Hand Pie Dough
I love the idea of individual desserts, it makes everything so easy and your guests feel special, they each get their own little pie. This dough is sturdy enough, to use for crostatas and galettes, large and small. Give it a try; it works well with Granny Foster’s Fried Apple Pies (page 000) as a non-fried alternative.
Makes eight 6-inch hand pie
2 1//2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1//2 teaspoon kosher salt
1//2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
4 - 8 tablespoons ice cold water
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to mix.
Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a hand-held pastry blender until the butter is blended into the flour mixture and looks like coarse meal with small peas.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and 1//4 cup of the water. Pour the egg mixture around the edges of the flour mixture while working together with a fork until the dough begins to come together. Add more water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Do not over mix.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and with floured hands gently press until it comes together in a ball. Divide dough in half roll into two logs, wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or until ready to use up to 3 days. Divide each log into 4 even pieces. Roll each piece of dough, one at a time on a lightly floured surface into a round about 7-inches in diameter and 1//8- inch thick. Trim the edges to make a 6-inch circle. (If you are using this for individual crostatas you do not need to trim the edges, it can be more rustic). Place on a baking sheet, wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Proceed with the directions for the recipe.