Savory Mushroom Vegan Hot Water Crust Pie
With layers of mushrooms, creamy herb sauce, and wild rice, this vegan hot water crust pie is the perfect centerpiece to any festive occasion. The crust is crispy and delicious, and much easier to make than a traditional pie crust- and don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of tips for getting it right. The filling is hearty, savory, and the perfect meal for a chilly evening. So, if you’re looking to deck your holiday table or simply make a snowy evening a little more special, this mushroom and wild rice pie is the perfect choice.
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Let’s Make Hot Water Crust Pastry
Forget everything you know about pastry, because hot water crust breaks all the rules. It’s, like, the bad boy of the pastry world. Okay maybe that’s a little bit dramatic, but it is a totally different approach to pastry. It’s fairly common in England, and, as is likely true with many of my American readers, I first became familiar with it when watching “The Great British Baking Show”. With traditional pastry, everything needs to be kept super cold. Fat is rubbed or layered into flour, making sure it doesn’t melt, which leads to a crust that is light, delicate, and flakey. Hot water crust, on the other hand, is crispy and delicious, but doesn’t have the flakes of it’s more finicky cousin. Instead, hot water crust is sturdy. It’s made from fat (in this case vegan butter and vegetable shortening), melted and worked into flour. Because the crust is more uniform, it loses the flakes but gains its strength. If you made a traditional pie crust and tried to fill it with rice, minced mushrooms, TVP, and a heavy roux, it would likely crumble under the weight- but not so with our HWC friend.
Hot water crust is much easier to make than other pastry, but there are some tricks to making and handling hot water crust. You want to work with it when it’s hot- or at least before it cools. As the dough becomes cooler, it becomes less and less pliable so speed is of the essence. You can roll out the dough- this is much easier between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap, as you will have issues with sticking otherwise. Alternatively, you can also mold the dough into your tin. I find that doing a combination is the easiest way. Basically, you roll out your dough, place it in the tin, and then go back and patch where needed, and push and move the dough to create an even, well covered bottom.
Celebrating Holidays as a Vegan
Holidays as a vegan- especially as a new vegan- can be strange and stressful. So many of our food traditions are based around certain non-vegan dishes- for Thanksgiving people eat Turkey, Christmas is often celebrated with ham, Hannukah with brisket, and Easter is focused around eggs and lamb. I think that the initial response when becoming vegan is to try and find a vegan version of that traditional food, and that’s totally fine if that’s what you want to do. But you can look at it another way too. Instead of asking “where can I buy a vegan un-turkey?”, think about creating a meal that just feels special to you. For example, this year my family is going to be making an Indian food feast, featuring dishes that include cranberries, squash, brussels sprouts and more. I know many of you will be celebrating your holidays surrounded by people eating meat, but try and think of a way you can contribute and make something that you will love. Maybe you’ll be bringing your own main, or perhaps you can contribute a few vegan side dishes that everyone will love. For many years as a vegetarian, holidays for me were a meal full of delicious sides and I wasn’t upset- honestly it was delicious. This mushroom and wild rice pie is perfect if you want to bring your own show-stopping main- it’s delicious, flavorful, and a little more work than most of us like to do for your average meal. Just that added effort will make it feel a little special, and that should hopefully help you get in the holiday spirit.
Looking for Show-Stopping Holiday Dishes? Try one of these!
- Vegan Fondue with Caramelized Onions and Ale
- Stuffed Seitan Vegan Holiday Roast
- Maitake and Wild Rice Thanksgiving Salad
- Holiday Baked Vegan Cheese with Guava Swirl
- Creamy Walnut and Roasted Grapes Flatbreads
- Roasted Mini Eggplants in Tahini Sauce
- Eggplant, Chestnut, and Mushroom Vegan Holiday Loaf
How to Make this Vegan Hot Water Crust Pie
There are a few elements to this vegan hot water crust pie.
- The Crust Hot water crust is made by adding melted fats into flour, and rolling and molding the dough while it’s still hot into your pie tin. Because it needs to be done fairly quickly, I save this step until after all your fillings are made so there are no distractions.
