Traditional Suet Crust Pastry is made from self-raising flour, suet, salt and water. Suet pastry is very easy to make and practically foolproof, so makes the perfect pie crust – even if you’re not usually very good with pastry! Though traditionally made using beef suet, suet crust pastry can also be made using vegetable suet.
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A British pie classic
What’s your favourite pastry for a pie? These days, the most popular ways to top a pie are generally either puff pastry or short crust pastry. Both are great ways to top a pie… but my hands down favourite is good old-fashioned suet crust pastry – a true British classic!
What is suet crust pastry?
Traditional Suet Crust Pastry is made from self-raising flour, suet, salt and water. It’s the exact same mixture as you would use for Traditional Suet Dumplings. But instead of shaping it into little balls to make dumplings, you roll it out like pastry and pop it on top of a pie filling. For example, my Traditional Suet Crust Steak Pie.
Suet pastry makes the most wonderful pie crust – crisp on top like shortcrust pastry, but more the texture of a dumpling underneath – basically the best of both worlds!
Though traditionally made using beef suet, suet crust pastry can also be made using vegetable suet. (Atora Vegetable Suet contains no animal products and is so is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.)
How to make suet crust pastry: Version 1
Better still, suet crust pastry is incredibly easy to make… and practically foolproof. So it makes the perfect pie crust – even if you’re not usually very good with pastry!
All you need to do is mix together flour, suet, salt and water to make a firm dough. Then roll the dough out and cut round your pie dish, keeping the offcuts. (I use this 26cm / 10inch Falcon Round Pie Dish.)
Next, transfer your pie filling to the pie dish, then brush the rim of your pie dish with beaten egg and cover the rim with pastry offcuts. Brush the pastry offcuts with more beaten egg and pop the rolled out pastry circle on top of the pie, then crimp the edges to attach the pie crust to the offcuts and make the pie look pretty.
Finally, brush the pastry lid all over with the beaten egg, then cut a small cross in the centre of the pie to allow the steam to escape. Place the pie into the oven and cook for 30 minutes, or until the suet pie crust is a beautiful golden brown.
How to make suet crust pastry: Version 2
Suet crust pastry is super easy to make… But there is an even easier option if you are in a hurry! You can simply cut your pastry to fit the top of the dish you cooked the pie filling in and then just pop the suet crust straight on top of the pie filling, in the same dish as you cooked the pie filling in, so it sits just inside the dish. Then return the dish to the oven and cook for 30 minutes. This is much quicker and simpler, but doesn’t look nearly as attractive.
It only takes an extra 5 minutes to transfer to a pie dish / put offcuts round the rim / pop the pie lid on top and crimp the edges – and it looks so much more attractive that way. So personally I prefer Version 1. But both ways taste just as good!
What is Atora Suet?
Atora Suet is pre-shredded beef suet (the hard fat around the kidneys). It was first manufactured in 1893 in Manchester, UK – and is designed to make suet dumplings and suet pie crust quicker and easier to make. (Otherwise, you’d have to shred your own beef suet!)
Atora suet is most commonly used in Traditional British Suet Dumplings, but you can also use it for suet pie crust, traditional British mincemeat (the kind you put in mince pies at Christmas time) and steamed puddings, like jam roly poly, spotted dick and – of course – Christmas pudding!
What ratio of suet to flour do you need for suet crust pastry?
Suet crust pastry requires a 1:2 ratio of suet to flour. For a 26cm wide pie dish, like the one shown in the photos, I recommend 125g suet to 250g flour (4½oz suet to 9oz flour).
What flour should you use in suet crust pastry?
You need to use self-raising flour in suet crust pastry. This is very important, as it’s the self-raising flour that gives suet crust pastry it’s unique texture. It won’t turn out nearly as good if you use plain flour. (In fact, it will be very disappointing if you use plain flour!)
Easy to make veggie…
The classic Atora Suet is made from beef fat, but Atora also make a vegetarian version of their suet. Simply follow the recipe below – exactly as written and use your pie crust on top of a vegetarian pie filling.
Works on top of any pie filling!
You can use this suet crust pastry recipe on top of any pie filling. I’ve shown it here in the photos on top of my Traditional Suet Crust Steak Pie, but it would also be nice on top of a chicken and vegetable pie filling, a pork and apple pie filling, or a vegetarian pie filling. You can even put it on top of a fruit pie filling if you like! (My mum used to put this on top of apple pie when I was a child – she called it ‘apple duff’.)
Can you freeze suet pie crust?
Yes, you can freeze uncooked suet crust pastry.
Put the uncooked suet crust pastry in a freezer proof container or freezer bag and place in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 3 months.
Defrost for a couple of hours at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge, and proceed straight to the part where you roll out the pastry.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
How To Make Suet Crust Pastry (Using Atora)
Ingredients
- 250 g self-raising flour (US - self-rising flour)
- 125 g shredded suet (I use Atora Beef or Atora Vegetable Suet)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- Cold water
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- First prepare your pie filling. You can use any pie filling you like – I recommend either a classic steak and vegetable filling, a chicken and vegetable filling or – if making this for vegetarians – a root vegetable and apple filling.
- Pre-heat your oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F. (Or turn the oven up to that temperature, if you are already using the oven to cook the pie filling.)
- Put the flour, suet and salt in a bowl. Stir to ensure the salt and suet are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
- Add just enough cold water to make the mixture come together into a firm dough. (Add a little at a time to ensure the dough does not get too wet. The dough should be firm, but not crumbly or sticky.)
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out until it is about 2cm (1inch) bigger than your pie dish all the way round. Place your pie dish upside down and cut round the dish using a knife – make your cut around 1cm (½inch) bigger than the pie dish. Keep the offcuts!
- Carefully transfer the pie filling to a 26cm wide pie dish (with a rim). (See Note 1.) If your gravy is looking a little thick, add a splash of boiling water to thin it out. (See Note 2.)
- Crack an egg into a small dish and beat lightly with a fork. Using a pastry brush, brush the rim of your pie dish with the beaten egg and cover the rim with pastry offcuts.
- Brush the pastry offcuts with beaten egg and then place the rolled out pastry circle on top of the pie and crimp the edges to attach the pie crust to the offcuts and make the pie look pretty. Trim off any overhang.
- Finally, brush the pastry lid all over with the beaten egg, then cut a small cross in the centre of the pie to allow the steam to escape.
- Place the pie into the oven and cook for 30 minutes, or until the suet pie crust is a beautiful golden brown.
Notes
- You have two options here. Option 1 is to transfer the pie filling to a pie dish as per the instructions above. This will give you a beautiful looking pie, but it does require a few extra steps. Option 2 is to simply cut your pastry to fit the top of the dish you cooked the pie filling in and then just pop the suet crust on top of the pie filling, in the same dish as you cooked the pie filling in, so it sits inside the dish – then return the dish to the oven and cook for 30 minutes. This is the much quicker and simpler, but doesn’t look as attractive.
- Check on the gravy before covering with the pie lid. The suet crust pastry will absorb some of the liquid, so I recommend adding enough boiling water so the gravy is a little thinner than you would usually make it. By the time the pie is cooked, your gravy will be the perfect thickness!
- I recommend using this this 26cm / 10inch Falcon Round Pie Dish.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
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