Pear Hand Pies
Leigh Ann Bozung
Lakeside Union School District
Lakeside, Calif.
Leigh Ann Bozung submitted this recipe in an annual canned pear contest for K-12 foodservice operators. The individual pies are convenient for kids to grab and go for dessert or snacking and offer a not-too-sweet alternative to sugary baked goods
Ingredients
Dough
1 lb. ultra-grain flour
4 oz. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz. unsalted butter
4 oz. plain yogurt
4 oz. water
3 oz. eggs
Filling
1 can (29 oz.) pears in juice, diced and drained
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Egg wash (beat 1 egg and 2 tbsp. water)
6 tbsp. granulated sugar
Steps
1. For dough, measure flour, sugar and salt into bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. Add butter; pulse several times to cut it in. Add yogurt, water and egg; pulse until just moist.
2. Empty contents of food processor bowl out onto a sheet of plastic wrap; use it to bring the dough together and form into two or more disks. Wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
3. In clean food processor bowl, puree pears with brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth and not at all gritty. Fill pastry bag with pear filling and set aside.
4. Preheat conventional oven to 375 F or 350 F for convection oven. Roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. With 3-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, stamp out 56 circles.
5. Brush each dough disk with egg wash and pipe about 1/2 tablespoon of filling in centers. Fold dough over to make a half moon; press down with fingertips or tines of a fork to seal.
6. Place hand pies on parchment-lined baking sheet, lightly brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Photo courtesy of Pacific Northwest Canned Pears