Hand Pies and Turnovers
Cooking Skills: Pastry 1
Chapter 7 · Hand Pies and Turnovers
Skill goal
Fill, fold and seal small pies so the filling stays inside and the pastry bakes crisp.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A hand pie is a small, portable pie. Its rules are the ones for big pies, made smaller: a cooled, thick filling, a wet edge for sealing, and an escape for steam. Because there is so much pastry compared with filling, the pastry matters: it should be firm enough to handle and not tear. Pastry with an egg yolk works well. Pasties filled with potatoes are in Cooking Skills: Potatoes 2, chapter 4.
Don't overfill. A level tablespoon or two in the centre of a 12 cm round is enough; the filling swells and bursts if it is pressed against the seam. Seal with water or egg wash, press the edge together firmly with your fingers, then crimp with a fork. Chill the shaped pies for 15 minutes before baking so the pastry sets and shrinks less.
The method
- Cook and cool the filling; it must be thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon.
- Cut the pastry to a standard size, with a cutter or a plate, and keep the offcuts for patching.
- Place the filling off-centre, brush the edge with water or beaten egg, and fold over.
- Press out the air, crimp the edge with a fork and cut a small vent in the top.
- Chill for 15 minutes, brush with egg and bake on a lined tray at 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6).
| Hand pie | Pastry | Filling | Time (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baked empanadas | Shortcrust with egg | Spiced beef and egg | 55 minutes |
| Jam turnovers | Puff | Jam | 30 minutes |
| Spinach and feta pie | Shortcrust | Spinach, feta, ricotta | 55 minutes |
| Samosa-style triangles | Shortcrust | Spiced potato and peas | 1 hour |
Hot oven, hot filling and raw meat
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Raw chicken and meat: keep raw meat on its own board and plate, wash hands, knives and boards in hot soapy water afterwards, and cook meat fillings right through (no pink, juices running clear) before they go under a pastry lid.
Steam from a hot pie: a pie keeps hot steam and boiling filling inside the crust. Rest it for 10 minutes before cutting, cut from the side with the pie held steady, and keep your face back when you break the lid.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Jam turnovers
The simplest hand pie: squares of puff pastry folded corner to corner over a spoonful of jam. A little cornflour in the jam stops it running out, and a vent stops it bursting.
Ingredients (8 turnovers)
- 2 sheets of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry (320 g each)
- 8 tsp thick jam
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Cut each sheet into 4 squares. Put 1 teaspoon of jam in the centre of each.
- Brush two adjacent edges with egg, fold the pastry corner to corner into a triangle, press the edges and seal with a fork. Cut a small vent.
- Brush with egg, sprinkle with sugar and bake on a lined tray for 15 to 18 minutes until puffed and golden. Cool for 10 minutes; the jam is very hot.
Hot jam and oven
Hot syrup and sugar: syrup and jam fillings become hotter than boiling water and stick to skin. Let a tart cool for 15 minutes before cutting, and take care with hot jam when eating tarts straight from the tin.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Level 2 · Spiced
Baked empanadas
Empanadas are the Latin American hand pie. The dough has an egg yolk so it holds; the filling is dry and spiced beef with hard-boiled egg. Cook the mince until no pink remains, drain, and cool completely before filling.
Ingredients (10 empanadas)
- 1 batch of plain shortcrust (chapter 1), with 1 egg yolk added
- 1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 250 g beef mince
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
- Cook the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, add the garlic, mince and spices and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until no pink remains and the mixture is dry. Stir in the chopped eggs and cool completely.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Roll the pastry to 3 mm and cut 10 rounds of 12 cm. Put a heaped tablespoon of filling on each, wet the edge, fold, press and crimp with a fork.
- Chill for 15 minutes, then brush with egg and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until deep golden.
Raw beef mince, hot oven and allergens
Raw chicken and meat: keep raw meat on its own board and plate, wash hands, knives and boards in hot soapy water afterwards, and cook meat fillings right through (no pink, juices running clear) before they go under a pastry lid.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Allergens: contains gluten, egg and milk.
Level 2 · Green
A spinach and feta pie
Spinach is almost all water, so squeeze it dry or the pastry will go soggy. Feta and ricotta give a creamy, salty filling. A little nutmeg lifts the spinach.
