Foolproof wholemeal pastry

If you're a newcomer to making your own pastry you could do a lot worse than making a pie lid with wholemeal pastry. I can definitely confirm this recipe is kind and does everything it should and more. It freezes very well too.

Wholemeal pastry doesn't generally get a great reaction – I think it goes way back to when you could use it for crazy paving!

What does make a difference is the quality of the flour – I use Doves Farm Organic – I'm sure there are others out there – it's worth spending a little extra.

Wholemeal pastry

200g plain wholemeal flour

100g unsalted butter, cubed

pinch of baking powder

ice cold water to bind

2 sheets of cling film

Rub the butter into the flour and baking powder until it resembles breadcrumbs, then gradually add a glug of water and use and round bladed knife to bring the pastry together.

Alternatively you can use a processor if you prefer. Place the flour, baking powder and cubed butter into your processor and pulse until is at the breadcrumb stage – add a glug of water and pulse again – repeat until you see the pastry coming together. Remember you can't take the water back so go carefully. Tip the pastry onto one of the sheets of cling film. Use the cling film and both hands to bring the pastry together forming a ball. Double wrap the pastry using the remaining sheet of cling film and then fridge it to rest.

After resting the pastry in the fridge for 30 minutes roll out your “lid” to fit the casserole or pie dish you're using – I use a square casserole or a foil dish measuring 24x24 cms – 9” in old money.

This wholemeal pastry works well as a lid or a base for an open tart or pie. If I'm using it for a base after resting it I roll out and line my dish or tin and then fridge it. If I'm baking ahead then I'll freeze it.

There'll be a recipe example of using the wholemeal pastry as a base in the suggested fillings that follow.

Feeling brave?!

More pastry choices …

… and the recipes too.

Next up a fast flaky pastry. Home-made puff pastry is delicious but it's time consuming and so if you want a fast fix and have never tackled flaky pastry before, the following recipe is a great place to start.

Flaky pastry is also known as “rough puff”. In the recipe below the butter (or shortening) is grated into the flour – if you're making puff pastry the butter is cut into rectangles and the dough and butter are rolled and folded repeatedly to form thin sheets of pastry. Like I said puff pastry takes a long time!

Fast Flaky Pastry

Serves 2

75g of unsalted butter – chilled in the freezer

110g plain flour

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons of ice cold water

Plan ahead - before you begin weigh out your butter, wrap it in foil and put it in the freezer – 30-40 minutes. Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. You'll need a cheese grater on stand-by. Remove the butter from the freezer and fold back the foil – it's easier to control when you grate the butter into a heap in the middle of the flour and salt. You can dip the butter into the flour to prevent any sticking.

Using a round bladed knife mix the butter into the flour and salt. Sprinkle two tablespoons of water into the pastry and mix well. Add another two tablespoons and continue to mix. Finally use your hand to bring together – you're aiming for a clean bowl so no bits of pastry left in the bowl. Have a sheet of cling film ready – you can now use both hands to mould the pastry into whatever shape you require. Place on the cling film and wrap.

Rest it in the fridge before use or place the cling filmed pastry in a bag and freeze.

This is a quick and easy flaky pastry, perfect for a pie lid.

If you have frozen the pastry, transfer it to the freezer overnight, ready to use the following day.

Then there's wholemeal!

Bring on the recipes – for easy peasy pastry

First up – a cheese shortcrust pastry :

Cheese Shortcrust Pastry

200g/8oz plain (all purpose) flour

pinch of salt

100g/4oz unsalted butter, diced

100g/4oz mature cheddar cheese, finely grated

ice cold water to bind

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Place the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, add the diced butter and rub in using your thumb and index finger until you have a texture resembling fine breadcrumbs. Add your grated cheese and mix. Make a well in the centre and add a glug of water. Using a round bladed knife bring the pastry together. Add another glug of water and continue bringing together until the pastry holds together and you have a “clean” mixing bowl. Add your water gradually, your pastry should not be too wet. Wrap the pastry in cling film and fridge it for 20/30 minutes.

