THESE AREN’T HOT POCKETS, THEY’RE TASTY HAND PIES
Versatile, freezable hand pies give you room for creativity
Hand pie: Why?
Why bother making something relatively labor-intensive, at a time when the mountains are calling, to-do lists are stacking up, leaves need raking, and cars need winterizing?
Because hand pies are to sandwiches what preserves are to fruit. They’re freezable, artful, versatile and, unlike preserves, portable. There’s just something about eating a thing that took work and thought to create, even if that work and thought was all yours. It’s better, of course, if the work and thought — and let’s be honest, love — was collective. Make no mistake, they’re a bit of work to put together. But if you turn that work into a party, eating a humble hand pie, microwaved out of the freezer weeks later, is as good as a great big hug from a friend.
Hand pies are also modular. You can try varieties of crusts; you can fill them with meat, vegetables, cheese. Pork and applesauce. Chicken and onions. Sloppy Joe filling. Sausage and potatoes. Mushrooms and leeks. Once you’ve made a basic batch, a whole world opens up. Glutenfree or paleo crust. Dessert hand pies. And from there, it’s a slippery slope into the world of dumplings and pierogi and potstickers.
Hungry yet?
If you’ve stayed away from anything that involved rolling dough until now, your best strategy is to find a friend who has made piecrust, or at least cookies, and ask for an evening of his or her time. That’s because there are some tools and tricks you’ll need.
Tools
• A rolling pin. Yeah, I know, duh. There are a lot of varieties to choose from. You don’t need marble or glass; you’re not making croissants or puff pastry. You just need a cylinder of consistent-diameter wood (save your tapered rolling pin for other uses).
• A wood or marble surface or, better still, a silicone rolling mat. Or lots of baking parchment on which to roll out your dough. Some of the rolling mats sold today are marked with circles and diameters, which is helpful.
• A large (6 inches at least) empanada mold. This will make shaping and sealing your hand pies go much faster.
• A food processor and plastic dough blade. This makes cutting the butter into your flour mixture fast and easy.
• A crimper. You can get these to trim the edges of hand-formed hand pies and seal them with a pretty edge. Or, as we did, you can just use a fork and a sharp knife.
• Sheet pans. You can use a cookie sheet, but you’ll likely be moving fast, twirling from dough surface to refrigerator, and the edges of a sheet pan will prevent a load of beautifully formed hand pies from becoming airborne as you do. This becomes more important if you’re having wine while you bake.
• Silpat, baking pan liner or parchment. These ensure that your beautifully made pies won’t stick.
• Pastry brush. You’ll be brushing the top of each hand pie with an egg wash. Egg wash can also be used to seal the edges of glutenfree dough (ice water works for regular dough).
• Offset spatula. This tool helps you scoop hand pies off of the rolling mat and gather up dough scraps to re-roll.
• Sharp paring knife. For trimming edges and cutting vents in pies.
Tricks
• Work with cold ingredients and make some flat space in your refrigerator. As you build the hand pies, you’ll be transferring them onto the pan on which you’ll cook them.
• Have a small glass of mostly ice and a little water handy for dipping your fingers in as you work dough or seal pies.
• Make sure your fillings are cooked (if they’re meat) but chilled. Hot fillings will melt through your dough.
• Don’t overfill the pies; close that empanada mold slowly and gently. Otherwise, ingredients will bust out of the fold or squish out of the edges you’re trying to seal. For a 6-inch hand pie, 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling is plenty.
• Think pico de gallo, not salsa. You don’t want your ingredients too wet or too dry, and you want pieces no bigger than a marble.
• Layer ingredients: first dry(ish) and then wet. Also, remember which side of your pie is the top (which one has the cheese or sauce that you want to melt into the other ingredients).
• Don’t forget to vent your pie! Cut slashes or a series of holes with a fork. Decide in advance how you’ll mark the pies if you’re using different doughs or fillings. We found that trying to make letters was tricky; geometric shapes or patterns are nicer. If you’re just trying different doughs, add paprika or turmeric to one so that you know which is which.
• Chill the pies before baking. This leads to a tender, flaky crust no matter what kind of dough you’re using.
To reheat pies: First, if frozen, thaw. In the microwave, wrap a single pie in a paper or cloth towel to retain steam. Microwave at about half power for 60 to 90 seconds. In the oven: Preheat oven to 200 and warm for about 20 minutes. In the skillet: Place in a nonstick skillet over low heat and cover; warm through, watching carefully, for 5 to 10 minutes.
