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Flaky sourdough apple hand pies on a red and green plaid cloth.
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Sourdough Apple Hand Pies

By: Brandon Cochran
These incredibly flaky Sourdough Apple Hand Pies are made with a sourdough discard cinnamon pie crust and filled with a spiced apple pie filling. They're perfect grab-and-go hand pies like apple turnovers.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time28 minutes
Chilling Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 58 minutes
Yield or Serving: 14 Hand Pies

Equipment

Ingredients

Flaky Sourdough Cinnamon Pie Dough

Apple Hand Pie Filling

Instructions

Make the Sourdough Cinnamon Pie Dough

  • Toss the flour, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingers to smash into pea-sized pieces.
    Pour in the sourdough discard and toss with a fork until clumps form. Drizzle in the ice water and continue to toss until you have large clumps with craggily bits.
    320 g All-purpose flour, ½ tsp Kosher Salt, 2 TBS Granulated Sugar, 226 g Unsalted Butter, 200 g Sourdough Discard, 70 g Ice Water, 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • Dump the shaggy, dry dough out onto a clean work surface and use a bench scraper to chop the dough to distribute the liquid. Knead gently with your hands to bring the dough together until you have a cohesive, but still dry round.
    Divide the dough in quarters with your bench scraper, then stack the layers on top of each other and press down back into a disc. Repeat this lamination process twice more (this will result in lots of flaky layers).
    Finally, divide the dough in half with the bench scraper and flatten each half into a thin disc and wrap in plastic wrap to chill for 2 hours and up to 3 days or freeze ahead of time.

Cook the Apple Hand Pie Filling

  • Peel, core, and chop the apples to ½" pieces and add them to a large skillet.
    Mix in the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, unsalted butter, and flour to completely coat the apples.
    3 Apples, 100 g Granulated Sugar, 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon, 2 TBS Lemon Juice, 2 TBS All-purpose Flour, 2 TBS Unsalted Butter
  • Cook the filling over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until the apples are fork-tender, 5-10 minutes depending on the ripeness and type of apples you use.
    Remove from the heat and cool.

Assemble and Bake

  • Remove one of the chilled pie dough discs from the refrigerator and rest for 5 minutes at room temperature to become pliable.
    On a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a thin slab and use a floured 4.5-5" cookie cutter to cut out rounds. Re-roll the scraps and repeat.
    Refrigerate the rounds on a large plate or baking sheet while you roll out the second dough.
  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC), line sheet pans with parchment paper, and beat an egg with a splash of water in a small bowl to make the egg wash.
    Place the chilled rounds on the lined pans and brush a light egg wash around the edges of the rounds to help the crusts seal (reserve the rest for baking).
    Dollop 2 TBS of cooled apple pie filling to the centers, fold the rounds in half to create half moons, and seal the edges with the tines of a fork. Cut a couple slits into the tops to release steam.
    Freeze the apple hand pies for at least 15 minutes while your oven preheats.
    1 Egg, 2 TBS Raw Sugar
  • Before baking, brush the tops of the hand pies with more egg wash and sprinkle raw sugar on top.
    Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the hand pies are flaky and dark golden brown, with some juices bubbling.
    Let the hand pies cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Follow my guide above for more detailed instructions, tips, and photos to make these flaky sourdough apple hand pies.
  • You can make and chill the sourdough cinnamon pie dough from 2 hours to 3 days in advance (or freeze 3 months in advance) and refrigerate the apple pie filling up 4 days in advance.
  • Freeze unbaked hand pies until solid and then keep in a freezer-safe bag for 3 months. No need to thaw before baking.
  • Instead of classic rounds, you can cut out other designs or shapes like rectangles for the hand pies.
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