravy. I am very fond of apple & blackberry desert pie with home made custard.
I watched an episode of Hairy Bikers the other day, as they've both lost weight they were looking to source a low calorie meat pie, being northerners they miss their pies. After dry frying the lean mince and veg they add water to a packet of pizza base mix and used that to line the silver foil dish and to top the pie. Glazed it with beaten egg and baked, they really enjoyed them and they are at least 1/2 the calories of a normal same size pies. Less calories with full flavour.
Peg x
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My dad showed me how to make pastry and I used to get house points for it in domestic science in school. I'm not keen on the mess on my hands though so I sometimes make it in the food processor, but feel a bit guilty as i'm using electric for something I can do by hand.
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In Canada we also like a French Canadian recipe called Tourtiere, it is a mixture of ground beef, and ground pork with some potatoes and spices. Served with a salad it is very yummy.
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