Go-To Pie Dough
Adapted from “Dinner Pies,” by Ken Haedrich. Makes 6 hand pies
Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted
butter, cut into ½-inch cubes) 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (if unavailable, add 2 tablespoons butter)
1½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for
dusting rolling surface)
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white vinegar
Scant L cup ice-cold water
Directions
Put the butter and shortening in a flour-dusted plate and chill for at least 30 minutes. Combine flour and salt in a bowl and chill as well. Add ice to a 1-cup glass measuring cup and add enough cold water to just cover. Refrigerate.
Add flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
Scatter about M of the frozen butter over the flour mixture. Pulse 3 to 4 times to break up the butter. Add the remaining butter and shortening; pulse again. Using a tablespoon at a time, add the ice-cold water through the tube, pulsing after each addition. Do not overmix; butter pieces should be visible and about the size of peas to result in the flakiest crust.) Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it gently so that it just forms into a disk.
Lightly flour your work surface. Roll dough out into a 16x7-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds, like a book, making three layers The dough will break during this folding process, and that’s fine; it’s supposed to.
Turn dough so the long seam side is facing you and roll out again. Fold the dough into thirds once again, working from right to left. Repeat this process once more, so that you’ve rolled and folded three times. Don’t skip this rolling and folding process; it’s very important for achieving a flaky crust. Divide the dough into six equal portions; pat into discs about 3 inches in diameter.
Wrap the dough discs in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 10 minutes.
Gluten-free hand pie dough
Bob’s Red Mill makes two glutenfree flours. The 1-for-1 flour in the blue bag is the one you want (you’ll see pies listed on the label). Makes 6 pies.
Ingredients
1½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1to-1 Baking Flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into K-inch
cubes and frozen
¼ cup ice-cold water, as needed
Directions
Add the flour and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
Scatter frozen butter over the flour mixture. Pulse 3 to 4 times to break up the butter. Using a tablespoon at a time, add the ice-cold water through the tube, pulsing after each addition. Do not overmix; butter pieces should be visible and about the size of peas to result in the flakiest crust.) Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it gently so that it just forms into a disk.
Lightly flour your work surface. Roll dough out into a 16x7-inch rectangle. Fold into thirds, like a book, making three layers The dough will break during this folding process, and that’s fine; it’s supposed to.
Turn dough so the long seam side is facing you and roll out again. Fold the dough into thirds once again, working from right to left. Repeat this process once more, so that you’ve rolled and folded three times. Don’t skip this rolling and folding process; it’s very important for achieving a flaky crust. Divide the dough into six equal portions; pat into discs about 3 inches in diameter.
Wrap the dough discs in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 10 minutes.
Poached salmon and cream cheese hand pies
Try these for breakfast. You can eat them on the run, but they’re better if you savor them, sitting down with a knife and fork. Makes 8 pies.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon avocado oil
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1 to 2 tablespoons capers
Salt to taste
2 6-ounce fillets of poached, chilled
salmon
3 ounces cream cheese, cold
1 recipe hand pie crust, divided into 6
thick discs and chilled
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk or half-and-half
Directions
In a medium-size skillet, heat the avocado oil. Add the cabbage and heat gently until limp and translucent. Add capers and some of the caper brine; taste and add salt if needed. Remove from heat and set aside. Flake the salmon fillets; cut the cream cheese into 1- by-2-inch slices not quite ¼ inch thick.
Remove enough dough for one hand pie from refrigerator. Warm in your hands until just soft enough to roll out. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll into a 7-inch circle, about 3/16 inch thick. Place in empanada mold, gently tucking dough into the cavity so that it touches the surface all the way around.
Add two heaping tablespoons of the cabbage mixture, a heaping tablespoon of the flaked salmon, and one of the slices of cream cheese. With a fork, pat the filling slightly to remove air pockets. With your fingers or a clean pastry brush, wet the edges of the dough with ice-cold water. Slowly and gently, close the empanada mold. Once it is closed successfully, trim any extra dough from around the edges and press the edges tightly to seal.
Remembering which side is the top (the cream cheese side), vent the top of the pie with a sharp knife, making three 1-inch slashes (or some other pattern of vents). Place on top of a baking-mat or parchment-lined sheet pan in the refrigerator. Repeat for the remaining dough and filling ingredients.
When the last hand pie is made, continue to chill for a half-hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and beat 1 egg with milk or half and half; set aside in refrigerator. When pies are fully chilled and oven is heated, remove pan of pies from refrigerator; brush tops and sides with egg wash.
