Individual Steak Pies

How to make delicious Individual Steak Pies, using hot water crust pastry, easy step by step instructions from start to finish.

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Ingredients

Method

  • The Pastry:
  • 400g / 14oz Plain or all-purpose flour
  • 160g / mls Water
  • 90g / 3¼oz Butter
  • 100g / 3½oz Lard or shortening
  • 8g / 1tsp Salt
  • Egg wash
  • The Filling:
  • 500g / 18oz Lean Stewing or Casserole beef.
  • 2 Small Bay leaves (optional)
  • 570mls / 1 Pint Beef stock
  • 20g / 2Tbls Gravy granules
  • Making the pastry:
  • Mix the salt and flour together
  • Place the water on a low heat and add the butter and lard to the pan, bring to a simmer.
  • Soon as the fats have melted, pour the hot liquid onto the flour in the bowl and bring it all together.
  • Tip the contents of the bowl out onto a floured surface.
  • Gently knead the dough until it all comes together.
  • Cut the pastry onto 2 pieces, 2 thirds, for the bases of the pies, and  1 third for the lids of the pie.
  • Cover in plastic wrap or food bags, and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before using.

 

  • Making the filling:
  • Place a pan on a medium heat, and add the beef stock to slowly heat up.
  • Dice the beef into 13mm / ½inch cubes.
  • Add the diced beef to the hot stock in the pan, and add the 2 small Bay leaves.
  • Bring it to a slow boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours.
  • Once your meat is tender and starting to break down, remove the bay leaves.
  • Ladle out half of the stock into a jug.
  • Add the beef gravy granules, until it slightly thickens.
  • Turn off the heat cover the pan and allow to completely cool.
  • Grease 4 small non-stick pie tins, the dimensions of the tins I use, are 100mm x 20mm, approximately 4 x 1 inches.
  • Roll out your pastry, and cut out 4, 125mm / 5” circles for the bases, and 4 100mm / 4” circles for the lids of the pies.
  • Place the pastry bases in the pie tins, press the pastry right down into the corners, make sure to leave some pastry sticking over the rim of the pie tin.
  • Fill the cases with the now cool beef filling, lightly compact it down, fill right to the top.
  • At this point, preheat your oven to, 170°C / 340°F / Gas mark 3.
  • Brush egg wash all around the edge of the pastry in the tin.
  • Brush egg wash on the underside of the lids and place the lids on the top of the pie bases, and gently press it down, using your thumbs and forefingers crimp the 2 pastries together.
  • Place all 4 pies on a baking tray.
  • Cut 2 vent slits in the top of each pie.
  • Give each pie a good coat of the egg wash.
  • Place the tray on the lowest part of the preheated oven, and use the bottom element if you have one.
  • Now set your timer for 40 minutes.
  • Making the Gravy:
  • Pour the stock from the jug we made earlier, into a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, add a couple of knobs of butter, (this will give the gravy a nice glaze)
  • To thicken the gravy, mix 1 tsp of cornflour/starch in 2 tbls of cold water, add it to the simmering gravy a little at a time while stirring, until you reach your required thickness.
  • Simmer on a very low heat for 5 minutes, with the lid on, and that is your tasty gravy done.
  • When the time is up, remove from the oven, place the tray on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
  • Carefully remove hot pies from the tins, and serve immediately, with peas and mashed potatoes or fries/chips, and lashings of that tasty gravy.
  • Enjoy

Equipment & products used in my kitchen and videos

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