Sweet Dough For Pies Recipes

HAND PIES RECIPE

Steps:

• Place flour, salt, and cold butter pieces into the bowl of your stand mixer and blend on low until mixture resembles coarse sand.
• Add in your egg and just enough water to bring the mixture together
• Press into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for one hour.
• Prepare your fresh fruit by chopping into small cubes (if needed) or use frozen fruit. No need to defrost.
• Place your fruit and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and bubbling.
• Add in your water (or juice), sugar, lemon juice, and salt and mix until combined. Bring to a simmer.
• Combine your ClearGel with your water and whisk to make a slurry. Pour into your simmering mixture and mix for 1-2 minutes to cook the gel. If you're using cornstarch, you only need to cook until it's clear.
• Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.
• Preheat your oven to 400ºF and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper
• Let your dough stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to let it soften a bit
• Dust your surface with flour. Begin by pressing your dough with your rolling pin to start flattening it.
• Roll your dough out to 1/8 thick or about the thickness of a cake board. Thinner than you think. Thinner dough results in a crisper, crunchier crust for your hand pies.
• Cut your dough into 6" circles. I used a 6" cake board as a template or you can use a 5" circle cutter if you want smaller hand pies.
• Fill your 6" hand pie with 3 tablespoons of fruit filling (5" circles take 1 heaping Tablespoon). Do not overfill.
• Brush the outside edge with egg wash (one egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of cold water)
• Fold the hand pie over and crimp with a fork to seal well
• Use a knife or fork to make some vents on top
• Brush the hand pies with more egg wash and place them onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Chill for 20 minutes.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. They should be golden brown and the filling will just be starting to bubble.
• Let your hand pies cool for 10 minutes.
• While your hand pies are cooling, make your glaze. Just whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until smooth.
• Use a pastry brush to brush the thin glaze over the hand pies and enjoy!
• These hand pies taste best the day they are baked but will last for three days in an airtight container in the fridge or frozen for up to 2 months.

MASTER SWEET DOUGH RECIPE

Steps:

• Warm milk to 110ºF. Add in 1 Tablespoon of your sugar and then the yeast and whisk to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes.
• Add your flour to your mixing bowl and then add in your milk/yeast mixture. Stir on low to combine
• While mixing on low, add in your sugar, eggs, butter and salt until combined
• Increase the speed to medium and let mix until the dough cleans the sides of the bowls and feels elastic and smooth. The dough should bounce back when you touch it with your finger. This can take 8 - 12 minutes *do the window test - see blog post for details*
• Shape the dough into a smooth ball and then place it into a greased bowl. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 90 minutes in a warm place ***optional***(I pre-heat my oven to 170ºF for five minutes then TURN THE OVEN OFF. It should be barely warm inside. Place a bowl of warm water in the back of the oven and your covered bowl of dough into the oven and shut the door)
• You can now shape the dough into rolls, make cinnamon rolls, sticky buns etc. See the blog post above for links to other recipes.

BASIC PIE DOUGH FOR APPLE PIE

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
• Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time). To help ensure a flaky crust, do not overprocess.
• Transfer half of dough (still crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days). Repeat with remaining dough. Makes 2 disks.

CAJUN SWEET DOUGH

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat the butter, then add the sugar a little at a time. Add the vanilla. Beat the mixture until it is nice and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with the milk.
• Before you use this dough, be sure you chill it well at least 2 hours or even overnight.
• To make turnovers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 3 inch squares. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the pie filling into the center of each square and fold over to form a triangle. Pinch the seams to seal or press with the tines of a fork. Place at least 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Brush with egg white.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the tops and bottom.

BASIC SWEET DOUGH

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk, butter and water to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add egg and remaining flour; beat until smooth. Shape into a ball. Do not knead. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Use for Braided Coffee Cake or Coffee Cake Ring.

SWEET DOUGH CRUST (FOR TARTS AND INDIVIDUAL PIES)

Steps:

• Dough:.
• In mixing bowl beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs and whichever flavorings you choose, mixing well.
• Combine baking powder and flour and slowly add to butter mixture beating until combined.
• Divide dough into two discs and wrap in waxed paper.
• Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Remove one disc at a time and roll between two sheets of waxed paper until 1/8" thick.
• Cut 4" circles from dough.
• Place one heaping tablespoon of filling slightly off center in the top half of the dough circle.
• Fold over to create a semi-circle and gently press dough together to seal.
• Crimp edges using the tines of a fork.
• Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until very lightly browned around edges.
• Cool on wire rack.
• Fillings:.
• Whichever filling you decide to use the steps are basically the same.
• Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and water.
• Cook over low heat for about 30 to 45 minutes.
• Combine cornstarch in cold water and add to filling mixture.
• Bring to a boil and cook 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened.