Bake for 20 minutes and check for doneness; pies are done when they are golden brown in the middle (edges will be browner).
Home-Grown Caprese Pie
This pie uses home-grown Roma tomatoes, roasted in the oven and skinned, but you can use any roasted tomato as long as seeds, skins, and a good bit of the water are removed. Makes 6 pies.
Ingredients
1 medium or 2 small, young zucchini, sliced thin or shredded 1 tablespoon salt
1 recipe hand-pie crust dough, divided into six small discs and chilled
12 oven-roasted paste tomato halves, skins removed, or 2 cans tomato paste
3 ounces goat cheese
About 18 fresh basil leaves or ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk or half-and-half
Directions
Slice the zucchini again into halfmoon shapes. Spread out on a plate or in a shallow colander; sprinkle with salt and set aside to let the juices run out for 1 to 2 hours; pat dry. Or shred the zucchini in a food processor, add the salt, then wring it dry in a clean dishtowel.
Remove one disc of crust dough. Warm in your hands until just soft enough to roll out. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll into a 7-inch circle, about 3/16 inch thick. Place in empanada mold, gently tucking dough into the cavity so that it touches the surface all the way around.
Layer two roasted tomato halves, 2 tablespoons of the zucchini, a scant 2 tablespoons of goat cheese, in the empanada mold. Add three fresh basil leaves. With a fork, pat the filling slightly to remove air pockets. With your fingers or a clean pastry brush, wet the edges of the dough with icecold water. Slowly and gently, close the empanada mold. Once it is closed successfully, trim any extra dough from around the edges and press the edges tightly to seal.
Remembering which side is the top (the goat cheese side), vent the top of the pie with a sharp knife, making three “T” shapes (or some other pattern of vents) through the dough to the filling. Place on top of a baking-mat or parchment-lined sheet pan in the refrigerator. Repeat for the remaining dough and filling ingredients.
When the last hand pie is made, continue to chill for a half-hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and beat 1 egg with milk or half and half; set aside in refrigerator. When pies are fully chilled and oven is heated, remove pan of pies from refrigerator; brush tops and sides with egg wash.
Bake for 20 minutes and check for doneness; pies are done when they are golden brown in the middle (edges will be browner).
Cowboy Hand Pies
These were the surprise success of our hand pie evening. Makes at least 6 pies.
Ingredients
½ cup cooked sweet corn with juice ¼ cup canned black beans, rinsed 1 tablespoon shredded parmesan
cheese
½ roasted red bell pepper, finely diced 1 tablespoon half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup prepared ketchup
½ teaspoon or more barbecue dry rub
(recipe below)
1 recipe hand pie crust dough (recipes
above), chilled in six thick discs
1 cup finely chopped roasted chicken (preferably roasted in the crockpot with the dry rub recipe below)
Directions
Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste; set aside. Combine ketchup and dry rub; taste and add more dry rub if desired.
Remove one disc of crust dough. Warm in your hands until just soft enough to roll out. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll into a 7-inch circle, about 3/16 inch thick. Place in empanada mold, gently tucking dough into the cavity so that it touches the surface all the way around.
Add about 2 tablespoons of chicken and 1 heaping tablespoon of the corn mixture. Top with 2 teaspoons of the spiced ketchup. With your fingers or a clean pastry brush, wet the edges of the dough with ice-cold water. Slowly and gently, close the empanada mold. Once it is closed successfully, trim any extra dough from around the edges and press the edges tightly to seal. If making a free-form pie, wet the edges in the same way, then gently fold the unfilled half over the filled half. Press a fork into the edges to seal; trim the edges to be tidier, if desired, with a sharp knife.
Vent the pie with a sharp knife, making three “C” shapes (or some other pattern of vents) through the dough to the filling. Place on top of a baking-mat or parchment-lined sheet pan in the refrigerator. Repeat for the remaining dough and filling ingredients.
When the last hand pie is made, continue to chill for a half-hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and beat 1 egg with milk or half and half; set aside in refrigerator. When pies are fully chilled and oven is heated, remove pan of pies from refrigerator; brush tops and sides with egg wash.
Bake for 20 minutes and check for doneness; pies are done when they are golden brown in the middle (edges will be browner).
Barbecue dry rub
Adapted from Danielle Walkers, “Against All Grain.”
Makes about 1 cup.
Ingredients
L cup brown sugar or coconut crystals ¼ cup paprika
¼ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt 1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin ¾ teaspoons cracked black pepper ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
Combine all ingredients. Store tightly sealed; keeps for about 3 months.