Recipe courtesy of
Amy Stevenson
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Amy Stevenson
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Scotch Pie
Getting reviews...
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 3 hr 20 min (includes chilling and cooling time)
- Active: 50 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 990
- Total Fat
- 54 g
- Saturated Fat
- 22 g
- Carbohydrates
- 98 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Protein
- 27 g
- Cholesterol
- 127 mg
- Sodium
- 724 mg
This meat pie is a top snack at Scottish football matches and is so popular in Scotland that they hold an annual Scotch pie world championship. We’ve used ground lamb in the filling here, but ground mutton is traditional, and ground beef is also common. The base of a Scotch pie is a hot water pastry crust, which defies the core rule of pastry making to only use cold liquid and fat. In this case, the method works because the hot liquid pre-gelatinizes the starch in the flour so it can absorb more liquid and results in a soft, supple dough that’s easy to mold. The dough is perfect for sturdy pies like this one as it won’t shrink, leak or fall even with a heavy or raw filling. Chilling the Scotch pies for an hour or overnight helps the crust dry and aids in browning, though they are usually served with a blond crust and shouldn’t become a deep golden brown. The key to their signature blond crust is to bake the pies at a slightly lower temperature for more time.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 3 hr 20 min (includes chilling and cooling time)
- Active: 50 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 990
- Total Fat
- 54 g
- Saturated Fat
- 22 g
- Carbohydrates
- 98 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Protein
- 27 g
- Cholesterol
- 127 mg
- Sodium
- 724 mg
Ingredients
Hot Water Crust:
Filling:
Assembly:
NEW: You can now switch to Cook Mode to keep your screen awake.
Directions
Special equipment:
six 4-by-2-inch springform pans; a 3 3/4-inch round cutter- For the hot water crust: Combine the flour and kosher salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Combine the water, shortening and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to melt the fat. As soon as the fat is melted, remove from the heat and pour into the well. Stir to form a rough, shaggy dough.
- Dust the counter with about 2 tablespoons of flour and continue to knead the dough until smooth and no longer crumbly but still quite warm, about 1 minute. (Try not to add more flour to the dough, unless it is very sticky. It will be a somewhat soft dough while still warm, but it should be pliable and not stiff.)
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Keep the dough under a kitchen towel as you work and try to work quickly as the dough is easiest to roll when still warm.
- To make a dough shell, roll one piece of dough between two pieces of parchment paper into a round that is about 1/8 inch thick. Fit the round into a 4-by-2-inch springform pan, pressing to adhere the dough to the bottom and sides. Run a rolling pin over the rim to cut off the excess dough.
- To make a top crust, form the excess dough into a round and roll between two pieces of parchment paper into a round that is about 1/8 inch thick. Press a 3 3/4-inch round cutter into the dough to make a round that is a scant 4 inches wide. Use a straw or plain pastry tip to make a vent hole in the center of the round.
- Repeat with the 5 remaining dough pieces to make 5 more dough shells and tops. Press the dough shells into five 4-by-2-inch springform pans. Chill the dough shells, but not the tops while you make the filling. (You want the tops to remain somewhat pliable.)
- For the filling: Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion wilts, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire, nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook until just combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
- Add the ground lamb to the bowl with the onions and mix well with your hands. Divide the filling into 6 equal portions. Place the lamb mixture in each of the 6 chilled dough shells and press gently to remove any spaces or air pockets.
- To assemble: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the egg with a pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash on the exposed sides of the shells and fit a dough circle top on each shell, pressing to stick the top to the sides (if there is a small space here and there, that’s okay). Place the pans on the prepared baking sheet and chill for 1 hour or up to overnight. Refrigerate the remaining egg wash.
- When ready to bake the pies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Brush the top of the pies with the egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt if desired. Bake on the parchment-lined sheets until the shells are golden brown and the filling is steaming and bubbling through the vents, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. (If the pies are getting too brown towards the end, loosely tent with foil.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool until warm, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the rings and bottoms from the pans and serve the Scotch pies warm or at room temperature.
