Hearty Beef Pie Crust (Printable)
Slow-cooked tender beef and veggies in rich gravy wrapped in a golden, flaky crust.
# What You'll Need:
→ Filling
01 - 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
02 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil
03 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
08 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
09 - 2 cups beef broth
10 - 1 cup red wine (optional, substitute with broth if preferred)
11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 1 tsp dried rosemary
13 - 2 bay leaves
14 - 1 cup frozen peas
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Crust
16 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
17 - 1 tsp salt
18 - 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
19 - 6–8 tbsp ice water
20 - 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
# How To Make It:
01 - Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper, brown in batches until well seared, then remove and set aside.
02 - Add onion, carrots, and celery to the same pot. Cook for 5 minutes until softened, then stir in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
03 - Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir to coat evenly.
04 - Gradually pour in beef broth and red wine, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Return the beef to the pot, then add thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
05 - Bring mixture to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 1.5 hours until beef is tender and sauce has thickened.
06 - Remove bay leaves, stir in frozen peas, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Allow filling to cool to room temperature.
07 - Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add ice water, mixing lightly until dough forms. Divide into two discs, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
08 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out one dough disc to line a 9-inch pie dish. Fill with cooled beef mixture. Roll out second disc to cover pie, trim edges, crimp to seal, cut slits for steam, then brush with beaten egg.
09 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until crust is golden brown. Allow to rest slightly before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It fills your kitchen with a smell so good your family will hover around the oven asking when dinner's ready.
- Once the filling cooks, everything becomes easier—you're basically just wrapping it in pastry and watching it turn golden.
- This is the kind of pie that tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for planning ahead.
02 -
- Don't skip browning the beef in batches—crowding the pan drops the temperature and you'll end up steaming instead of browning.
- The filling must be completely cool before it meets the pastry, or your beautiful crust will be soggy on the bottom.
- Keep your butter and water ice-cold for the pastry—warm butter makes dense, tough dough instead of a flaky, tender crust.
- Don't overwork the pastry dough; handle it gently and you'll be rewarded with flaky layers that shatter when you cut into them.
03 -
- If your filling is still warm when you want to assemble the pie, spread it on a shallow baking sheet for ten minutes to cool it faster.
- Brush the egg wash only on the top crust, not the sides—it helps the top brown beautifully without over-browning the edges.
- If the crust is browning too fast, tent it loosely with foil for the last ten minutes of baking.