BASIC SWEET PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening. Rub the fats between your fingertips and thumbs, or use a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. One tablespoon at a time, work in enough ice water just until the dough comes together, being careful not to over mix.
• Shape into a smooth ball of dough, flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to two days.

SWEET DOUGH FOR PIES

Steps:

• To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium
• mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut butter into 1 tablespoon pieces and add to dry ingredients. Toss once or twice to coat pieces of butter. Then using your hands or a pastry blender, break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients. Occasionally reach down to the bottom of the bowl and mix all the ingredients evenly together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse ground corn meal and no large pieces of butter remain visible.
• Beat the egg(s) in a small bowl and pour over the flour and butter mixture. Stir in with a fork until the dough begins to hold together, but still appears somewhat dry. Scatter a teaspoon of flour on the work surface and scrape the dough out onto it. Press and knead the dough quickly 3 or 4 times, until it is smooth and uniform.
• To mix the dough in the food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in work bowl fitted with metal blade. Pulse 3 times at 1second intervals to mix. Cut butter into 1tablespoon pieces and add to work bowl. Process, pulsing repeatedly at 1second intervals, until the mixture is fine and powdery, resembles a coarse ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible, about 15 pulses in all.
• Add the egg(s) to the work bowl and pulse ten times or so, until the dough forms a ball.
• Scatter a teaspoon of flour on the work surface and scrape the dough out onto it. Press and knead the dough quickly 3 or 4 times, until it is smooth and uniform.
• Press the dough into a disk (two equal disks for the larger amount of dough). Sandwich the disk(s) of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 6 inch circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are ready to use it, at least 1 hour.
• Storage: Keep the dough in the refrigerator up to two days, or freeze it doublewrapped in plastic. Because the dough is thin, it will defrost quickly at room temperature when you intend to use it.
• Variations:
• SPICE CRUST:
• Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon each freshly grated nutmeg and ground cloves to the dry ingredients before mixing in the butter. Double the quantities for the 2 crust recipe.
• COCOA DOUGH:
• Add 2 tablespoons sifted non alkalized cocoa powder to the dry ingredients before mixing in the butter. Double the quantities for the 2 crust recipe. If the dough seems dry after adding egg(s), add a teaspoon or two of water, no more.

LEMON CAJUN SWEET DOUGH PIES

Steps:

• Make sweet dough:
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in milk and vanilla (batter will appear curdled). With mixer on low speed beat in flour mixture, a little at a time, until it forms a dough. Halve dough and form each piece into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 3 hours.
• Cut twenty-four 6-inch squares of wax paper. Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into 12-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Cut out 6 rounds with a 5-inch round cutter, sandwiching each round between 2 squares of wax paper, and stack on a baking sheet. If dough becomes to soft to work with, transfer it to a baking sheet and chill until firm. Roll out and cut remaining piece of dough in same manner, sandwiching rounds between remaining squares of wax paper, and stack on baking sheet. Chill rounds until firm and wrap each stack carefully with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Dough may be made 1 day ahead and chilled.
• Make filling:
• In a heavy saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt and gradually whisk in water and milk until cornstarch is dissolved. In a bowl whisk together yolks. Cook milk mixture over moderate heat, whisking, until it comes to a boil. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into yolks and whisk yolk mixture into remaining hot milk mixture. Bring custard to a slow boil, whisking, 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, lemon juice, and zest until butter is melted. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Do not stir filling or it will break down.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and lightly butter 2 baking sheets.
• Discard top square of wax paper from 1 dough round and spoon 1 tablespoon filling onto center of round. Using wax paper fold dough over to form a half circle, enclosing filling, and press edges together lightly. Transfer pie to baking sheet, discarding paper, and crimp edge with a fork. Prick pie with fork once. Make 11 more pies with remaining dough rounds and filling.
• Bake pies in 2 batches in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until golden brown around edges (dough will crack open slightly), and transfer to racks to cool. Pies may be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Serve pies chilled or at room temperature (do not let pies stand more than 30 minutes at room temperature).