Recipes
Mince Pies
Dec
The quintessential Christmas treat gets a home-grown update with delicious nut-brown, Scotland The Bread wholemeal pastry.
This recipe is enough for about 16 mince pies.
Mincemeat
| Ingredients | Weight (g) |
|---|---|
| Cooking apples | 130 |
| Sultanas | 70 |
| Raisins | 60 |
| Ginger (crystallised), chopped fine | 20 |
| Marmalade | 40 |
| Raw cane sugar | 125 |
| Cider vinegar | 30 |
| Olive oil | 20 |
| Mixed spice | 5 |
| Total | 500 |
Core and dice the apples into fairly small pieces. Toss the diced apples in the cider vinegar quickly to prevent browning.
Mix everything together thoroughly and put in a bucket to marinate for at least a week. This mixture improves with keeping – in a cool place or in the fridge.
Shortcrust Pastry
| Ingredients | Weight (g) |
|---|---|
| Scotland The Bread wholemeal flour | 350 |
| Butter (slightly salted) | 175 |
| Raw cane sugar | 100 |
| Water (cold) | 40 |
| Total | 665 |
Method
Rub the butter into the flour to a breadcrumb consistency.
Dissolve the sugar in the water and mix carefully (a fork is a good tool) into the flour/butter mix, just until the pastry comes together. Try to avoid kneading it as this begins to develop the gluten which toughens the pastry.
Roll out the pastry, dusting the worktop lightly with flour, until it is about 3 mm thick. Cut round discs weighing approx 25 g and place them in your mince pie tins or foils. Fill with 30 g of mincemeat. Top with a disc of pastry slightly smaller in diameter than the pie tin.
Brush the tops lightly with water or milk and sprinkle with a little sugar.
Bake in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown top and bottom.