Ingredients (8 pies)
- 1 batch of plain shortcrust (chapter 1)
- 300 g frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed very dry
- 150 g feta, crumbled
- 100 g ricotta
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
- Mix the spinach, feta, ricotta, egg yolk, nutmeg and pepper. Taste: feta is salty, so check before adding salt.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6). Cut 8 rounds of 12 cm from the rolled pastry, add a heaped tablespoon of filling to each, wet the edges, fold, press and crimp.
- Chill for 15 minutes, glaze, vent and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
Hot oven and allergens
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Allergens: contains gluten, milk and egg.
Level 3 · Triangles
Samosa-style baked triangles
Real samosa pastry is a different dough, and filo is for Pastry 2. This version uses shortcrust and bakes the triangles, with a classic spiced potato and pea filling. Cut thinner rounds for easier folding.
Ingredients (12 triangles)
- 1 batch of plain shortcrust (chapter 1)
- 300 g potatoes, boiled and diced
- 100 g frozen peas
- 1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 tsp mild curry powder
- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
- Cook the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, add the ginger and curry powder for 1 minute, then the potatoes and peas. Mash lightly, season and cool completely.
- Roll the pastry to 3 mm and cut 12 cm rounds, then cut each in half. Wet the straight edge, fold into a cone, fill with a spoonful, wet the open edge and press to seal into a triangle.
- Chill 15 minutes, brush with egg and bake at 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6) for 20 to 25 minutes until deep golden.
Burning spices, hot oven and allergens
Burning spices: ground spices burn in seconds in a hot pan and turn bitter. Lower the heat before adding them, stir constantly and add a splash of water or the next ingredient if they start to catch.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk and egg; curry powder may contain mustard or celery.
Experiments
Experiment
Cutter size
Filling ratio.
- Make small and large hand pies with the same amount of filling per square centimetre.
Look for: Small pies are crisper with more crust; large ones are juicier. About 12 cm is a good middle size.
Experiment
Water or egg seal
Strength.
- Seal one batch of pies with water and another with beaten egg.
Look for: Egg makes a firmer seal that is less likely to open; water works if you press well.
Experiment
Filling cold or warm
Bursting.
- Fill one pie with cooled filling and one with warm filling and bake both.
Look for: The warm filling softens the pastry and bursts the seam; the cooled filling holds.
Experiment
Baked on a hot tray or cold
Base.
- Bake one tray of pies on a preheated tray and another on a cold tray.
Look for: The preheated tray gives a crisp, golden base; the cold tray gives a paler one.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jam turnovers | ||||
| Baked empanadas | ||||
| Spinach and feta pie | ||||
| Samosa-style triangles | ||||
| Cutter size | ||||
| Water or egg seal | ||||
| Filling cold or warm | ||||
| Baked on a hot tray or cold |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pie bursts open | Overfilled or hot filling | Use less filling; cool it first |
| Seam opens | Wet edge missing or too little pressure | Wet the edge and press firmly, then crimp |
| Soggy base | Wet filling | Cook or squeeze the filling dry |
| Pale pies | No glaze or low heat | Brush with egg and bake hotter |
| Dough tears when folded | Too cold or too thin | Rest 5 minutes; roll slightly thicker |
| Filling leaks | No vent | Cut a small vent in each pie |
Hot oven, hot filling and leftovers
Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.Steam from a hot pie: a pie keeps hot steam and boiling filling inside the crust. Rest it for 10 minutes before cutting, cut from the side with the pie held steady, and keep your face back when you break the lid.
Keeping and freezing: raw pastry keeps in the fridge for about 2 days wrapped tightly, and freezes for about 3 months (general guidance). Cooked pies and tarts keep for about 2 days chilled; reheat pies until steaming hot all the way through, and freeze cooked pies for no more than about 2 to 3 months.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can cut and fill a standard round.
- I can seal a hand pie so it stays closed.
- I can cook a filling thick and dry.
- I can fold a square, a half-moon and a triangle.
- I can fix a pie that bursts or leaks.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Pastry 1, chapter 8 is A Pastry Day: planning, freezing and rescuing pastry.