Suet Pastry and Puddings
Cooking Skills: Pastry 2
Chapter 7 · Suet Pastry and Puddings
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The basics
Suet pastry is a British speciality: self-raising flour mixed with shredded suet (the hard fat from around beef kidneys, or a vegetable version) and a little water. The suet melts slowly, creating a soft, light and spongy crust rather than a crisp one. It is made for steaming and boiling, as in a steamed pudding or on top of a stew as dumplings, though it also bakes well in a roll. It is simple to mix: no rubbing in, no resting.
It rises thanks to the raising agent in self-raising flour, so it needs room to expand: wrap steamed puddings loosely, with a pleat in the paper and foil. Handle it lightly and cook it soon after mixing. A long, gentle steam gives the softest result. Pastries made with crisp fat are covered in Cooking Skills: Pastry 1, chapter 1, and a beef stew to go under dumplings in Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1, chapter 5.
The method
- Mix the flour, suet and salt, then add cold water a little at a time to make a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Handle lightly and briefly, shaping on a floured surface; overworking toughens it.
- Wrap loosely in a pleated sheet of parchment and foil, so the pastry can swell.
- Cook gently: steam or simmer without letting the water boil dry, or bake at 190°C (170°C fan, gas 5).
- Rest for 5 minutes, then turn out and serve straight away, because suet pastry stiffens as it cools.
| Dish | Cooking method | Time (approximate) | Serve with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suet dumplings | Simmered in stew | 25 minutes | Beef stew |
| Jam roly-poly | Baked or steamed | 40 minutes baked | Custard |
| Steak and mushroom pudding | Steamed | 2 hours after the filling | Mash and greens |
| Cheese and onion roll | Baked | 45 minutes | Gravy or salad |
Raw chicken and meat: keep raw meat on its own board and plate, wash hands, knives and boards in hot soapy water afterwards, and cook meat fillings right through (no pink, juices running clear) before they go under a pastry lid.
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Try it
Suet dumplings
Plain dumplings dropped onto a bubbling stew or soup. Simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes, then without for 10. They should swell into soft clouds. Add herbs or a little cheese to the dough for flavour.
Ingredients (8 dumplings)
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 75 g shredded suet (beef or vegetable)
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
- 5 tbsp cold water
- 1 pan of simmering beef stew or soup
- Mix the flour, suet, salt and parsley. Add the water a little at a time until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- With floured hands, shape into 8 balls the size of a large walnut.
- Drop onto a simmering stew, cover and cook for 15 minutes, then uncover and cook for 10 minutes more. Serve at once.
Allergens: contains gluten; beef suet is an animal fat (use vegetable suet for vegetarians).
Jam roly-poly
A nursery classic: a sheet of suet pastry spread with jam, rolled up and baked. Leave a 2 cm border so the jam doesn't escape, and wrap it loosely in foil with room to rise. Serve with custard (see Cooking Skills: Eggs 2, chapter 2).
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 110 g shredded suet
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 150 ml cold water, approximately
- 6 tbsp strawberry or raspberry jam
- 1 egg or milk, to glaze
- Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, gas 5). Mix the flour, suet and salt, add the water and bring together to a soft dough. Roll out to a 25 x 30 cm rectangle.
- Spread the jam over, leaving a 2 cm border, brush the border with water, roll up from the short edge, and pinch the ends.
- Wrap loosely in a pleated sheet of baking parchment and foil, place on a tray and bake for 40 minutes. Unwrap for the last 10 minutes to brown. Rest for 5 minutes and slice.
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Allergens: contains gluten and egg if glazed.
A cheese and onion suet roll
The savoury cousin of the roly-poly: suet pastry rolled around cheese, onion and sage and baked until golden. Slice and serve hot with a gravy or a green salad.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 110 g shredded suet
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 150 ml cold water
- 150 g mature Cheddar, grated
- 1 onion, finely chopped and softened in butter
- 1 tsp chopped fresh sage
- Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, gas 5). Make the dough and roll to 25 x 30 cm.
- Scatter with the cheese, cooled onion and sage, leaving a 2 cm border. Brush the border with water and roll up from the short edge.
- Wrap loosely in a pleated sheet of parchment and foil, bake for 40 minutes, unwrap, and bake for 10 minutes more. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Allergens: contains gluten and milk; suet is an animal fat.
A steak and mushroom pudding
The grand finale: a deep basin lined with suet pastry, filled with a thick beef filling, capped with a lid and steamed for two hours. Cook the filling first so the meat is tender and the gravy thick. Check the water often.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 1.5 batches of suet pastry (see the roly-poly recipe)
- 600 g stewing steak, in 3 cm cubes
- 200 g mushrooms, quartered
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 400 ml hot low-salt beef stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp butter, for the basin
- Brown the beef and onion, stir in the flour, add the stock, Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms, and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes until tender and thick. Cool completely.
- Butter a 1.2 litre basin. Roll two thirds of the pastry into a circle, line the basin, add the filling, wet the edge, add the lid, pinch and trim. Cover with pleated parchment and foil, tied with string.
- Steam over simmering water, with the lid on, for 2 hours, topping up with boiling water. Rest for 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge, and turn out.
Raw chicken and meat: keep raw meat on its own board and plate, wash hands, knives and boards in hot soapy water afterwards, and cook meat fillings right through (no pink, juices running clear) before they go under a pastry lid.
Allergens: contains gluten, fish (Worcestershire sauce), and celery in stock.
Experiments
Suet or butter
Texture.
- Make two small dumpling batches, one with suet and one with cold grated butter, and simmer them.
Look for: The suet gives a softer, lighter, more sponge-like dumpling; the butter ones are denser. Suet gives the classic texture.
Steamed or baked
Crust.
- Cook one jam roly-poly wrapped in foil and steamed, and another baked unwrapped.
Look for: The steamed one is soft and pale; the baked one has a golden, slightly crisp crust. Both are traditional.
Dough wet or dry
Softness.
- Make a dry and a wet dough and cook each as dumplings.
Look for: The wet dough gives lighter but more fragile dumplings; the dry one is firmer and heavier. Aim for soft and slightly sticky.
Boiling fast or at a simmer
Toughness.
- Cook two dumplings, one in a gently bubbling stew and one in fast-boiling liquid.
Look for: Fast boiling breaks them up and makes them heavy; a gentle simmer keeps them whole and light.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suet dumplings | ||||
| Jam roly-poly | ||||
| Cheese and onion roll | ||||
| Steak and mushroom pudding | ||||
| Suet or butter | ||||
| Steamed or baked | ||||
| Dough wet or dry | ||||
| Boiling fast or at a simmer |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy, doughy dumplings | Overworked or boiled fast | Handle lightly; simmer gently with the lid on first |
| Pudding collapses when turned out | Underbaked or wrong rest | Steam the full time; rest 10 minutes before turning out |
| Water runs into the pudding | Cover not sealed | Use a pleat in parchment and foil, tied tight with string |
| Filling leaks | Edge not sealed | Wet the edge and pinch firmly |
| Roly-poly splits | Rolled too tight or too dry | Roll gently and leave room for expansion |
| Pan boils dry | Water not topped up | Check every 30 minutes and add boiling water |
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Keeping and freezing: raw pastry keeps in the fridge for about 2 days wrapped tightly, and freezes for about 3 months (general guidance). Cooked pies and tarts keep for about 2 days chilled; reheat pies until steaming hot all the way through, and freeze cooked pies for no more than about 2 to 3 months.
- I can mix suet pastry without overworking it.
- I can wrap a pudding with room to rise.
- I can simmer dumplings gently.
- I can steam a pudding safely.
- I can turn out a pudding.