Learning Objective
You will learn how to make sourdough mince pies that nourish your gut and that use up leftover sourdough starter.
Makes: | 12 mince pies |
---|---|
Level: | Intermediate |
These sourdough mince pies are incredibly delicious. The sweet sourdough shortcrust pastry brings a slightly acid tang to the pies which accentuates the sweetness of the filling.
For me they also have three major advantages:
• This recipe allows me to enjoy eating pastry, which I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to do because of my digestive issues. If you suffer from IBS and struggle with digesting fruit, I wouldn’t recommend using the mincemeat filling as dried fruits can be very challenging to digest comfortably. An alternative is to use a tablespoon of lemon curd, which gives the pies a lovely festive flavour when you combine it with the oranges, pistachios and almonds in the meringue.
• The sweet pastry is a fantastic way of using up some of your first or second build sourdough starter discard, which helps prevent waste.
• At Christmas, when we tend to indulge ourselves, any chance we have to create something nutritious, as well as delicious, is a really good thing. These mince pies are made with wholegrain flour, fruit and nuts, all of which increase your level of fibre. So they aren't just beautiful and easy to eat: they are also satiating, and allow you to indulge yourself a little without feeling as if you’re compromising your wellness by enjoying a treat.
Equipment
- 12-hole muffin tin
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Metal spoon
Suggested Starter
Any first build
DDT
26°C (79°F)
For The Dough
- FOR THE PASTRY
- butter, for greasing
- flour, for dusting
- 500g Sweet Sourdough Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte sablée)
- 300g Cranberry & Brandy Mincemeat
- For the meringue topping:
- 3 egg whites
- 75g caster sugar
- 100g ground almonds
- 20g chopped pistachios
- zest of 1 orange
Baking Time
5–7 minutes
Bake At
200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6
Guidance, tips & techniques
Make your pastry the night before you want to bake your sourdough mince pies.
In the morning, butter the muffin tin and dust with flour. Work the pastry into the muffin tin moulds and blind-bake, as instructed in the pastry recipe, then leave them in the tin to cool.
Once cool, carefully remove the pastry cases from the tin and place them on a wire rack.
Make the meringue topping by whisking the egg whites until they are really fluffy. Slowly add the sugar, continuing to whisk as you do so. Then, being very gentle, fold in the ground almonds, followed by the chopped pistachios, reserving a few to scatter over the tops of the pies before baking. Finally, gently fold in the orange zest.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
As the oven warms, you can assemble the pies. Put a tablespoon of mincemeat into the bottom of each pastry case, then top this with a tablespoon of the meringue. Scatter the reserved pistachios over the top.
Place the mince pies on a baking tray and bake for 5–7 minutes, until they are very lightly golden. Remember that everyone’s oven is different, so keep an eye on them towards the end of the baking time.
Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Learning Outcome
You will know how to use leftover sourdough starter in pastry and understand how the ingredients you use in your mince pies can be nutritious and aid digestibility.