Shaping pastry

Appears in
The Farmhouse Kitchen
The Farmhouse Kitchen

By Mary Norwak

Published 1991

  • About
Early pies were rarely baked in special moulds, but were formed into turnovers or pasties which could be baked directly on a bakestone or griddle, or on the floor of a bread oven. When saucers came into general use, old ones were often used for baking little pies, particularly those made with fruit.

Pastry which covers a deep pie needs a tidy edge, and this is best achieved by knocking-up. This keeps shortcrust pies neat and decorates them, and it helps richer pastries to rise during cooking by opening up the edges. When the pastry is trimmed off, the knife should be held horizontally and the sides of the pie tapped with a slight upward movement forming a series of shallow cuts. This edge can be crimped or pinched between finger and thumb, or it can be fluted by holding the pastry lightly with the forefinger and thumb of one hand, pressing the pastry between them with the forefinger of the other hand.