If you like the idea of making individual pastry cases – try this. On a lightly floured surface cut your pastry in half and roll out half thinly – 0.5cms/1/8”. I used non stick cases 10cms/4” in diameter. If you turn one upside down and place on the pastry, cut out six circles using a round bladed knife. You'll get twelve cases from the quantity of pastry.

You have options too – I placed the uncooked cases in bags and put them straight into the freezer. You can freeze some or all – if you want to use immediately fridge them, then egg wash when you're ready to bake. Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Set them aside to cool, ready for filling.

Alternatively you have your pie lid, rolled out to fit your pie dish.

The general rule for making shortcrust is half fat to flour and then water to create your pastry. I'm old fashioned and was taught not to add milk to bind pastry – why, you may ask.

You have to remember that I was in school many moons ago, before the advent of home freezers, consequently what you baked and served had a limited life span – two to three days in your fridge with any leftovers, depending of course on the filling. Milk will deteriorate and affect your efforts. I used to sit and watch my Nana bake when I could – she was a brilliant pastry cook – I learnt by watching and only once did I ever comment – she was a lovely lady and listened to what I had to say – she never used milk in her pastry again!

More pastry recipes …

Pastry making hints and tips

Here are some “pastry making” hints, tips and a rule I hope you'll find helpful :

The colder your kitchen the better your results and

the same applies to your ingredients – it will help keep

your pastry light so first thing in the morning is a good time!

The less you work your pastry the better – flour contains

gluten – the more you work it the more you develop

the gluten and if you want a pastry suitable for

laying a patio that's how to achieve it!

When rolling out try not to use too much flour – you're

adding more flour to your pastry and distorting the recipe

If you have to work on a warm day in a warm kitchen

then roll your pastry between two sheets of baking

parchment – wear suitable kitchen gloves (not

Marigolds!) and try to keep your hands as cool

as you can – dip into iced water and pat dry

before starting work

Rest your pastry for 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling

out - it will also prevent shrinkage when baking

Rest your pastry again, covered, when rolled out and in its tin

There is one golden rule that should always be observed – baking is a science – be accurate with your weighing out. There's nothing wrong with using a food processor to make your pastry but I think you get a better result from using what comes naturally – your own hands.

I weigh out ingredients the day before I intend to use them – I can then get on with what I enjoy doing – making the pastry! It's personal choice of course, I just like to set my stall out.

Bring on the recipes ...

Then there's your choice of lid …

Your “lid” does not have to be pastry.

Here's an alternative “deliberate” cooking suggestion. I'm fond of saying, “if your oven is in use, fill it!” I bake six jacket potatoes at a time, wrapped in foil – they take up very little space in the oven when I'm cooking other stuff. The baked jackets have so many uses and the best bit – no washing up!

The baked jacket potato could be your new best friend – slice them and use as a potato “pie lid” and sprinkle with grated cheese – just add extra veggies!

If however you prefer pastry it doesn't matter whether you make your own or buy a ready-made sheet - the pastry police are in lockdown too! If you fancy having a go at making your own, there are easy peasy recipes coming up.

The guidance that follows is based on a pie to serve 4 generous portions and so your first decision is to choose your serving dish. I normally use square foil trays ( you can use a casserole dish if you prefer) – measurements for your tray or casserole dish are 24x24x6 cms – 9½x9½x2¼” approximately.

Dealing first of all with a ready-made puff pastry sheet, they normally weigh 320g, more than ample to cover the pie filling as mentioned above. The same applies to the shortcrust ready-made version too.

The ready-made sheets should be taken out of the fridge for 10 minutes before use, to allow to reach room temperature - the pastry will be easier to work with and won't crack when you unroll. The sheets are not designed to be rolled and should be cooked in accordance with your pie recipe. The Jus-Rol brand can be frozen for a month and is also suitable for vegans.

