Description
These Strawberry Hand Pies feature a flaky pie dough filled with a luscious roasted strawberry filling infused with vanilla and lemon. Perfect as a handheld dessert or snack, these pies combine the sweetness of fresh strawberries with a crisp, buttery crust for a delightful treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Flaky Pie Dough:
- 3–1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (400 grams)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (18 grams)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (25 grams)
- 2 cups unsalted butter, cold (454 grams, 82% butter fat recommended)
- 1/2 cup ice cold water
Roasted Strawberries:
- 8 cups fresh strawberries, sliced (1075 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1/2 vanilla bean (optional)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Hand Pies:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon milk or cream
- Turbinado (raw cane) sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Make the Pie Dough: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to flatten the butter pieces to about quarter size until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Gradually add about 4 tablespoons of ice cold water, folding it in gently with a wooden spoon to form a shaggy dough. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed. Smear the dough up the sides of the bowl, fold over, and pour onto a floured surface. Roll into a 10×8 inch rectangle, then perform a letter fold using a bench scraper. Repeat rolling and folding two more times. Divide dough into two pieces, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 45 minutes.
- Prepare Strawberry Filling: Preheat oven to 425°F for 15 minutes. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise on the matte side without cutting through completely. Scrape out the seeds and mix them into 1/2 cup of sugar. In a large bowl, combine strawberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, 1/2 cup vanilla sugar, and salt. Spread evenly on a half-sheet pan and roast in the oven, stirring every 10 minutes. After 15 minutes, taste and add more sugar 1/4 cup at a time until the syrup thickens and bubbles on the edges. Remove from oven and scrape into a bowl. Cool to room temperature before use. Refrigerate up to two weeks if not using immediately.
- Assemble the Hand Pies: Remove half the dough from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes if chilled overnight. Whisk the egg and milk together for egg wash. Roll dough to about 1/2 inch thickness and cut into circles slightly larger than 4-inch cookie cutter, each weighing about 55 grams. Re-roll scraps after chilling 20 minutes for additional pies. Place 1 tablespoon strawberry filling in center, brush half the circle with egg wash, fold over and press edges to seal with fork. Arrange on a lightly floured tray and chill at least 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake the Hand Pies: Preheat oven to 375°F. Transfer chilled pies to parchment-lined sheet tray. Brush with egg wash, cut three slits on top, and sprinkle heavily with raw sugar. Bake for 20 minutes until edges are lightly browned and pies rise slightly. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or cooled.
- Store the Hand Pies: Keep pies at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Rewarm in oven at 300°F until warm to touch, not hot.
Notes
- This recipe was adapted from Bake from Scratch magazine.
- Unbaked hand pies can be frozen for up to 2 months by freezing on a sheet tray for 24 hours, then storing in a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen, brushing with egg wash and sprinkling sugar before baking.
- Save leftover vanilla bean pods in your sugar container to infuse vanilla flavor over time.
- Use cold butter and ice cold water to achieve the best flaky dough texture.
- Adjust sugar in filling after roasting according to berry sweetness.
