Egg Washing

When I first started baking seriously, I would egg wash pies and pastries repeatedly, over and over before baking, to get the best finish possible. Over the years I have realised that in doing so I was wasting not only my time but also that of my kitchen team. Really, the maximum number of times you need to egg wash pastry before baking is twice: this is just as effective as doing it fifteen times.

I use egg yolk mixed with a tiny bit of water – 1 teaspoon of water to 1 egg yolk – and always make sure that the yolk is completely separated from the white, otherwise the finish will be streaky. I pass egg yolks through a fine sieve to remove the chalazae (the white stringy anchors) attached to the yolk.

Egg washing a pie is, in principle, similar to painting a room in your home. You should apply a thin, even coat first and then let it dry before applying the second coat to finish. Between the first and second egg washes, put the pastry in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, while you have a cup of tea and read the paper. Brush on the second coat of egg wash, again thinly and evenly. If you apply too much egg wash you are essentially cooking an omelette on the surface of the pastry, which will go soft over time and is therefore especially bad for cold pies.

Rolling Pastry

There are a few simple principles to follow when rolling pastry. Firstly, always work with dough that is well chilled, but not rock hard. This makes the dough easier to handle, avoids the fat splitting while you work and prevents it sticking to the bench. If it’s a really hot day, put your thickest chopping board in the refrigerator or freezer until it is well chilled – this will keep the dough as cold as possible while you roll. This is especially useful when rolling and cutting out delicate shapes to decorate pies.

When dusting your work surface, never use too much flour. If the dough is rolled at the right temperature, you shouldn’t need much flour at all. The more flour you use, the more you will change the ratio of flour to fat in the dough, which can result in brittleness in the baked pastry. For an even distribution of flour, dust the work surface from a height. Alternatively, try flicking or snapping your wrist to release the flour horizontally in a cloud – this will also make you look like one of those slow-motion chefs from a TV cooking show.

When rolling out dough, always work from the edge closest to you and only roll away from you. Each time you roll the pastry, turn it 90 degrees in the same direction. Don’t press downwards during the roll; instead allow the rolling pin to work in a forwards rolling motion. Downwards force will warp the shape and make it harder to achieve what you want. Don’t roll all the way over the ends of the dough until you have achieved the shape and size required.

Lining Pie Moulds

The key to lining tins and moulds with pastry is temperature. If you allow the pastry dough to get too warm and soft it will be difficult to manage, easy to stretch and prone to damage. When this occurs, it can cause weak spots in the pastry lining that can potentially crack or burst during cooking, so make sure your dough is always chilled. If you have really warm hands or it is just an unusually hot day, wear latex gloves as this helps to stop the heat transferring from your hands to the dough and also prevents the pastry from sticking to your hands when you press it.

To line a 23cm springform cake tin or similar size round pie tin, first roll 700g of pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface to the size of the largest baking tray that will fit in your refrigerator. Line the tray with parchment paper and lay the pastry on top, then allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator or 15 minutes in the freezer (if you have enough space).

Once rested, remove the rolled-out pastry from the refrigerator or freezer and transfer it to your work surface. Roll the pastry out again to a large rectangle roughly 50cm x 80cm and 5mm thick. While the dough is still cold, centre the tin on top of the pastry. Using the tip of a knife, lightly score around the base of the tin and then mark a larger circle that equals the height of the tin plus an extra 2.5cm that will overhang the top edge of the tin. For a 23cm tin, in total you will need a 45cm diameter circle. For an easy way to measure, once you have lightly marked the base, rock the tin onto its side and mark where the top edge of the tin now rests. Repeat around the base circle until you can see the larger outer circle, then cut it out 2.5cm wider all the way round so you have enough pastry for crimping together the lining and the lid (see here).

Using the base of the tin as a guide, cut a circle 2.5cm wider from the remaining pastry for the pie lid. Place the lid back on the lined tray and return to the refrigerator until needed. Any pastry trimmings can be cut into smaller sections and chilled with the lid to use for decoration later on.

Lightly grease the base, sides and lip of the tin with a little softened butter (I prefer to use butter over oil as it helps with the caramelisation of the pastry and adds flavour during cooking). Dust off any excess flour from both sides of the pastry. Fold the large disc of pastry in half and then in half again, like a slice of pizza.

