British•gourmet

Hot-Water Pie Crust

This centuries-old British technique breaks every flaky-pie rule—and produces a stronger, more reliable crust.

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

544 g high-protein all-purpose flour (19 ounces; 4 1/4 cups), such as King Arthur or Heckers, see notes
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
180 g lard or beef suet (6 1/3 ounces; 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
3/4 cup (180 ml) water

1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour and salt to combine.
2
In a small saucepan, combine lard or suet and water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; when fat has melted completely, immediately pour it over dry ingredients. Using a flexible spatula, stir mixture until it forms a shaggy dough.
3
When dough is cool enough to handle, use your hands to shape it into a mass. Flip dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until it becomes a smooth dough, about 1 minute.
4
Use dough immediately in any recipe calling for a hot water crust. To roll dough, place it between two 13-by-18-inch pieces of parchment and roll to desired thickness.