- The Mushroom Filling The “meat” of the pie is made up of finely chopped mushrooms as well as a little TVP. TVP, for those who might not know, stands for textured vegetable protein, and it will give a bit of chew to the filling. If you can’t find it in stores you can get it online. For mushrooms, you can use any kind, but using a couple different ones will be better. I highly recommend using at least one of the following- shiitakes, maitake, or oyster. The filling is cooked ahead of time to release moisture so that the crust doesn’t get soggy.
- The Rice is another great way to avoid a soggy crust. Using wild rice, or a wild rice blend like this one not only adds another amazing flavor and texture, but it soaks up any excess moisture from the mushrooms and sauce and keeps the bottom crust nice and crisp.
- The Creamy Sauce is a simple one made of plant-based milk and fresh herbs, thickened with a little flour and vegan butter. Some of the sauce will remain on top, and some of it will soak down through the layers.
Once you’ve assembled all the elements, it’s time to make the pie. First the rice goes down, with the mushrooms on top, and the sauce on top of that. Make sure the layers are well-packed, and top with the top crust. This pie takes about an hour and a half to cook all the way through, and once baked should be cooled to make the crust solid crisp before eating.
Savory Mushroom Vegan Hot Water Crust Pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend
- ¾ cup TVP crumbles
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 4 cups mixed mushrooms (such as button, cremini, shiitake, oyster, maitake, and other grown or wild mushrooms)
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 2 tbsp. fresh herbs (such as sage, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme)
- 2 cups soymilk, or other plant-based milk
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chickpea flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
Instructions
- Start by making your rice as directed on the package, and set aside. Place your TVP in a heat resistant container, and add ½ cup boiling water and the soy sauce. Set aside to rehydrate. Finely chop your mushrooms, dice your onion, and mince the garlic. Mince the herbs while you’re at it.
- Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a medium-large skillet, and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a couple minutes, until the onions become a little translucent. Add the mushrooms, and sprinkle with some salt, cook for another few minutes so the mushrooms lose a good amount of their moisture. Finally add the rehydrated TVP, and sauté for another couple minutes, stirring to bring it all together. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Next let’s make our sauce. You can use the same pan if you scrape it clean. Add the ¼ cup of vegan butter and melt. Next add the flour, and stir, removing any lumps and not allowing it to burn. After a couple minutes, throw in your fresh herbs, stir, and add the soymilk. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until it has thickened nicely. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) at this point.
- Now time for the crust. Hot water crust becomes difficult to work with once it’s cooled, so make sure you’re ready to work. Have a 9-inch springform pan lightly greased. It will also help to have some wax paper or plastic wrap to help roll out the crust. Whisk together the flour, chickpea flour, and salt in a mixing bowl. On the stove combine the vegetable shortening, vegan butter, and 1/3 cup of water. Bring it to a simmer and wait until all the butter and shortening have melted. Pour the hot liquid into the dough, and use a spoon to combine until most of the fat has been incorporated. Place on your clean and lightly floured work surface, and knead for a couple minutes.
- Divide the dough roughly into 1/3 and 2/3 pieces. Set the smaller piece aside, and place the larger piece between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin, large circle. You want it big enough to cover the entire bottom of the 9-inch pan, and go roughly 2 inches up the sides. Transfer the dough into your pan, and smooth out rips. Neaten up the edges a little bit to be more even, and use those bits of dough to fill in any small holes. Place the second piece of dough in plastic wrap or wax paper, and roll it into a 9-inch circle for the top. Set aside as you fill the pie. Season your wild rice with salt, if you haven’t already, and drain any extra liquid there might be. Place that into the pie crust first, pushing it down firmly. Next add the mushroom mixture, packing it down as well. End with the creamy sauce on top, spreading it out well. Add the top pie crust, and use your fingers to pinch the edges closed. Use a sharp knife to cut a few slashes through the crust so the pie can vent.
- Bake your pie for 90 minutes. Keep an eye on the top, and if it starts to brown to quickly cover with aluminum foil. After an hour and a half, remove from the oven. Let cool for around 10 minutes, before removing the sides of the pan- make sure to go around the edges with a butter knife first, in case any filling leaked and is sticking to the sides. Let it cool fully- or at least for an hour, if you’re impatient- before serving.
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