A small tip - if you have leftover offcuts of pastry you can create small bite size miniature pasties, fill with onion, grated cheese – leftover cooked chicken or gammon - have a trawl through the fridge for bits and pieces!

Here's another thought – you could make “pot” pies – you can decant the filling into your pots, cover and freeze. Make your pastry when you have time. You don't have to make lids that are an exact fit for your pots – cut out pastry circles, or hearts or whatever design your cutter collection inspires. Bake the pastry tops on a baking sheet and place on top of your pie filling.

Before we get to the easy peasy pastry recipes a few hints and tips that I hope you'll find useful.

Bring on the pies …

If ever there was an excuse to indulge in your favourite pie it's now! It couldn't get much worse - lockdown, winter and snow!

Here's the “pick a pie” series. There are three elements to any pie :

the filling

the sauce

the lid

I've decided to make a chicken and mushroom pie – it's an excellent way to use leftovers too and since I mentioned exactly that in the first winter menu – option 1 “slow cook a whole chicken” it seems the logical place to begin. The following recipe for the filling and the sauce uses both the leftover chicken and the anise infused chicken stock too.

The filling

Chicken and Mushroom - just four ingredients

250g chestnut mushrooms – sautéed in a drop of

rapeseed oil until they have absorbed all the liquid

and have some colour – see the tip given**

diced leftover roast chicken – a mixture of

breast and leg meat – the equivalent of one

breast per person

200ml of chicken stock

Velouté sauce

The sauce

Just in case you didn't know, a Velouté sauce is a light white sauce made with stock and a roux.

You'll need :

15g unsalted butter

15g plain flour

½ tsp Dijon mustard

200ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour, gently, for 2/3 mins, stirring continuously – do not walk away.

Then tip your cold stock straight into the roux and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 30 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the mustard and cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Your sauce should be fairly stiff. Fold through the mushrooms and chicken, cover and set aside to cool then fridge until you're ready to rock and roll.

I should add that I've frozen this filling and it's every bit as good from the freezer.

**Before we move on to your choice of lid - a quick tip about mushrooms and minimising food waste. Have you got old mushrooms that are past their best? Using a little alchemy you can “turn something ordinary into something extraordinary” - transform your sad mushrooms and enhance their flavour by adding a glug of red wine or very dry sherry when sautéing. A glug is 1-2 tablespoons and should be added when sautéing the mushrooms, cook out gently until all the liquid is absorbed.

Now for your choice of lid …

Return of the rant!

Before we move on to “pick a pie”, remember in “Making your shopping list” I said “As with the previous lockdown we're going to find that random ingredients will vanish from the shelves without rhyme or reason”. I should learn to keep my mouth shut!

I have a question – what systems are in place for those in charge of stock control and re-ordering in supermarkets? You must have seen staff walking around carrying what looks like a walkie talkie scanning products on the shelves - which brings me to the first rant of our current lockdown.

Have those responsible been away on another planet for the last while – have they not, like most of us, known that the odds on another complete lockdown was on the cards – and furthermore that, guess what, it's winter and therefore customers will want winter style ingredients. Here's the first random shelf disappearance – it didn't take long – I did my once a week shop on Monday – immediately before the current lockdown came into effect. In Waitrose there wasn't a tube of tomato paste to be had – aargh – hello!

This isn't the first time and I know it won't be the last. However I've decided that despite being loyal to Waitrose I've had enough and shall alternate my choice of supermarket and will be able to confirm whether the “empty shelf syndrome” (ess) is widespread – watch this space.

Rotation done and surprise, surprise, no shortage of tomato paste.

It's week two of “ess” the tomato paste vanishing act and back to Waitrose here's the proof :

I'm not normally driven to take photographs in a supermarket but really it is so frustrating.

My smile of the day came from my Sister who text me to ask “was there anything on the endangered list that she could get for me?” Thankfully so far so good, at least I can rotate my choice of supermarket.

Further updates to follow – week three, still an empty shelf and again in week 4. It is a watching brief!

Bring on the pies ...