This 3 ingredient quick and easy home made Hot Water Flaky Butter Pastry was a speciality of my Aunty Josie who used it for her original Steak and Kidney pie and subsequent versions that were a highlight at any family feast day. My mother also used it very successfully with chicken and mushroom pies.
It is the ideal flaky pie crust recipe for chunky meat pies and contains no lard or shortening. If you have no idea how to make pie pastry then this is one of the easiest beginner pastry recipes to start with.
In our family we tend to feel that putting a lid of pastry on a pie without a bottom is a bit of a cheapskate move and quite pointless. That is especially true because this delicious and easy hot water pastry is as important as the filling. My cousin reminded me when I was telling her about my recipe for Cape Malay Pepper Steak Pie, that we used to fight over the corners of Aunty Josie’s butter pie crust every single time.
PS: For me any savory pastry without a dough lid is not a pie. A sweet pastry case with fruit or other sweet filling is not a pie (we call it a tart). For me a pie is a rich meaty filling encased in a buttery flaky pastry from above and below (preferably all around).
This never fail flaky pie crust can also be used instead of puff pastry for my Chicken and Mushroom pie. If you prefer tarts or pies with a more traditional pastry then this Shortcrust Pastry recipe is ideal. I use the sweet version in this Cape Malay Milk Tart recipe and a savory version in this Veal Bacon and Gruyere tart.
This hot water flaky pastry recipe is probably a surprise because it is goes against everything you may have learned about how to make pastry dough for pies; like using cold ingredients and keeping everything chilled. The only time when chilling is required is after the pastry is made and it has to firm up before use; or between rolls and turns, if you choose to do the additional steps.
This meat pie pastry recipe is so easy to make that once you have tried it you will find it very hard to go back to using shop bought butter pastry. I still keep a few of those rolls in the freezer for emergencies, but they just don’t have the same texture or flavor of this hot water flaky butter pastry.
If you don’t know how to make pie dough by hand then this is a good recipe to ease yourself into.
Top Tips for homemade Hot Water Flaky Butter Pastry
- Relax! This is the easiest pastry you will ever make.
- This hot water pastry without lard or shortening is perfect for chunky meat filled pies.
- Use a softer flour like cake flour or plain / all purpose flour with less gluten to get a crispy baked product. Bread flour will make it too tough.
- Use cold and not soft butter as it will give a less greasy result and a firmer dough.
- Use just boiled water to melt the butter.
- Add the hot butter mixture to the the flour as soon as it is emulsified.
- Ensure that the pastry is as cold as possible before rolling for use as it is quite soft and comes back to room temperature very quickly.
Can this Flaky Butter Pastry be made ahead?
- Making it ahead is highly recommended. It must be chilled for at least 4-6 hours before it is required so that it has time to rest and firm up in the refrigerator.
- Although it does not take long to make, it does require adequate chilling to make it easier to handle.
- I make it the day before I need to use it and it keeps in the refrigerator for at least 3 days.
- This pastry freezes well as long as it is tightly wrapped in cling film or in a zip lock bag (I do both). Defrost in the fridge and not on the counter, before using.
What can this Flaky Butter Pastry recipe be used for?
- The pastry is good for large feasting pies like this Cape Malay Pepper Steak Pie or this Chicken and Mushroom pie.
- Mini savory tartlets and appetisers like this Caramelised Onion, Fig and Brie tarts or topped with slices of roasted baby beetroot and whipped goats cheese are quick to make.
- You can make individual chicken or steak pot pies for a light meal.
- You can fill pastry cups with fruit jam or cooked sweetened coconut for full sized or mini tarts.
3 ingredient Hot Water Flaky Butter Pastry
Ingredients
Pastry ingredients
- 500 grams salted cold butter approximately 4 sticks
- 250 ml boiling water approximately 1 cup
- 560 grams cake flour or fine sponge flour approximately 1000 ml or 4 cups firmly packed
Instructions
- Weigh out the flour and sift into a medium bowl.
- Cut the butter into large chunks and place into another bowl or jug.
- Pour the hot water over the butter and allow to melt. The butter will soften but won't become completely liquid and that's how it should be.
- Add the butter mixture to the flour and stir to combine thoroughly but don't over mix. The mixture will be a soft dough, but not like a batter.
