Welcome to our July Bakealong Challenge. Each month, we’ll announce a new recipe for you to try, along with helpful tips and step-by-step instructions here on our blog. We invite you to bake this month’s recipe, Blueberry Hand Pies, then share a photo of your creation, tagging it #bakealong. Have you ever baked a pie? I hope so! There’s nothing quite so brag-worthy (and delicious, of course) as a beautiful home-baked pie. But once you cut into it and start serving, with the perfect amount of thickening in the filling, and a bit of luck, you can cut Instagram-worth slices. But one wrong move, and you have disaster on a plate.

So what’s a hand pie? Think of it as a turnover with four sides. Rather than the traditional rectangle of classic pie crust pastry topped with filling and folded into a triangle, a hand pie has the filling tucked inside a square packet of pastry. It’s easy to pack and tote to a picnic or potluck, and looks pretty on a plate. Blueberry Hand Pies feature a rich, easy-to-make crust, tender and flavorful thanks to both butter and sour cream. The filling is simplicity itself: blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice, with a bit of thickener. With fresh blueberries flooding the market right now, hand pies are the sweetest little single-serve dessert you could ever put together.

BLEUBERRY HAND PIES

Ingredients:

For the Pastry

241g all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon kitchen salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

227g cold unsalted butter

113g sour cream

For the Blueberry Filling

2 cups blueberries

14g cornstarch

67g white caster sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

14g lemon juice

For the Topping

1 large egg, beaten

25g white sparkling sugar

Method:

  • Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add butter, working it in to make a crumbly mixture.

  • Leave butter in large, pea-sized pieces. Add sour cream and stir until mixture starts to come together.

  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads.

  • Pat into a rough log, and roll into 8-inch x 10-inch rectangle. Dust both sides of the dough with flour.

  • Starting with a shorter end, fold it into three like a business letter. Flip dough over, give it a 90° turn.

  • Roll it again into 8-inch x 10-inch rectangle. Fold it in three again. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.

  • To make the filling, place fresh or frozen berries into a saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch with the sugar.

  • Pour it over berries. Add salt and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Place saucepan over medium heat.

  • Cook blueberries, stirring, until the small amount of liquid in the bottom of pan comes to a simmer.

  • Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture starts to thicken.

  • Transfer the cooked berries to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

  • To assemble the hand pies, roll the dough into 14-inch x 14-inch square on a lightly floured surface.

  • With a straight edge and a pastry wheel, or a 3 1/2-inch square cutter, cut out sixteen 3 1/2″ squares.

  • Divide the blueberry filling among eight of the squares, using about a heaping tablespoon for each.

  • Brush egg along the edges of each filled square. Cut a vent into each of the remaining eight squares.

  • Top each filled square with a vented square, and press along the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.

  • Brush each pie with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Transfer to prepared baking pan.

  • Bake pies for 18 to 20 minutes until they are light golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes before serving.

KAF July 2017 Challenge