Share Your Xmas Bakes To Win
We’re asking everyone in our baking community to share your favourite Christmas baking recipe with us, for the chance to win some fantastic prizes.
- Baker: Sam Hayward
- IG: @south_african_baker
- Makes: 24 pies
- Prep time: ~2 hrs
- Bake time: ~25 mins
- Flours used: Matthews Cotswold Plain Flour
Sam’s Christmas Mince Pies Baking Method:
- Make sure that all the fruit is about the same size, chop up any bigger pieces into smaller bits.
- To make the filling, add all the filling ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil while stirring. Then allow to simmer on a medium low heat for about 20 minutes until dark, thickened and smelling amazing! Set aside to cool for at least 90 minutes.
- To make the pastry, add the flour, salt, baking powder, icing sugar and butter to a food processor and whizz until it looks like breadcrumbs.
- Add the beaten egg while blending and add as much water as needed until the dough begins to come together. Be careful not to overmix!
- Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or a silicone mat and gently bring it together with your hands until it forms a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for about 40 minutes.
- Butter and flour two 12-hole muffin trays and place in the freezer for ~5 mins to firm up.
- Preheat your oven to 190C/170C (fan).
- Once your pastry is chilled and the filling has cooled, roll out your pastry on a lightly floured surface or a silicone mat to a thickness of about 3mm. Using a round cutter of about 8-8.5 cm diameter, cut out 24 rounds. Using a star or snowflake cutter, cut out 24 lids. You may need to re-roll the pastry.
- Gently press each round into a muffin hole, using a small blob of floured spare dough to press them into the base. Fill each with a good helping of the filling mixture. Make sure to press the filling down gently and form a level surface. The filling should not protrude past the top of the pastry.
- With a fine paintbrush or your fingertip, gently brush a thin layer of egg white around the rim of each mince pie and then place a lid on each, gently pressing down.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Allow the mince pies to cool in the tray for 5-10 minutes before turning them out.
- Dust liberally with icing sugar, spritz with edible glitter spray and use the extra egg white to stick on any small Christmas-themed decorations like fondant holly leaves etc.
- These warm up really well! Just pop them in a 150C/130C (fan) oven for 4-5 minutes before serving.