- Line a square or rectangular baking tin or container with cling film and tip the dough into it, ensuring all dough surfaces are covered so that they don't dry out. The cling film will help to release the dough from the container once it has chilled.
- Leave the dough in the refrigerator overnight and it will be ready to use as is, the following day.
- It may be too soft to roll and you can break off pieces to line the baking tray for your pie. Alternately, roll out onto a piece of floured parchment but work quickly because the pastry starts softening as soon as it is out of the fridge.
- This dough will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator but can also be frozen if not used immediately. If using frozen dough, allow to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using.
- For a more flaky pastry follow the additional steps.
Additional steps for flakier pastry
- After overnight chilling, remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Roll immediately or return it to the fridge as it softens quickly and tears easily.
- Dust a clean work surface with cake flour and place the square of dough in the center. Also lightly dust the rolling pin and the top of the dough.
- Roll from the center upward then turn the dough 180 degrees and roll upward again. The dough will be soft so ensure that there is sufficient flour to prevent sticking and tearing.
- When you have rolled the dough into a shape approximately 40 cm long and 30 cm wide, fold up one third of the dough to the center and fold down the last third to cover it. Turn the pastry 90 degrees again and fold the rectangle into thirds one more time.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, then repeat the rolling and folding two more times, letting the dough rest and chill in the refrigerator between each time.
- After the third unit of rolling and folding, refrigerate for at least an hour before use.
Notes
- This recipe yields 1.25 kg of butter pastry.
- I used 400 grams cold butter and 100 grams frozen butter.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.
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I had never heard of hot water pastry. Hot water cornbread, yes, but not pastry. Just watched it being used the The Great British Baking Show and looked this up. Sounds great! I plan to try it very soon! Thank you!
Julie
You are most welcome Julie. It’s a great pastry for savory meat or vegetarian pies. When we were kids we always fought over the corners of the pie because the pastry was that good 🙂
Hi, I’ve tried this recipe. Did step for step last night.. this morning attempted forst step of rolling and folding.. however, it was rock hard.. when i tried to break it apart it was almost like cottage cheese.. i worked small pieces back into the right consistency and then attempted then roll and fold… it’s back in the fridge for an hour.. hoping it turns out right! 🤣😁
I’ve left it overnight as well but never had it be rock hard the next day. It will soften a bit if you leave it out on the counter. That being said, my aunt who originally made the recipe never bothered with the roll and fold and just used it exactly as you found it. She literally broke off pieces and flattened it out into her pie dish with her fingers. Either way, I’m sure it will turn out delicious. Please send me a pic of your final pie!
Hi there Razena. I am made this dough now do think i could use it in 3 hours time.
It chills up quickly so put it in the coldest part of your fridge or even the freezer. You will have to let it sit on the counter for a few minutes before using if you freeze it.
Thank you for the feedback Razena. I put the dough in the fridge for an hour. Then 2 hours in the freezer, defrosted for an hour before i used it. This dough recipe is the best and easiest ever, absolutely a Delicious and easy to make. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!!!!!
Thanks for your feedback. I love this pastry so much and frankly it’s my favorite part of eating the pie I make with it.
Hello Razena, your site is a trove of deliciousness, thank you! I have just made up the 3-ingredient butter pastry with the intention of using it tomorrow to make a pie. What consistency/texture should it be after a night spent in the fridge? Mine is quite solid at the moment (and I know this could be due to my poor baking skills and not your excellent recipes!). Your advice would be most welcome – thank you!
It does come out quite solid due to the amount of butter. However, it softens very quickly so you can roll it within minutes of removing it from the fridge. I prefer rolling it on a lightly floured surface and turn and roll a few more times, chilling between each roll. However, if you can also use your hands to line the baking sheet or pie plate by flattening pieces of dough to your desired thickness as my aunt used to do.
This is something I wouldn’t have thought to make from scratch- who knew it’s this simple!! I’m hungry looking at these photos!
xoxo A
Thanks for sharing! I’ll try it!
You are most welcome 🙂
Razena I’m glad I found you. I was just looking for some Halaal recipes for some visitors coming to our office from Jordan. Nice to “meet” you on here.
Hi Clare. I hope you find something they will like 🙂 If they are Muslim they will definitely need halaal food, but if you are not near any halaal butchers, then try fish or seafood as long as you don’t use any alcohol or pork products in the preparation. Vegetable soups and lots of bread will be good too since it’s Winter 🙂