Pop the folded pastry inside the tin so the two straight sides line up exactly in one quarter of the tin and then unfold the pastry circle. This is the easiest way to centre the pastry. Work the pastry into the bottom edge of the tin first while being careful not to stretch it. Check there are no air bubbles under the base (you can push these out while still at this stage) and then gently press the pastry against the sides of the tin. Creases in the pastry can open up later when the tin is removed, causing the pie to bulge, so it’s important that you don’t press firmly initially. Instead, work around the tin fully to begin, making sure the pastry is even and there is 2.5cm of pastry overhanging the top edge for crimping. Finally, press the pastry firmly and evenly against the sides of the tin. I use two or three fingers together to do this. If the pastry is getting soft or your hands are too warm, either wear a pair of latex gloves (as mentioned above) to stop the heat transferring to the pastry or alternatively use an offcut of cold dough lightly dusted with flour.

When the base and sides are firmly pressed against the tin, check the pastry overhanging the top edge that will be used for crimping later. If necessary, trim to an even 2.5cm all round.

Allow the pastry-lined tin to rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator or 10 minutes in the freezer or until set hard before filling.

To line a 24cm rectangular pie mould or 900g/2lb loaf tin, first roll out 800g of pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface to the size of the largest baking tray that will fit in your refrigerator. Line the tray with parchment paper and lay the pastry on top, then allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator or 15 minutes in the freezer (if you have enough space).

Once rested, remove the rolled-out pastry from the refrigerator or freezer and transfer it to your work surface. Roll the pastry out again to a large rectangle at least 50cm x 45cm and 5mm thick. With the slightly longer side of the rolled-out pastry closest to you, cut a 15cm wide strip from the right-hand edge to use for the pie lid. Place the strip back on the lined tray and return to the refrigerator until needed. You will now be left with a 45cm x 35cm rectangle.

While the dough is still cold, centre the tin on top of the pastry. Using the tip of a knife, lightly score around the four corners of the tin for reference. Once you have lightly marked the base, rock the tin onto one long side and mark where the top edge of the tin now rests plus an additional 2.5cm so you have enough pastry for crimping together the lining and the lid (see here).

Return the tin to its original position and then rock it over to the opposite long side. Mark this side as before. Repeat this process for the two opposite shorter ends.

Leaving the tin on the pastry to hold it in place, cut along the marked lines, adding an additional 1cm at the end of each line to allow for a small overlap when lining the tin. Now cut a diagonal line from each of the marked base corners to the extended ends of the lines just cut.

Lift the tin off the pastry. You will now have an outline that looks like the tin has been unfolded on the pastry. If the pastry has become too soft to handle, return it to the refrigerator for 10 minutes to chill. Any pastry trimmings can be cut into smaller sections and chilled with the lid to use for decoration later on.

Lightly grease the base, sides and lip of the tin with a little softened butter (again, I prefer to use butter over oil as it helps with the caramelisation of the pastry and adds flavour during cooking). Dust off any excess flour from both sides of the pastry. Fold in the top and bottom flaps onto the base and then fold in the two side flaps on top of the other flaps, so you have a neat package. Drop this pastry package into the tin or mould and carefully unfold all the flaps.

First, make sure that the pastry is sitting right down into the bottom edge on each side. Check that there are no air bubbles under the base (you can push these out while at this stage). Next, firmly press the pastry together at the overlapping corners. If the pastry is getting soft or your hands are too warm, either wear a pair of latex gloves or use an off cut of cold dough lightly dusted with flour.

When the corners are firmly pressed together, start to press the sides against the tin. Always work a little pressure down towards the base of the tin to get the crisp edge at the bottom.

When the sides and corners are firmly pressed against the tin, check the pastry overhanging the top edge that will be used for crimping later. If necessary, trim to an even 2.5cm all round.

Allow the pastry-lined tin to rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator or for 10 minutes in the freezer or until set hard before filling.

Decoration

With pastry work, you have the opportunity to be creative in both what you put on the outside of the pie as well as the inside. Once your ingredients are wrapped in pastry, you have a blank canvas. In The Pie Room, I encourage the team to throw themselves into this creative process and work on new designs, drawing inspiration from the things around them – from architecture to nature, or anything that catches their eye that might be translated into pastry.

One of the simplest ways to make savoury pastry stand out is by crimping. All my chefs have different styles and I can tell who has made any pie simply by looking at the crimp. I love this bit of personalisation – it’s like an artist’s signature in the corner of a painting. Two of the easiest crimps are shown here.

The first is my favourite and creates a wave-like crimp that rolls around the edge of a pie. To crimp a single sheet of pastry, for example on the sardine, olive and onion tartlets, lightly brush 2.5cm of the inside edge of the overhanging pastry with egg wash. Starting at one point or corner, fold over the pastry at a slight angle onto the brushed surface. Now a little wave of pastry has been created, place the tip of your index finger on the outside of that wave and, using the thumb of your other hand, roll another wave onto the brushed pastry. Move your index finger along to the other side of that new wave and repeat the process all the way round. If you continue to turn the pastry in at a slight angle, it will take on that beautiful wave shape.

