Equipment
Ingredients
Pastry
- 450 g strong bread flour
- 110 g unsalted butter, cold, diced
- 110 g lard, cold, diced
- 5 g fine sea salt
- 130 ml water, ice cold
Filling
- 400 g beef skirt steak, trimmed of hard fat
- 250 g waxy potato, peeled
- 150 g swede, peeled
- 150 g yellow onion, peeled
- 6 g coarse black pepper
- 8 g flaky sea salt
Glaze
- 1 egg
- 15 ml whole milk
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 1147 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbohydrates
- 100 g
- Fat
- 66 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 1362 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 31 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 26 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 197 mg
- Potassium
- 850 mg
- Calcium
- 81 mg
- Iron
- 7.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 79 mg
- Phosphorus
- 356 mg
- Zinc
- 7.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 214 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 24 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 8 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 1.08 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.98 mg
- Niacin
- 14.6 mg
- Folate
- 240 mcg
- Water
- 248 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the strong bread flour and fine sea salt in a large mixing bowl. Rub the cold diced butter and lard into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Gradually add the ice cold water, mixing gently with a knife or your hands until the dough just comes together. Knead very briefly until smooth, being careful not to overwork it.
Form the pastry dough into a disc, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes to relax the gluten.
Finely dice the beef skirt steak, waxy potatoes, swede, and yellow onion into uniform 1cm cubes. Keep all the ingredients in separate piles on your cutting board.
Divide the chilled dough into 4 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a circle approximately 5mm thick and 20cm in diameter.
Layer the filling on one half of each pastry circle in this specific order: potato, swede, beef, and onion. Season generously with the coarse black pepper and flaky sea salt between the layers.
Lightly brush the outer edge of the pastry with water. Fold the unfilled half of the pastry over the filling to form a D-shape. Seal the edges firmly, then crimp the edge by folding it over itself in a rope-like pattern.
Beat the egg and milk together in a small bowl. Brush the glaze entirely over the top and sealed edges of each pasty. Score a small 1cm slit in the top of each pasty to allow steam to escape during baking.
Place the pasties on a lined baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes to set the pastry.
Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (320°F) and continue baking for another 40 minutes. Ensure the internal temperature reaches at least 74°C (165°F) for food safety.
Remove the pasties from the oven and carefully transfer them to a wire rack. Let them rest for 15 minutes before serving so the hot internal juices can slightly thicken and settle.
Chef's Notes
- Using a mix of strong bread flour and plain flour gives the pastry the structural integrity needed to hold the hearty filling while retaining a tender flake.
- Do not pre-cook the filling. The raw ingredients must slowly steam together inside the pastry envelope to create the rich, starchy gravy that defines an authentic pasty.
- Skirt steak is the traditional choice for pasties due to its deep, beefy flavor and lack of hard fat, which prevents greasiness while cooking.
- To achieve a true Cornish crimp, push the edge of the pastry down with your thumb, then fold it back over itself with a slight twist, working your way along the seam.
- Layering the vegetables at the bottom and the meat on top allows the savory beef juices to baste the potatoes and swede as they bake.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container once completely cooled.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze unbaked or fully baked. If baking from frozen, add 15 minutes to the baking time.
Reheating: Reheat baked pasties in a 180°C/350°F oven for 15-20 minutes to re-crisp the pastry.
Troubleshooting
Pastry splits or bursts open during baking
Cause: The dough was rolled too thin, the pastry was overworked, or no steam hole was cut
Fix: Cannot be completely fixed once burst, but you can serve it as a deconstructed plate if the filling is fully cooked
Prevention: Roll dough to a sturdy 5mm thickness, rest dough adequately, and always cut a steam vent in the top
Tough or raw filling
Cause: Vegetables or meat were diced too large, preventing them from cooking through in the allotted time
Fix: Lower oven temperature to 140C (285F), cover pasties loosely with foil to prevent burning, and bake for an additional 20 minutes
Prevention: Ensure all filling ingredients are finely and uniformly diced to a maximum of 1cm cubes
Soggy pastry bottom
Cause: Oven was not hot enough during the initial baking phase, or pasties sat assembled for too long before baking
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Ensure oven is fully preheated to 200C (400F) before baking and place pasties in the oven immediately after glazing
Cultural Context
Originating as a portable lunch for tin miners in Cornwall, the sturdy crimped edge of the pasty originally served as a disposable handle that miners could discard to avoid ingesting toxic arsenic from their unwashed hands. In 2011, the authentic Cornish Pasty was granted Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in Europe.
