Medieval

Hot-water Pastry

This pastry was used in the Middle Ages for custard or cheese tarts. The pastry was hand raised and hot water is used because it softens the gluten and makes the pastry easier to handle and less prone to break. It also holds its shape nicely for baking. Later lard and butter were added to the recipe and it evolved to the hot-water pastry we know today.

The pastry is incredibly fun to handle; when baked it will appear tough but this is the traditional pastry for these tarts and pies. This pastry was also used to make castles, which often had fillings of custard or meat; these were called ‘subtleties’ and were placed on the tables for theatrical effect. Dinner was theatre, remember!

Makes enough for a 20 cm (8 inch) tart tin

225 g (8 oz/1½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

150 ml (5 fl oz) boiling water

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Lightly grease and line the tart tin with baking paper.

Put the flour into a heatproof bowl and make a well in the centre into which you will pour the boiling water.

Use a blunt knife to form a stiff dough by making circular movements combining the water and flour. If the dough is too dry, you may add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, but not after you knead it for a few minutes. The dough should come together nicely without adding extra water, but some flours can take up more moisture than others.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead and press the dough into a flat disc, then roll it out to a circle larger than the base of the tart tin.

Place the pastry over the tart casing and let it sink in, pushing it nicely into the corners, then cut off the excess pastry and prick the pastry with a fork, making sure you don’t pierce through it.

Line the pastry with baking paper and weigh it down with baking beads, rice or dried beans. Blind bake for 25 minutes, remove the weights, then fill and bake at the required temperature for the recipe.