Strawberry Hand Pies

Do you have unexpected guests coming over?  Would you like to serve them something home-baked and right out of the oven?  If you like strawberries and pie, this recipe is the perfect choice. What I really like about this recipe for strawberry hand pies is that it can be made in about 20 minutes using pre-made pie crust out of the fridge and a jar of homemade strawberry jam.  If you want to make your own crust, you can use this great pie crust recipe.  To make these I used a round disk dough cutter I picked up at an Italian store for about $7.00 or $8.00, but any round disk will work.  You need a disk with about a 5 inch diameter. Try using a small saucer or a large circular cookie cutter.

Ingredients

Pre-made pie crust (not frozen) or follow the pie crust recipe below:

Pie Crust Ingredients

2 ½ cups cake and pastry flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup lard
½ cup cold unsalted butter
2 Tbsp white vinegar
¼ to ½ cup ice cold water

Filling Ingredients

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Topping Ingredients

1 egg white
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp Granular sugar 
1 tsp Cinnamon 

Directions

Pie Crust:

1. Mix flour and salt in mixer.  Cut butter and lard into ¼ to ½ inch cubes and add to mixer.  Process on low with the wire whip attachment until the mixture looks and feels mealy and the butter and lard is pea sized.  Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Mix vinegar and water together. Add 1 tbsp of water/ vinegar mixture at a time until the flour mixture is wet.   Stir with a fork until pastry comes together.

2. Pat into 2 balls.  Place in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Remove from refrigerator. 

PIE:

1. Flour countertop and rolling pin.  Roll out the pastry to a thickness of ¼ inch.  Using the cookie cutter, cut out circles in pairs (one for the top and one for the bottom).  

2. Place 1 tablespoon of jam in the centre of one disk.  Using your finger or a pastry brush, wet the entire outside perimeter of the dough with water.  Place a second disk on top of the jam filled disk. Press together and seal with a fork (or your fingers) all the way around the outside.  

3. Wisk together the egg white and 1 tablespoon water.  Brush on to the finished pastries with a pastry brush. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

4. Make a 1 inch cut in the centre of the top with a pair of scissors and then cut again at a 90° angle to the first cut.

5. Bake at 375°F oven for 15 minutes.

TIP: water requirements are based on humidity in your kitchen and the season of the year.  Air tends to be dryer in the winter, meaning more water is likely needed. In summer, when the air is more humid, less water will be needed.

TIP: pie crusts can be made ahead of time and frozen.  Follow the directions for pie crust. Roll out and place in aluminum pie plate.  Freeze individually. Once frozen, place a 6 inch square of parchment paper between pies and stack.  Place in plastic freezer bags. To use, remove from freezer.  Thaw for 20 minutes. Use 2 per pie when baking a double crust pie.