INGREDIENTS
DOUGH
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup cold sour cream
FILLING
2 cups blueberries, raspberries, apples or strawberries, fresh
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup white or cane sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
TOPPING
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons (25g) white sparkling sugar, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make the pastry: Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter, and with pastry blender or fork to smush butter into flour, working it in to make a crumbly mix.
Add sour cream, and mix until the mixture starts to come together in chunks. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads. We need to keep the dough and butter cold. So don’t over knead it.
Pat the dough into a rough log, and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle. Dust both sides of the dough with flour. Then fold the dough like a blanket (folding it into three). Roll it again into a 8” x 10” rectangle.
Fold it in three again and then wrap it and refrigerate it for 15-30 min.
FILLING: If you're using fresh berries, put them in saucepan with cornstarch and sugar. Mix well. Add the salt and lemon juice, stirring to combine.
Place the saucepan on a burner set to medium-high heat and cook, stirring. When the berries begin to simmer reduce to medium heat and continue to cook. The mixture will start to thicken and the liquid will look like syrup. Turn heat off and let the berries cool.
Roll the dough into a square. Using a soup bowl or a 5 inch round cutter, cut out circles and place them on the parchment paper. Gather dough and roll it out again to make as many rounds as you can.
Divide the filling among the circles, placing the filling in the middle and spreading it slightly in the middle. Do not over stuff your hand pies. Do not put more than a tablespoon of filling in each. Beat an egg in a bowl and brush the edges of half of each circle with the egg. Fold over the dough and seal the edges with your fingers. Use points of a fork to crimp the edges if you want a little extra sealing.
Using a small knife, cut a vent into each hand pie.
Brush the top of each pie with the leftover beaten egg, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake the pies for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. Then let them cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.