Equipment
Ingredients
Rough Puff Pastry
- 250 g plain flour
- 250 g unsalted butter, ice-cold, cubed
- 5 g fine sea salt
- 120 ml ice water
Beef Braise
- 1000 g beef chuck steak, diced into 3cm cubes
- 30 g plain flour
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 2 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, thickly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 30 g tomato paste
- 500 ml dark ale or stout
- 400 ml beef stock
- 15 ml worcestershire sauce
- 5 g fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 2 bay leaves, dried or fresh
Glaze
- 1 egg, beaten
- 15 ml whole milk
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 853 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbohydrates
- 50 g
- Fat
- 51 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 984 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 26 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 15 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 233 mg
- Potassium
- 1124 mg
- Calcium
- 97 mg
- Iron
- 5.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 70 mg
- Phosphorus
- 497 mg
- Zinc
- 14.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 595 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 11 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 10 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 5.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.23 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.41 mg
- Niacin
- 9.1 mg
- Folate
- 44 mcg
- Water
- 316 g
- Alcohol
- 3 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine 250g plain flour and 5g salt in a large bowl. Add the ice-cold cubed butter and toss briefly just to coat the butter in flour. Do not rub the butter into the flour.
Gradually add ice water, mixing gently with a butter knife or cold hands until the dough just comes together into a shaggy mass. Shape into a rough rectangle, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes.
Roll the chilled dough out on a floured surface into a rectangle roughly 20x40cm. Fold the top third down into the middle, and the bottom third up over the top like a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees.
Repeat the rolling and folding process two more times. Wrap the folded dough tightly and return to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes while preparing the filling.
Dredge the diced beef in 30g plain flour, seasoning well with salt and black pepper.
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches until heavily browned on all sides. Remove the beef and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and carrots to the pot, cooking until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste, stirring constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw tomato flavor.
Pour in the ale to deglaze the pot, vigorously scraping the bottom to release the browned fond.
Return the beef to the pot along with the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 2 to 2.5 hours until the beef falls apart easily.
Remove the pot from the heat, discard the bay leaves, and allow the filling to cool completely to room temperature. This prevents the pastry from melting during assembly.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Transfer the completely cooled beef filling into your pie dish.
Roll the chilled rough puff pastry on a floured surface to a 5mm thickness, ensuring it is large enough to drape generously over the pie dish.
Brush the rim of the pie dish with a little water. Place the pastry over the filling, pressing down the edges to seal. Crimp the edges and cut a cross in the center to allow steam to escape.
Whisk the egg and milk together. Liberally brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash to ensure a shiny, golden crust.
Bake in the preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pastry is completely puffed, crisp, and deep golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow the pie to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. This allows the boiling gravy to settle.
Chef's Notes
- Cooling the filling completely before topping with pastry is absolutely non-negotiable. Hot filling will instantly melt the butter in your rough puff, destroying any chance of a flaky crust.
- For the deepest flavor, braise the filling a day in advance. The flavors of the ale and beef meld beautifully overnight in the fridge, and assembling the cold pie is much easier.
- Keep your pastry ingredients aggressively cold. I recommend placing your mixing bowl and flour in the freezer for 15 minutes before you begin if your kitchen runs warm.
- When scoring the steam hole, make it slightly larger than you think you need. The pastry shrinks and shifts as it bakes, which can close up small incisions.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Keep covered in an airtight container.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze unbaked or baked. If unbaked, bake straight from frozen adding 15-20 minutes to bake time.
Reheating: Reheat in a 160°C oven for 20-25 minutes until piping hot throughout.
Troubleshooting
Pastry is flat, dense, and lacks flaky layers
Cause: Butter melted into the flour during mixing, or the dough was not kept cold enough between folds.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked.
Prevention: Ensure butter is ice-cold before starting. Chill the dough immediately if the kitchen is warm or if the dough resists rolling.
Pastry is melting into the pie before it enters the oven
Cause: The beef braise filling was still hot when the pastry was applied.
Fix: Immediately place the assembled pie in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking to re-chill the butter.
Prevention: Allow the filling to cool entirely to room temperature, or ideally chill it in the refrigerator, before topping with pastry.
Gravy is too thin and runny
Cause: Insufficient reduction during the braise, or the lid trapped too much moisture.
Fix: Before putting filling in the dish, stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with cold water, and simmer until thickened.
Prevention: Cook uncovered for the final 30 minutes of the braise if the liquid looks thin.
Cultural Context
Steak and ale pie is a quintessential British pub classic, tracing its roots back to medieval meat pies which served as hearty, portable meals for laborers. The pairing of robust beef with the deeply roasted, bitter malts of British ale provides a rich, warming flavor profile specifically engineered for damp, cold climates.
