Nashville chef and baker Lisa Donovan uses this master dough for all of her hand pie variations: Roasted Strawberry Hand Pies, Dried Apple Hand Pies, Lemon Thyme and Blackberry Hand Pies, and Spicy Green Tomato Jam Hand Pies.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups plus 3 tablespoons (337 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt
- 2 cups (454 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¼ to ½ cup (60 to 120 grams) ice water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Toss butter into dry ingredients, and break apart before beginning to work together. Work butter into dry ingredients with your hands, making buttery flakes. You are looking to incorporate all the butter into the flour without overworking. If butter starts to feel warm, cool it off in the refrigerator at any time. Every piece of butter should be incorporated with some flour before you begin to add the water.
- To incorporate the water, start by drizzling ¼ cup (60 grams) cold water over flour and butter mixture. Using your hands, toss water into flour until it is fully absorbed. Continue adding water as needed until dough begins to form a ball. Once you feel your flour has become a dough and feels moist but not wet or sticky, give it a few strong kneads to work it all together. Your dough should be tacky and supple feeling, but not sticky or moist. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