To crimp together a pastry lid and lining, lightly brush the lip of the lining with egg wash, but don’t brush the lid as well – if you do, it won’t stick. Line up the lid so it is centred perfectly over the top of the pie. You now need to thin the pastry out, otherwise it will be twice the thickness of any other part of the pie.

Working around the pie lid, firmly squeeze together the two layers of pastry, thinning it out in the process. This will create an excess of overhanging pastry, so, using kitchen scissors, trim it back to 2.5cm to neaten but leaving enough to crimp.

Lightly brush a 2.5cm border around the top of the outside edge with egg wash. Holding your index finger and thumb on one hand about 5cm apart, roll the pastry lip over onto the brushed surface, narrowing the gap just before you pres it down. Moving along another 2.5cm each time, repeat the process all the way round. After you have crimped all the way around, chill the pastry in the fridge for 10 minutes and then brush lightly all over with egg wash.

There are two methods of applying decoration to the surface of a pie. One way is to score the surface of the pastry directly and the other is to add more pastry cut into shapes. For the first option, you must apply egg wash properly. It’s important not to slap on lots of egg wash as that results in an uneven finish, and too much egg on the pastry leaves it soft after cooking. Lightly brush a thin, even coat of egg wash all over the surface of the pastry. Pop the pie in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or until the egg wash is almost dry.

Next, apply a second thin coat of egg wash. Pop the pie back into the refrigerator. After 10 minutes, check the feel of the egg wash; it should be tacky to the touch, not completely dry. If the egg wash dries out too much, it will crack – you will see that in your finished pie – and the pastry may crack or tear during scoring.

You are now ready to score the pastry with decorative lines. Using a small, light knife, score your preferred design into the surface of the pastry. Take care not to score right through the pastry as it will open right up during cooking. Do not egg wash again after scoring as it will simply cover up any design you have made.

To apply shapes to create a design, such as the leaves shown here, first make sure the pastry you are adding is rolled out thinly before cutting, otherwise it will look clunky and lose its shape during cooking. Add the cut-out pastry shapes after the surface of the pie has been egg washed and is just at the tacky stage, but not dry. Do not brush any egg wash onto the shapes you are applying as they won’t hold properly. Once in place on the surface of the pie, brush the pastry shapes with egg wash and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. You can lightly score the pastry shapes with a small, light knife to add more detail, taking care not to score right through. The pressure applied when scoring further helps to stick the pastry shapes to the pie.

Plaiting pastry is a way to add an attractive border to a pie and is much simpler than it looks. However, it does require a couple of key things: the right dough at the correct temperature. I prefer to create a plait using shortcrust dough: it has a strong enough structure to be moved around as much as needed and is more forgiving at increased temperatures. As far as possible, the pastry needs to be kept cool as it becomes difficult to turn when warm and soft.

To plait pastry for a decorative border, first roll out the dough into a thin sheet, no more than 5mm thick. The pastry needs to be cold for the next stage to work, so pop the rolled-out pastry in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. If possible, lay the pastry on a thick chopping board so that chills too. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and cut it into nine thin strips about 5mm wide. Gently roll each one to take off the sharp edges, leaving you with spaghetti shapes.

Take three of the pastry strips and pinch them together at one end. Repeat with the remaining strips so that you have three bunches each of three strips. Keeping each bunch separate, lay them side by side on your work surface and then pinch all three bunches together at the top. To make the plait, lift the middle bunch over the right bunch, keeping the strips neat. Next, lift what is now the middle bunch over the left bunch. Next, lift the now middle bunch over the right bunch, and then the now middle bunch over the left bunch. Continue working in this way until you reach the end and the plait is complete. Squeeze the three bunches at the end of the plait to seal it and trim away any excess.

To apply the plait to the pie, lightly brush a thin layer of egg wash onto the surface of the pie. Lay the plait on the pie and gently press. Once in place, lightly brush the plait with egg wash, but don’t get it too wet as you will lose all that beautiful detail.

Essential Equipment

1. Rolling pin

Invest in a large, heavy wooden rolling pin – it’s game-changing. With the exception of a lucky ambidextrous few, we are all right- or left-handed and so will always roll with a slight bias to one side. With a heavy rolling pin this is reduced as the weight of the pin does the majority of the work for you. Having a longer rolling pin also means being able to roll out wider areas of dough more easily without leaving an indent in the middle where you have been forced to roll it out as two halves.

