Apple Hand Pies

I first made the hand pie recipe from the Sarah Owens Sourdough cookbook but then just preferred the standard pie dough I usually make. Also for flavoring I like just sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, and a pinch of salt. I use a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter but slightly bigger like 3 inches may be better. The crust is really the star since only a few pieces of apple fit in the pastry. I really like eating the extra pie filling plain.

Ingredients

Pie Dough

• 300g (2 1/2c) ap flour
• 2g (1/2t) kosher salt
• 1T granulated sugar
• 113g 8T (1 stick) unsalted flour
• 113g vegetable shortening
• 60-70g ice cold water

  Filling

• 2-3 large apples, peeled, the quarted then slice into about 1/2 inch chunks
• add 1/2 lemon zest and squeeze juice over apples
• 3T sugar (to taste)
• 2t cinnamon
• 1/2t salt
• 2T butter
• 1 egg yolk
• splash of milk

Steps

previous day

• mix flour, salt, sugar
• keep butter cold, slice into 1/2 inch chunks
• add to flour coating with flour
• break apart shortening into small pieces and add the flour mixture
• with hands break apart butter and shortening chunks until resembles coarse pebbles or sand
• add 60g water
• keep adding small amount of water until dough comes together in a ball
• wrap ball in saran wrap and flatten to a disk about 1-2 inches thick
• put in plate in fridge at least 2 hours or up to 3 days

  making pies

• peel and slice apples
• add lemon juice and zest
• add sugar, cinnamon, salt
• adjust to preferred taste
• in saute pan heat butter until melted
• add apple mixture and cook until breaks down a bit about 5-10m and juice starts to thicken
• preheat oven to 425
• roll out die until about 1/4 inch thick, flour heavily to avoid sticking
• with a round pastry cutter make disks
• add a small spoonful of cooked mixture into center of crust disk

apple hand pie dough

• take another disk and press over apple with bottom

apple hand assembling

• repeat, makes about 15 hand pies
• gently press fork around edge of each pie
• mix the egg, milk and brush tops
• can add extra sugar over top

apple hands prepared

• bake for 35-40m until tops turn golden brown