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Mini Strawberries Pies with Hand Pie Crust

Hand Pie Crust Recipe (for Homemade Mini Pies)

Julie Hession
The small amount of baking powder in this all-butter hand pie crust allows it to puff up during the baking process, creating extra space for the bubbly sweet or savory filling. Use it for baked hand pies, fried pies, or even pie pops.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 16 hand pies
5 from 6 votes
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Equipment

  • 1 food processor
  • 1 4 ½ to 5 inch round cutter (12.5 cm) (optional, see Notes)
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 pastry brush

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 7 oz cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • ⅔ cup cold buttermilk
  • 1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

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Instructions
 

Hand Pie Dough

  • In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to combine.
  • Scatter the butter overtop of the dry ingredients and pulse the processor several times, until the butter is the size of small peas.
  • Drizzle half of the buttermilk over the flour mixture and pulse 4 to 5 times to combine. Add more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) at a time, pulsing after each addition, just until the dough starts to hold together in moist clumps. You might not need all of the buttermilk.
  • Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap it tightly in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before proceeding.

Forming Hand Pies

  • Remove your dough from the refrigerator and unwrap it. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to slightly thicker the 1/16 inch (2mm.)
  • Using your round cutter (or your cutter of choice; see Notes), cut the dough into rounds and place them on baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing apart.
  • Place about 2 tablespoon (30 mL) of your filling in the center of each round. Be careful to not overfill your pie dough, so that the filling won't burst through the edges while baking.
  • Brush the edge of each round with egg wash and then fold the rounds in half, pressing all around the edges to seal.
  • Crimp the edges of the hand pie with the tines of a fork and then brush the tops with more egg wash (see Notes.) Freeze pies for 30 minutes.
  • When you are ready to bake, cut 2 or 3 slits in the top of each pie and bake as your recipe directs. I usually bake my hand pies at 375F for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms are deep golden brown, but it depends on the filling that you use and the size of the pie that you’ve made. If it is a fruit pie the filling should be bubbling through the slits.

Notes

  • I use a basic round cutter to cut out most of my hand pies, but a variety of shapes and sizes can be used, from squares and rectangles to seasonal shapes like hearts.
  • .If you are frying the pies, no egg wash is needed before the baking/cooking process.  Egg wash is only used for baking pies. 

Nutrition

Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
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