Roasted Peach Hand Pies

The summer flew by this year, but I still had time to make these delicious Roasted Peach Hand Pies.  I was busy with projects and didn't do as much baking with fresh fruit that I normally do, but in late September peaches were still available at the farmer's market.  I grabbed a few pounds, made a peach cobbler and roasted the rest for a yet-to-be-determined baked good.  Roasting peaches produces fruit that holds its shape and a sweet, tart, peachy syrup that goes well with anything.  I discovered the goodness and deliciousness of roasted fruit last year and so far strawberries and peaches are one of my favorite.  Roasted fruit goes well with anything.  Once you try it I think you will agree.

The pie crust I use for this recipe has a high butter content and I discovered that folding it at least 3 times, similar to what you do for puff pastry, produces a flaky and butter hand pie.  I have been baking pies for two years and I have learned that I don't have a favorite pie crust.  The recipe I use depends on what I am baking.

How to Roast Peaches

Roasting peaches is not hard and the resulted are beyond delicious.  If you have a favorite stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, etc.) I recommend roasting them to use in your favorite dessert.

For the peaches I cut up them into chunks, mix them with sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and roast them at 400 degrees F.  I originally tried 425, but the sugar burns before the peaches are tender.  The sugar along with the peach juice caramelizes and since I leave the peach skins on the liquid has a beautiful orange-red color and the whole thing tastes wonderful.

Once the peaches are done, I pour the peaches and the syrup into a container, cool, then place in the refrigerator.  For the hand pies I want the ingredients cold so the pie dough doesn't become too soft when I am putting everything together.

Assembling the Hand Pies

The hand pies come together easily.   If you let the dough refrigerate overnight, let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes.  Letting it warm up a little makes it easier to roll out.

I use a 3.75 inch cutter.  You can easily use a 4-inch cutter and produce amount the same number of pies.   Place about a tablespoon or 1-1/2 tablespoons of filling in the center of one of the rounds, brush the edges with egg wash and then place the other round on top. Carefully stretch the top piece to the edges of the bottom piece and use fork times to crimp and seal the edges.

Sprinkle a sheet pan or board lightly with flour and place the completed hand pies on the pan and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  About 20 minutes before you're ready to bake preheat the oven.  Brush the tops of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle heavily with the cinnamon, sugar mixture.  Cut three slits or across the top of the pies.

Roasted Peach Hand Pies

These Roasted Peach Hand Pies are one of my favorite desserts.  I like everything about them from the flaky all-butter crust to the delicious peaches roasted to bring their natural sweetness.

4.43 from 7 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Chilling Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 16 pies

Author: Cheryl Norris

Ingredients

Pie Dough

• ▢ 2-3/4 cups (400 grams) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tbsp kosher salt
• ▢ 2 cups (454 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cubed (82% butter fat preferred)
• ▢ 1/2 cups ice water

Roasted Peaches

• ▢ 2 pounds (900 g) peaches
• ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 cup (200 grams) white sugar
• ▢ Lemon zest from one lemon

Sugar-Cinnamon Topping

• ▢ 3 Tbsp white sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Egg Wash

• ▢ 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

Pie Dough

• Add the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the cubed butter and use your fingers to smush the butter into flat pieces.  Continue smashing the butter until all of it is flattened and pieces are about the size of quarters.  The flour should look like coarse cornmeal.
  
• Add about 4 tablespoons of water initially and quickly fold it in with a wooden spoon to distribute the water.  The dough should appear shaggy.  If you need to add more water, add it one (1) tablespoon at a time until it appears shaggy (you may not need all of the water).  Keep the dough in the bowl and use your fingers or the palms of your hand to smear the dough up the sides of the bowl.
• Once you've done this all the way around the bowl. fold the dough over itself to pick up any dry bits from the bottom of the bowl.  Pour the dough onto a floured work surface (I use a wooden board). Press the dough into a rectangle, lightly flour the top and use a rolling pin and roll out to a rectangle, approximately, 10 x 8-inches.  Use a bench scraper to fold the dough into a letter fold.  Repeat the rectangle and the letter fold two more times.  Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.  The dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.
  

Roasted Peaches

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the peaches into small chunks, about 1/2-inch.  Please the peaches in a large bowl and add the lemon juice, the lemon zest and 1/2 cup sugar.  Line a metal sheet pan with parchment paper, pour the peaches onto the pan and place in the oven.  
  
• Roast the peaches for 15 minutes and then stir the peaches.  The peaches should begin the release their juices.  Roast for another 10 minutes and then taste the peaches and add 1/4 cup sugar if you want the peaches sweeter.  Roast the peaches for another 10-15 minutes, taste them and add another 1/4 cup sugar if you want them sweeter.  At the is point roast the peaches until the peach syrup begins to bubble.  When it begins to bubble, remove the peaches from the oven and scrape them into a heat-proof container to cool to room temperature.
•  The peaches can be roasted and can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.  The roasted peaches are not only good as a pie filling, but ice cream topping or an addition to your oatmeal.

Pie Assembly

• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half.  Leave one piece out and place the other half, wrapped in plastic back in the refrigerator.  If the dough has been in the refrigerator over night let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to make it easier to roll.
• NOTE: I use a 3.75 inch round cutter, but you can use a 4-inch cutter and still get 16 inch pies.
• Beat one whole egg in a small bowl and set aside.  The egg wash will be used to seal the individual pies.
• Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/8-inch.  Cut out the circles for the pies.  Gather up the scraps into a ball and then press into circles and set aside.   Place about 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of peach filling in the center of one circle.  Brush the edges of the dough circle with the egg wash using a  pastry brush, place a second dough circle on top and gently stretch it to meet the edges of the bottom circle.  Use a fork to seal the edges.
  
• Lightly flour a sheet tray or cutting board and place the pies on the sheet tray and chill for at least 30 minutes. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the remaining dough.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
• Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Remove the pies from the refrigerator and place on parchment lined baking tray.  Heavily sprinkle each pie with sugar cinnamon mixture and cut an X into the top of each pie.
  
• Bake the pies for approximately 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.  The pies should double in height. Remove the pies from the oven and place on cooling rack. The pies can be eaten warm or completely cooled to eat later.  

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