2. Electric stand mixer

Mixing anything over 1kg of dough can be laborious by hand, so an electric stand mixer is extremely useful if you can afford one. Without a mixer, you will transfer the heat from your hands into the dough and so it also helps to keep the pastry cold. I often hear that people’s grandmothers didn’t use a mixer to make their pastry, but sometimes technology should be embraced if it makes things more suitable to our current lives.

3. Pastry brushes

You can find small pastry brushes in kitchen shops and online. I have quite a few pastry brushes in my collection alongside lots of small, thin paint brushes that I use for really fine detail. Always buy proper brushes with bristles, rather than the rubber or silicone ones you sometimes see – they are far more effective and give a better finish. Make sure all brushes are well cleaned and the bristles are dry before putting them away. I also have a medium-sized brush, which looks more like a decorator’s brush, that I use for cleaning up any excess flour on the work surface after rolling out dough.

4. Pastry cutters

I’m always buying new pastry cutters. I must have hundreds. I have leaf-shaped cutters, rabbit-shaped cutters – if you can imagine a shape, I probably have a cutter to match. It’s fun to have a variety of different cutters when decorating with pastry, especially when you’re working with kids. Adding decorative shapes to a pie is always their favourite part of cooking.

5. Large mixing bowl

It may seem obvious to some, but not everyone has a large mixing bowl in their home kitchen. They are indispensable for efficiently and tidily combining dough mixes. I always keep an extra-large bowl at home with a 4-litre capacity.

6. Springform cake tin

The tin I refer to most often throughout this book is a 23cm round non-stick, springform cake tin. It’s the perfect size for making pies serving up to six people. The spring release system means you can pop the pie straight out of the tin without having to turn it out.

7. Loaf tin

Similar in dimensions to the round tin, the loaf tin that I refer to throughout this book is 24cm in length and around 900g/2lb in volume. Again, it is the perfect size for these recipes and, like the round cake tin, always try to buy a non-stick tin.

8. Digital probe thermometer

These are readily available online and also in kitchen shops and are an incredible tool in the kitchen. There are a few recipes in the book where checking the internal temperature of a dish is vital in the method, but you can use it for so much more in your home cooking. I use mine for cooking big joints of meat for a Sunday roast to get perfect rosy beef.

9. Digital weighing scales

While good for weighing out large amounts of ingredients, traditional counter-balanced scales are not so accurate at the other end of the spectrum. Weighing out smaller amounts is where we need accuracy, so it’s worth investing in digital weighing scales. Liquids including water and milk can be weighed in grams on scales rather than mls in a measuring jug as there is almost no difference in weight and liquid volume at this end of cooking.

10. Mandoline

The Japanese mandoline has been used in professional kitchens for a long time and is now found more frequently in home kitchens. They are great for slicing potatoes for topping hot pots or for finely cutting vegetables. Always use the guard provided. If you use the mandoline so heavily that it becomes blunt, either have the blade sharpened professionally or buy a new one. A blunt blade is far more dangerous than a sharp one as you have to apply more pressure.

11. Turning knife/paring knife

A small, lightweight knife is perfect for scoring pastry and adding fine detail. I prefer the blade of a turning knife for slightly curved surfaces and tricky corners (as it has a finer tip to the blade) and a paring knife (also known as a vegetable knife) for scoring flat surfaces.

12. Small palette knife

That this is called a knife is a little misleading as it’s more of a spatula really but very useful for lifting small pieces of pastry detail and also pressing them onto egg-washed pastry for decoration. It’s also incredibly effective for firing bits of pastry at your brother’s head.

13. Wide, fine-mesh sieve

A key stage when making any dough, sifting flour should be done using a wide, fine-mesh sieve. Make sure it is completely dry before you use it … and never let your brother borrow it to cook prawns on a barbeque.

14. Lattice roller

These are easily found online and are great for rolling out a quick lattice which is good for bigger items such as a wellington or large tart. The key to using them is to make sure the pastry is pretty cold and to push really firmly onto a completely flat surface. I think the plastic ones are just as good as the metal ones as really you are just cutting through pastry, so save yourself some money! Even when I use a lattice roller, I still like to go back through the cuts that it makes with a paring knife afterwards to make sure they are all going to open properly. There is nothing worse than stretching out a lattice over something and part of it snaps because it doesn’t open properly.

15. Scottish scraper

These are perfect for cleaning up flour and dough from your bench but also for slightly wetter doughs like a hot water pastry, where it helps you avoid getting your hands sticky before the dough cools. It is also useful for portioning doughs (as for the stuffed brioche recipe).